World at Prayer blog

Reflections of Family and Faith

"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton

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.

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Nicknames - Family Reflection Video

He was a master at tagging people with a nickname. Maybe because he himself was saddled with the Baptismal name of Octave. My grandfather loved his grandchildren and loved to saddle them with nicknames that reflected their personalities, especially the boys. There was "Bonhomme" for a male cousin, meaning good man. I have no idea to this day what his real name was because we always called him "Bonhomme."

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Confident Prayer and A Basketball Legend - Family Reflection Video

It is said that one day, Bob Cousy was shooting foul shots in the Boston Garden, and making the sign of the Cross before each shot, with the coaches looking on. When the legendary former Boston Celtics Coach and General Manager, Red Auerbach, who was Jewish, leaned over to his good friend on the sidelines, Cardinal Richard Cushing, he said, "Cardinal, when your boys make the Sign of the Cross before shooting, does that help them?"

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Brief and contemporary inspiration focused on hope and family prayer will be delivered to your inbox! Articles include live video, written word, and links to resources that will lead you and your family deeper into faith.

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Healing the family  |  Holy lives of inspiration

Jesus Preaches, Heals and Saves - Family Reflection Video

The priest on duty for the UCLA hospital gets a list of names and room numbers of people who request a visit usually for anointing of the sick before surgery and often just to have a conversation with a friendly person.

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Celebrating family life

Day 9: A Family Novena Celebrating Venerable Patrick Peyton's Birth

Please join our community around the world in praying this novena for your family and all families. We do this for the nine days leading up to Venerable Patrick Peyton's anniversary of birth on January 9 in gratitude for his memory and timeless message to all families, "The Family That Prays Together Stays Together."

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Celebrating family life

Day 8: A Family Novena Celebrating Venerable Patrick Peyton's Birth

Please join our community around the world in praying this novena for your family and all families. We do this for the nine days leading up to Venerable Patrick Peyton's anniversary of birth on January 9 in gratitude for his memory and timeless message to all families, "The Family That Prays Together Stays Together."

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Celebrating family life

Day 7: A Family Novena Celebrating Venerable Patrick Peyton's Birth

Please join our community around the world in praying this novena for your family and all families. We do this for the nine days leading up to Venerable Patrick Peyton's anniversary of birth on January 9 in gratitude for his memory and timeless message to all families, "The Family That Prays Together Stays Together."

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