Did you know this about the IW Knights of Columbus?
The following is part one of the recent Columbia Online magazine article entitled: “The Family that Prays Together” written by Philip Kosloski, a Knight from Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin.
“IN 1942, Father Patrick Peyton, a newly ordained priest of the Congregation of Holy Cross, couldn’t bear to hear another news story about the lives being lost in World War II. Families were being devastated and communities destroyed, with no end in sight.
Then, Father Peyton had an idea to bring lasting peace. He recalled the great Battle of Lepanto in 1571, when an outnumbered Christian fleet rallied to defeat a threatening array of Ottoman warships. Pope Pius V turned to the rosary, joined in prayer by the sailors aboard the ships. Together they implored the help of the Virgin Mary, and the Ottoman forces were miraculously defeated.
Father Peyton firmly believed that the rosary could again play a key role in bringing peace to the world. He had been taught the importance of family prayer back in Ireland, kneeling with his parents and eight siblings every night to pray the rosary. He also believed that the Blessed Mother had healed him from tuberculosis while he was a seminarian, and he had made a vow to spread her love to all the world.
However, the young priest knew he needed help. Wanting to reach as many people as possible using modern technology, but without any background or connections in mass media, he went to New York City and convinced a woman from the Mutual Broadcasting System that the nation needed a Catholic radio program. She gave Father Peyton a chance, on one condition: He needed to enlist the help of Hollywood stars.
Father Peyton nervously called Bing Crosby and, somehow, was able to win him over. The radio show hit airwaves May 13, 1945, and featured Crosby, Archbishop Francis Spellman of New York, President Harry Truman and members of the Sullivan family — whose I've sons had been killed in action in 1942 — leading the rosary. Father Peyton ended the program with an appeal for families to pray the rosary together for peace.
The show was a resounding success, leading to the creation of a regular radio program and the establishment of Family Theater Productions in 1947. Many of Hollywood’s biggest stars were eager to support Father Peyton in his work, and his new company would go on to produce more than 800 radio programs and 83 TV specials.”
To find the link to our feature stories - information on the Knights of Columbus can be found at: IWKnights9981.com/bulletin or in facebook.com/IWknights9981 and NOW on Twitter at twitter.com/IwKnights.
Links Related to this week’s column:
The Family That Prays Together
Venerable Patrick Peyton’s call for parents to lead their families in prayer is vital to building unity and peace.
By Philip Kosloski, Columbia Magazine(11/1/2021)
Click here to read the article
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We would like to talk with you about becoming an IW Knight. Please visit us on-line at our web site at www.IWknights9981.com/AboutUs. Or call Rob Schultz at: (314) 973-2373.
