The cause for sainthood of Servant of God Patrick Peyton moved another step forward in April with the presentation of a Positi—a position document on his life and holiness—to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in Rome.

The Positio is the result of a four-year study that culminated in a 6,000-page report of Fr. Peyton's life, actions, and miracles, and was completed by the tribunals in the Archdiocese of Baltimore and 34 other dioceses around the world. If the Congregation determines Fr. Peyton led a life of heroic virtue, the cause will go to Pope Francis, who can confer the title “Venerable” upon Fr. Peyton.

Rev. Wilfred Raymond, C.S.C., president of Holy Cross Family Ministries; Rev. David S. Marcham, vice postulator of Peyton’s cause; Andrea Ambrosi, the postulator of Peyton’s; and Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Archbishop of Manila presented the Positio on April 21, 2015.

“We are very pleased to see progress in Father Peyton's Cause. Many people regularly tell me we need a 'Saint for Families' and that Father Peyton is the appropriate candidate,” Raymond said.

Fr. Peyton, a Holy Cross priest and Catholic media pioneer, spent his 51 years of priesthood serving the spiritual needs of families. Known as “The Rosary Priest,” Fr. Peyton emphasized the daily communal prayer of the Rosary between families. He believed “The family that prays together stays together.”

During his priesthood, Father Peyton spread his message globally, founding Family Rosary in Albany, N.Y., in 1942, and conducting Rosary crusades in 40 countries that drew over 28 million people. Fr. Peyton also founded Family Theater Productions in 1947 in Hollywood, where he helped to produce 600 radio and TV programs that featured hundreds of celebrities and celebrated more than 10,000 broadcasts. Family Rosary and Family Theater Productions are members of Holy Cross Family Ministries, which serves families in 17 countries.  The Father Peyton Family Institutes, based in Lima, Peru, and in Bangalore, India, provide education and resources to enrich the spirituality of families.  The ministries are all under the sponsorship of the Congregation of Holy Cross, at whose request Father Peyton’s Cause for Canonization was opened in June of 2001.

For more information and to see a video presentation, check out the Holy Cross Family Ministries website.

Meanwhile, CatholicTV will air a special on Father Peyton called A World at Prayer: The Vision of Patrick Peyton- On Assignment: St. John Cantius at 10:30 p.m. June 1 and replaying at 5 p.m. June 4 and 3:30 a.m. June 6.