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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
catholic family life | family prayer | pray the rosary
Whether you’ve prayed a few decades or simply held the beads on a hard day, you’ve already started retraining your mind toward peace one breath, one bead, one step at a time. Begin With Safety and Intentionality Before you even pick up your Rosary, pause. Notice your surroundings. Feel the floor under your feet, the weight of the beads in your hands. Signaling your brain: I am safe right now. Then take three deep, slow breaths - in through your nose, out through your mouth. Each exhale is an invitation for your body to release tension and your soul to receive grace.
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catholic family life | family prayer | pray the rosary
Family Rosary Time Doesn’t Have to Be Perfect to Be Powerful Let’s be honest — praying the Rosary as a family sounds beautiful in theory, but in practice? It can feel like a holy circus. The toddler’s chewing on beads, the kindergartener’s whispering “Is it almost done?” after the first decade, and your teen looking half asleep. Sound familiar? Here’s the good news: family prayer doesn’t have to be polished to be powerful.
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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.
anxiety | power of prayer | pray the rosary
At the dawn of 2018, I experienced my first-ever panic attack. I was nineteen at the time, helping a student at my college campus writing center, when the chest-tightening, heart-pounding, head-spinning began. I felt fear seize my senses as I pushed back from the table, excusing myself to the restroom. Safely inside a stall, I fought for breath, squeezing my fingertips into my legs. What was happening? Weeks later, at my first of many counseling sessions, I realized what had overcome me: a panic attack brought on by overwhelming anxiety, and unfortunately, it wasn’t the last time I would encounter one. The harsh reality is that anxiety, panic attacks, loneliness, and many other mental crosses afflict our young people today, even those with a rooted faith in the Lord. I was no exception as I struggled with my sense of purpose and self-worth away from my family for the first time at college, struggling as a brand-new adult to discover my place in it all and come to terms with all the unknowns before me: friendships, career, vocation, hobbies, and mounting adult expectations and responsibilities. Being a young adult isn’t easy, as countless pathways call to us for attention.
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Praying with images | Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary | family prayer | pray the rosary
Artful depictions of Christ's life, especially His Passion and Death, offer families a unique opportunity to engage in discussions of faith that can often be difficult to begin. From the youngest member of one's family to the oldest, everyone can look upon the beauty of art and share what they see and how it makes them feel. Visio Divina, or "sacred seeing," is an ancient form of Christian prayer that utilizes the imagination to enter into prayer. Visio Divina is an effective method of praying for families looking to begin or deepen a practice of family prayer in their homes. We recommend starting your time with these images, calling upon the Holy Spirit to guide your discussion. Your prayer can be as simple as, "Come, Holy Spirit," or you may wish to recite or write a longer one, such as: Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful. And kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And you will renew the face of the earth. This collection of images of the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary includes short reflections with each picture to illustrate the variety of ways sacred art can be viewed and discussed. We pray your family is truly blessed by your time together immersed in the beauty of the art, these words, and your precious time with each other.
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Father Patrick Peyton | Jim Caviezel | Rosary Priest | rosary rally
There are moments in life we never forget—encounters with people who leave an indelible impression on us. These people are often none other than the saints. When Charles Dickens met Saint Jeanne Jugan, foundress of the Little Sisters of the Poor, he remarked: “There is in this woman something so calm, and so holy, that in seeing her I know myself to be in the presence of a superior being. Her words went straight to my heart, so that my eyes, I know not how, filled with tears.”1 My mother’s cousin experienced something similar when he met St. Teresa of Calcutta on a U.S. Army base in Japan during the 1980s. Almost backing out at the last minute, he went anyway and was forever changed. As he shared with me: “Mother Teresa, who is very small, maybe 4’11” on her tiptoes, took my hand with both of her weather-beaten, gnarled fingers. She looked straight into my eyes—and I must admit, into my soul—and said, ‘Colonel, I am so happy that you decided to come tonight.’ It was like being struck by a sledgehammer. At that moment, I felt the Holy Spirit telling me it was God speaking to my heart through Mother Teresa.” Like Padre Pio and so many saints, Mother Teresa had the gift of seeing into souls and touching hearts with God’s presence. Some saints had the gift of prophecy, foretelling future events and missions. Jim Caviezel and Venerable Patrick Peyton
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Family Rosary | PRAY | Venerable Patrick Peyton | how to pray the rosary
Megan Harrington describes her family's devotion to the Rosary, which she appreciated in a new way after working on the documentary of Father Patrick Peyton's life: PRAY. Growing up, my parents made us — it was not a choice or an option — be in the kitchen at 7 am before school to pray the Rosary. They believed in its promises and the power of prayer. Gathering a herd of 11 children is not an easy task, especially in the morning. I’d like to tell you that their example launched me into the daily practice from the time I was a small girl until today, but unfortunately, it didn’t. The seed was planted, however, and I would be reminded of its effectiveness many times throughout my life. I am forever grateful to my parents, who were the first witnesses of the faith.
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