Jim Caviezel’s Encounter with Father Peyton and a 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

In the summer of 1991, a young Jim Caviezel was ready to give up on his acting dreams. One evening while driving down Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, he noticed a sign that read, “The family that prays together stays together,” alongside an image of the Rosary. Moved, he stopped and knocked on the door of the building. After several minutes, a frail priest appeared. Jim asked if he would hear his confession. The priest welcomed him, and after hearing his confession, told him, “Young man, there are big things in store for you.” The priest urged Jim to pray more and attend Mass frequently.  

Jim took the advice to heart, began attending daily Mass, and soon saw doors open in his acting career. Jim also credited Our Lady and the Rosary with opening other doors, including securing a spot in Terrance Malick’s movie, The Thin Red Line. Jim had been praying the Rosary as he approached the director’s house and even felt compelled to give away his wife’s heirloom rosary to the director’s wife, who had begged God to give her another Rosary after she lost the one Saint Teresa of Calcutta gave her. 

Years later, while visiting the same building, Jim saw a photograph of that priest and exclaimed, “I know this man—he heard my confession!” That priest was none other than Father Patrick Peyton, C.S.C.—the legendary “Rosary Priest.” 

Speaking at the Family Theatre’s Rosary Bowl on May 19, 1997, Caviezel recalled: “Father Peyton’s wise counsel to me in the summer of 1991 was the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Had I not heeded his advice, my life might have turned out very differently.” He credited the Holy Spirit for nudging him to that door, and Father Peyton for giving him hope when he needed it most. 

Father Peyton’s legacy is extraordinary. He dedicated his life to promoting family prayer, leading over 540 Rosary Rallies across the globe. He prayed the Rosary with more people than anyone else in history. And his life was featured in the incredible documentary  Pray: The Story of Patrick Peyton.  

His cause for canonization was opened in 2001, and in 2017, he was declared Venerable. He died in 1992 at eighty-three, after a lifetime of service, prayer, and unwavering devotion to the mission of Our Lady. 

A New Rosary Rally at Notre Dame 

That same spirit continues today. On Sunday, September 7, 2025, at 1:30 p.m., thousands will gather outside Bond Hall at the University of Notre Dame for a historic Rosary Rally, inspired by the monumental rally led by Father Peyton there 75 years ago. The event will pray for hope, healing, and unity in families and our world (more information here). Organized by Holy Cross Family Ministries, the Congregation of Holy Cross, and the University of Notre Dame—participants will include families, students, clergy, and faithful from across the nation. 

Just as Venerable Patrick Peyton gave Jim Caviezel hope in a time of despair, so too do the saints continue to give us hope today. They appear in powerful ways and intercede for us if we only call upon them. In this Jubilee Year of Hope, there is no better way to renew peace in our families and world than by praying the Rosary daily. 

God has great things in store for each of us—the greatest being Heaven. No sacrifice is too great, no cross too heavy, no sorrow too deep compared to what awaits us in eternity.  

(1) Quoted in Patrick O’Hearn, Parents of the Saints (Gastonia, NC: TAN Books, 2021), 446. 

Written by Patrick O’Hearn