Father Peyton Guild Chapters are critical to the success of the Cause of Canonization
Across the country and around the world, chapters of The Father Peyton Guild have been springing up. The faithful are gathering to honor this beloved priest for his efforts to help families through prayer, especially the Rosary.
Such support is crucial for the progress of Father Peyton’s Cause. Unless there is evidence of strong and widespread devotion to any candidate for canonization, the Vatican will not let a cause advance.
Members of Guild Chapters meet three or four times a year to learn about Father Peyton’s life, work and message. New members are always welcome, so that they too can learn about him, experience the power of his intercession and discover the beneficial effects of family prayer.
Members gather, as circumstances allow, to celebrate the Eucharist, make a holy hour, and pray the Rosary, ending with the Memorare that Father Peyton loved so well.
;)
As they join together in these devotions, Guild members come to appreciate them as Father Peyton did. They share his message with others, especially their own families, and pray for his beatification with increasing fervor. Favors granted may also be reported to the group, and a talk or film shared about Father Peyton’s ministry.
Please consider becoming an active supporter of the Cause by joining a local chapter or starting a new one. Your prayer and participation are critically important in the process of remembering and honoring Servant of God Father Patrick Peyton, CSC.
Mike and Patty Smith organize Guild Chapter in California
LaCanada/Flintridge, California, Chapter
Mike Smith, chapter leader of the LaCanada/Flintridge Chapter of the Father Peyton Guild, repeats with great amusement the story his father, Bob, now deceased, used to tell of his introduction to Father Peyton.
In 1949 or 1950 Father Peyton stopped into Bob Smith’s Dodge dealership in California and asked for help in getting a car that he could drive from Chicago to Canada. Bob called a friend with a car dealership in Chicago who loaned Father Peyton a car, which he drove in a snowstorm to Canada and back. When he returned to Chicago with the car, Father Peyton told the dealer that it was a scary trip because he’d never driven a car in the snow before. But he was completely at ease, calmly reporting, “Our Lady was on my shoulder the whole way so I wasn’t worried.”
After that demonstration of faith, Bob Smith gave Father Peyton a new car every year from 1950 until he died.
Bob Smith was a devout Catholic who was dedicated to Rosary prayer, and the Smith family grew up praying the Rosary. The two men formed a firm friendship based on their mutual devotion to Rosary prayer, and Father Peyton was a frequent visitor to their home. Today, the whole family feels blessed to have known Father Peyton. “As a child growing up, he was a hero in our family’s life,” said Mr. Smith. “His total devotion to the Blessed Mother and the Rosary was inspirational to us all.”
;)
On a trip to Ireland last summer, Mike and his wife, Patty, visited the Father Peyton Centre in Attymass. They traveled with a family friend who is a priest and had made arrangements for him to celebrate Mass while at the Centre. During the Mass, an elderly lady who had grown up with Father Peyton came in, and they spoke with her afterwards. They told her how excited they were to be attending Mass in a chapel dedicated to Father Peyton, right in the town where he grew up. But she wasn’t surprised by the priest’s fame. “I knew he was special way back when he was a child,” she said.
Mike started his Father Peyton Guild chapter in 2003 by sending out a letter inviting 50-75 people devoted to Rosary prayer. He chose his group carefully because he wanted to start with a guaranteed audience. The core group is now around 45 members, but the last meeting had standing room only, with over 80 people in attendance.
They meet three times a year at St. Bede the Venerable parish. “Our pastor, Msgr. Jim Gehl, has been wonderful,” said Mike. “He is an enthusiastic proponent of Rosary prayer. In fact, we pray the Rosary daily after the 8 a.m. Mass.”
They start the Guild meeting with Mass, then pray the Rosary and the prayer for Father Peyton’s beatification. Afterwards there is a short meeting during which they discuss the progress of the Cause. Mike always has Cause literature and Rosary prayer books available for members.
“Having known Father Peyton most of my life, I am convinced of his saintliness,” said Mike. “My hope with organizing our Guild chapter is to make his saintliness known to those who didn’t know him.”
To join a Chapter of the Servant of God Father Patrick Peyton Guild, contact the appropriate person noted below.
Chapter: Phoenix, AZ
Chapter Leader: Chris Wacknov
(602) 274-5959
Chapter: Phoenix, AZ
Chapter Leader: Fr. Jack Keefe CSC
(602) 861-8029
Chapter: La Canada/Flintridge, CA
Contact: Mike Smith
(818) 248-9363
psmith@bobsmithtoyota.com
Chapter: Palm Desert, CA
Chapter Leader: Bro. Carl Sternberg, CSC
(760) 773-3101
slmcs@juno.com
Chapter: Toluca Lake, CA
Chapter Leader: Jim & Jane Gillis
(818) 769-3812
Chapter: Ventura, CA
Contact: Sr. M. Christian Koch, CSC
Patrice25@juno.com
(805) 652-1700
Chapter: Woodland Park, CO
Chapter Leader: Doloretta Barber
(719) 687-6543
radb@aol.com
Chapter: Baltimore, MD
Chapter Leader: Anthony Magliano
(410) 483-1700
Chapter: New Bedford, MA
Chapter Leader: Edwin Aldarondo
Spanish- speaking group
(508) 998-8603
ealda03@aol.com
Chapter: North Easton, MA
Contact: Ann Marie Melanson
amelanson@hcfm.org
(508)-238-4095
Chapter: Albany, NY
Contact: Laetitia Rhatigan & Cecilia Leonard
LRhatigan@hcfm.org
(518) 452-3082
Chapter: Albany, NY
Chapter Leader: Sr. June Szumowski, RSM,
(518) 437-3055
juneszursm@yahoo.com
Chapter: Latham, NY
Chapter Leader: Sr. Maria Norton CSJ
mcnortoncsj@hotmail.com
(518) 783-3514
Chapter: Clayton, NC
Chapter Leader: Elizabeth A. Phalen, M.D.
(919) 550-6838
Chapter: Hinckley, OH
Chapter Leader: Mrs. Pat Guzy
(330) 225-6524
Chapter: Scranton, PA
Contact: Margaret Kenny
Maime60@aol.com
(570) 344-4146
Chapter: Woodlyn, PA
Chapter Leader: John Robert Hurchalla
(610) 532-2729
Chapter: Columbia, SC
Contact: Barbara Holscher
(803) 540-1035
Chapter: Temple, TX
Chapter Leader: Deacon John Petter
(254) 773-4541
For information on the following Chapter, contact: Brother Joe Esparza, CSC
Jesparza@hcfm.org
(800) 299-7729
Chapter: Yauco, Puerto Rico
Chapter Leader: Laurita Quesada
If there is no chapter of the Father Peyton Guild in your area and you would like to start one, please contact Brother Joe Esparza, CSC, at Jesparza@hcfm.org or phone Holy Cross Family Ministries headquarters, (800) 299-7729.