World at Prayer blog from Family Rosary - Reflections of Family and Faith

Father Willy Raymond, C.S.C.

Father Wilfred J. Raymond, C.S.C. (Father Willy), a native of Old Town, Maine, is the eighth of 12 children. He joined the Congregation of Holy Cross in 1964 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1971. He earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Stonehill College in 1967 and a master’s in Theology from the University of Notre Dame in 1971. He served in ministry at Stonehill College (1979-1992), Holy Cross leadership (1994-2000), National Director of Family Theater Productions, Hollywood (2000-2014), and President of Holy Cross Family Ministries (2014-2022). In addition to English, he is conversant in French and Spanish. He remains a diehard fan of the Boston Red Sox, even though he has served as Chaplain for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Holy lives of inspiration | seasonal reflection

The Feet That Bring the Good News! Family Reflection Video

By: Father Willy Raymond, C.S.C. November 30th, 2020

Remember the I Love Lucy show? Remember Lucy and sidekick, Ethel, in the chocolate factory? And Lucy with a stout Italian peasant woman stomping grapes with their feet? Lucy and the woman end up wrestling to the bottom of the vat covered in purple grapes. Not just their feet but their whole bodies were covered in purple.

Seasonal Reflections

All in God's Hands: A Special Greeting from Father Willy Raymond

By: Father Willy Raymond, C.S.C. November 25th, 2020

Dear Friends: Many people trace the American Thanksgiving back to the Pilgrims sitting down to Turkey and Cranberry Dinner with the Native American Wampanoag nation in Plymouth, MA in 1620. However, the official observance of Thanksgiving stemmed from a mandate from one of America’s greatest leaders and presidents, Abraham Lincoln. He reminds us of the True Source of blessing and healing. He decreed this holiday during the worst crisis in American history, in the darkest days of the Civil War.

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Holy lives of inspiration | Love thy Neighbor

“All In” for Jesus: Family Reflection Video

By: Father Willy Raymond, C.S.C. November 23rd, 2020

Today, the three saints we celebrate and the Gospel remind us that there are many ways to be “all in” for God and Jesus.

Why pray?

Saint Gertrude the Great: Family Reflection Video

By: Father Willy Raymond, C.S.C. November 16th, 2020

Why pray for the dead? Can we really help them with our prayers? Is there any warrant for this in the Word of God? Isn’t the final decision about eternal life made at the judgment each person will undergo at the time of death?

The Mother Church: Family Reflection Video

By: Father Willy Raymond, C.S.C. November 9th, 2020

Saint John Lateran is the mother Church of Christianity, the physical sign of the incarnate Word of God in the world and reminder that we are living temples, not yet perfect, but temples nevertheless, to the glory of God.

Healing the family | Why pray?

A Day of Remembrance: Family Reflection Video

By: Father Willy Raymond, C.S.C. November 2nd, 2020

“Now what will God say to those who are not good enough to enter heaven at once nor bad enough to go to Hell?” After a pause, a little girl put up her hand and said, “God will say, ‘I will be seeing you soon!’” (Fr. Elias Dias, SDB, Divine Stories for Families)