All For Her
The Autobiography of Father Patrick Peyton, C.S.C.
by Father Patrick Peyton, C.S.C.
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Pub Date 22 Mar 2019 | Archive Date 25 Apr 2019
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Description
On December 18, 2017, Pope Francis declared that Father Patrick Peyton, C.S.C., lived a life of heroic virtue and gave him the title “venerable,” marking another step closer to sainthood for the “Rosary Priest.” This new edition of Peyton’s biography tells the story of his life and dedication to the Blessed Mother as he discerned his vocation, overcame the obstacles of advanced tuberculosis and lack of education, and became a priest who eventually preached to more than 28 million people worldwide, worked with Hollywood stars, and founded Family Rosary and Family Theater Productions.
This new edition of Father Patrick Peyton’s autobiography—originally published in 1967 and reissued in a revised edition in 1997—includes black-and-white photos and a new foreword by Holy Cross Family Ministries president Fr. Willy Raymond, C.S.C., reflecting on Peyton’s legacy as a saint for family prayer and his cause for canonization.
Meet one of the newest candidates for sainthood: a priest who was formed by his own family’s Rosary devotion—and his formation as a Holy Cross priest—to promote peace and unity across the globe through family prayer. Peyton—probably best known for the inspirational phrases “the family that prays together stays together” and “a world at prayer is a world at peace”—encouraged family prayer and devotion to the Rosary throughout his ministry.
In his autobiography, the Rosary Priest reflects on his journey from a farm boy in Western Ireland to one of the most effective missionaries of the modern age. In All for Her Peyton describes his travels to America, hoping to become a millionaire and instead finding work as a janitor in the Scranton cathedral, where he realized the call to the priesthood. In 1929, Peyton entered the seminary, but after years of study and training he was diagnosed with advanced tuberculosis. Conventional treatments at the time were not working. He prayed to the Virgin Mary and his health quickly began to improve. In gratitude he committed his vocation to promote devotion to the Blessed Mother and the Rosary. On the day of his ordination as a priest in the Congregation of Holy Cross, Peyton said, “I gave my heart and soul in love to Mary. I promised her all the merit of my priesthood until death. The merit and glory of every action I would ever perform would be hers and hers alone.”
Peyton immediately began advocating for the practice of family Rosary devotion. He embraced the new media as a means to reach people across the globe, and developed radio and television programs that spread a message of prayer and family unity. He founded Family Theater Productions in 1947. Performers in his productions included such stars of Hollywood’s golden age as Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, Gregory Peck, and Lucille Ball. Peyton also preached to millions in person, organizing two hundred-sixty Rosary Crusades across the globe. These large rallies included worship, prayer, and benediction. Peyton continued to be active until the 1990s and died in 1992.
In 1997, the cause for his canonization was opened.
All for Her is part of Ave Maria Press’s Holy Cross series. These books explore and celebrate the history and spiritual vision of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a religious order of priests, brothers, and sisters founded in France in 1837 by Blessed Basil Moreau, C.S.C., who was beatified in 2007. Included in the series are works of biography, spirituality, and devotion.
A Note From the Publisher
Peyton immigrated to the United States in 1928 and entered the Holy Cross seminary at the University of Notre Dame in 1932. After a miraculous healing from tuberculosis that he attributed to the intercession of the Blessed Mother, Peyton dedicated his life to spreading devotion to Mary, especially through the Rosary. Peyton founded Family Rosary (1942) and Family Theater Productions (1947), which continue today under Holy Cross Family Ministries.
He was a pioneer in using the media for evangelization, including radio, movies, advertising, and television to spread the gospel with the help of famous celebrities such as Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, Ronald Reagan, and Lucille Ball. Peyton produced more than eight-hundred radio and television programs to inspire and educate families on the power of prayer and the Rosary.
Peyton served as a Holy Cross priest for fifty-one years. He is known for the inspirational phrases “The family that prays together stays together” and “A world at prayer is a world at peace.”
Peyton’s Cause for Sainthood began in July 1997. He was declared venerable by Pope Francis in 2017.
Advance Praise
"Father Patrick Peyton exercised a ministry of 'new evangelization' before the term became a mainstay of contemporary Church practice. His thirst for holiness rooted itself in his Irish family’s recitation of the Rosary. His confidence in the power of prayer sprang from his own sick bed chapel. He used the best methods of media communication known in his day. He had a message for the world and a passion to share it far and wide. All for Her describes his lifelong passion to bringing families to Jesus Christ through his Mother Mary. It was his path to holiness."
Father Robert L. Epping, C.S.C.
Superior General Congregation of Holy Cross
“Father Patrick Peyton’s boldness, creativity, enthusiasm, and passion for the Gospel shaped his life and ministry. They are clear signs of his holiness and his love of God and neighbor. As we remember him, may his devotion to Mary, his promotion of family prayer, his service to families, and his commitment to the mission of evangelization inspire us as we discern and seek to carry out the mission that the Lord has entrusted to each one of us.”
From the foreword by Father Wilfred J. Raymond, C.S.C.
President of Holy Cross Family Ministries
“Lively and entertaining; it captures all the energy and scope of a very holy man embarked on a unique spiritual journey.”
From the introduction by Father James Chichetto, C.S.C.
Associate Professor of Communications
Stonehill College
“No matter where Father Patrick Peyton was—growing up in County Mayo, working in Scranton, evangelizing Hollywood, speaking in stadiums across the world—he was the kind of person who loved God wholeheartedly with a love that overflowed into ardent, unlimited love of others. He learned this type of love from the Rosary, where from his youth he meditated on the love of God for him and derived from that contemplation the entire pattern and purpose of his existence.”
Father Roger J. Landry
Priest of the diocese of Fall River, Massachusetts
“Father Peyton’s incredible story was an experience—an experience for which I'll be forever grateful! I found him to be a man of enormous faith, a man actually in love with our Blessed Lady. For me his message is still an inspiration: ‘The family that prays together stays together.’”
Loretta Young (1913–2000)
Actress
“Father Patrick Peyton was one of the most extraordinary priests I have ever known. He always seemed to accomplish what he set out to do, no matter how difficult or visionary it was. I can only applaud the good works of Father Peyton and recommend All For Her as entertaining, inspiring, and spiritually refreshing reading.”
Father Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C. (1917–2015)
President Emeritus
University of Notre Dame
“Father Peyton’s wise counsel to me in that summer of 1991 was the fruit of the Holy Spirit. I also believe it was the Holy Spirit who encouraged Father Peyton to invite me in, to give me the sacrament [of Penance], to give me hope.”
Jim Caviezel
Actor
“I pray that Father Patrick Peyton’s promotion of family prayer and the Rosary, his service to families, and his commitment to the mission of evangelization, will inspire us all.
Father Bill Lies, C.S.C.
Provincial Superior
Congregation of Holy Cross, United States Province of Priests and Brothers
Available Editions
EDITION | Paperback |
ISBN | 9781594718854 |
PRICE | US$20.00 (USD) |
Featured Reviews
I had only heard of Fr. Peyton in passing before, usually when someone quoted the slogan "the family that prays together, stays together," so I didn't know what to expect when I picked up this book. Fr. Peyton does a masterful job of sharing about his home life as a child in Ireland, his family's incredible devout Catholic faith, and the selflessness that seemed to be a hallmark of the Peyton siblings. As a 21st century millennial raising five kids, I was moved by the type of self-sacrifice that his family demonstrated - it was nothing short of inspiring. Fr. Peyton's miraculous cure from tuberculosis was jaw dropping, too. I love reading about how, as new technologies in radio, film, and tv arose in the second half of the 1900s, Fr. Peyton took advantage of these new types of media to reach the masses and share the Rosary. To be honest, the last third of the book was a little too detailed in some of the strategy details for the Rosary Crusade campaign, and that's the only reason I didn't give this book five stars. All in all, a fascinating little book on Fr. Peyton's life and work to spread devotion to Our lady through the Rosary. I found myself on YouTube afterwards looking up old videos of him speaking just to hear what he sounded like. Good read!
***I wrote this review in exchange for a review copy from NetGalley and was not influenced in any way. This opinion is solely my own.***