"Mary's Miracle"

As the years passed Pat sized up the stark financial and life possibilities of Ireland in the late 1920's and despite his deep love for his family, he realized his future lay in the United States. He moved to Scranton, Pennsylvania in 1928, having been instructed by his father to "be faithful to God in America." His brother, Tom, went with him and the two stayed in their sisters' home.

When some Holy Cross priests came to preach a parish retreat, Pat and Tom presented themselves as candidates for the priesthood. Together they went to Notre Dame and studied in the seminary.

When the two were in their second year of Theology study at Catholic University in Washington DC, Pat was stricken with life threatening tuberculosis. He languished for a year, having been transferred back to Notre Dame's infirmary. There Fr. Con Haggerty CSC told Pat that he needed to pray to Mary the way the Irish always prayed, with great faith, knowing her to be alive and a "hundred per-center!" Pat prayed his rosary in that way, and at the end of a novena, declared himself cured by Mary's intercession. The doctors eventually confirmed it, and Pat was forever grateful to Mary for saving his life and he would live to tell the world about this miracle. Pat and Tom were ordained together on June 15, 1941.

Assigned to Albany New York as Chaplain to the Holy Cross Brothers, Father Pat began the Family Rosary Crusade, getting volunteer students and brothers to assist him writing letters to Bishops asking their help to organize a rosary campaign. Radio broadcasts of the Rosary followed. Fr. Peyton started giving "triduums", weekend retreats in various parishes on the theme of the family rosary. The response was very positive. Albany, with its strong Irish Catholic population, was coming to love the Irish rosary priest!