Reaching Out to the Blessed Mother Gave Me Hope

It is a moment that is seared in my mind forever.  

I rush into my father’s room in the Intensive Care Unit of a hospital in the town in which I was born. As I approach, I see my father lying, motionless, in front of me. The nurse tells me he is the sickest patient in the ICU. My strong, resilient Daddy. Powerless. Weak. Immobile. 

It wasn’t that long ago that I'd phoned him to reveal a personal victory I had achieved. I was brimming with excitement and couldn’t wait to share the news. He listened, but then quite abruptly handed the receiver over to my mother. I was caught a little by surprise, but I figured he might have been in a hurry. He often seemed to be in a hurry. 

But not on that day in the ICU. His hurrying days were over. I tried speaking with him, but his eyes were closed and he did not appear to grasp what I was saying. 

I Had No Alternative but to Take Out My Rosary 

It appeared to me, in that moment, I had no alternative but to take out my Rosary and ask my sister to pray with me for our beloved father. 

Fingering the beads calmed me. Reaching out to the Blessed Mother gave me hope that my father would soon be reunited with his Heavenly Father. I had prayed the Rosary many times before for people in danger of dying, but this Rosary seemed especially personal. After all, my father was my buddy. It was hard to imagine life without him. 

I looked over at my mother, weary from having sat vigil at my father’s bedside. I knew she needed rest. I convinced her that she, my sister, and I should leave so we could get to bed. We all returned to my parents’ house — minus my father, whose shoes still sat imposingly at the door.  

A few hours later, we received the call that my mother had been dreading. The hospital staff wanted my mother to return to the ICU. I accompanied her. This time, the doctor met us outside my father’s room and informed us that he was gone.  

Mary Came to Me in My Sleep 

I am not one to dream of the saints, but that night, Mary came to me in my sleep, as she might have appeared in a painting of the Assumption. I believe that our bedside Rosary called out to her, and she responded.  

One day in the Kingdom of Heaven, I hope to learn exactly what happened to my father that night and whether Mary appeared to him after death as she appeared to me in my dream. That vision was so lovely, it’s the kind of experience I would have liked to have shared — especially with my buddy.  

Venerable Patrick Peyton, known as "The Rosary Priest," devoted his priestly life to encouraging family prayer, especially the Rosary. This October, for the Month of the Holy Rosary, Family Rosary (an apostolate founded by Father Peyton) and Catholic Mom have teamed up for this daily series dedicated to the Rosary.