SCRANTON – “The family that prays together stays together” has been an international Catholic catchphrase for decades.

It owes its origin to the late Father Patrick Peyton, a priest of the Congregation of Holy Cross, and longtime promoter of the family rosary.

This weekend, the Diocese of Scranton will celebrate Father Peyton’s legacy with a large-scale Rosary Rally in downtown Scranton on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024.

The festivities will be spread throughout the 300- and 400-blocks of Wyoming Avenue beginning at 10:30 a.m.

The highlight of the Nov. 16 Rosary Rally in Scranton will begin at 1:30 p.m. at the Cathedral of Saint Peter. Together, families will recite the rosary, and there will be inspiring talks, music and Eucharistic Adoration.

The reason for this year’s celebration is 2024 marks the 75th anniversary of Father Peyton’s first Rosary Rally in the United States, which was held in Scranton, and drew an estimated 50,000 people.

A display focusing on that event in 1949 will be set-up in the Diocesan Pastoral Center, 330 Wyoming Avenue. There will also be screenings of the movie “Pray,” which focuses on the story of Patrick Peyton.

Throughout the latter half of the 20th century, Father Peyton was perhaps the best-known “media priest” because he hosted a nationally broadcast radio program for more than 22 years and produced more than 70 films and television programs through his Family Theater Productions, in addition to his numerous rosary rallies conducted around the globe.

At the age of 19, Patrick Peyton and his older brother, Thomas, immigrated to the United States from Ireland, joining their three older sisters who previously had made the move to Scranton.

Patrick Peyton got a job as a sexton (janitor) at the Cathedral of Saint Peter and a little more than a year later, answered the call to the priesthood and entered the seminary of the Congregation of the Holy Cross at Notre Dame, Indiana.

Two years from ordination, Patrick was stricken with tuberculosis and was given little hope for recovery. Inexplicably cured 15 months later, he credited the miracle to the intercession of Mary, to whom he had turned in prayer. By a special indult from the Vatican, Patrick was able to be ordained alongside his brother in 1941, despite the formation time lost because of the illness.

A mere seven months after his ordination, Father Patrick Peyton felt inspired by God to start the Family Rosary Crusade. He was motivated, in part, by his sincere belief that prayer was the answer to the breakdown of the American family, and, in part, by his eagerness to repay Mary for restoring his health.

Father Peyton died June 3, 1992, at the age of 83 and is buried in Easton, Massachusetts. Father Peyton’s cause for canonization to sainthood was opened in 2001. Pope Francis declared him venerable in December 2017.

Today, 32 years after his death, Father Peyton’s legacy of promoting prayer and the rosary continues through Holy Cross Family Ministries, which offers prayer events, formation ministries and family-focused media.

All individuals and families are invited to come out on Saturday to learn more about Father Peyton and participate in the events listed above.

For those unable to attend in person, CTV: Catholic Television will broadcast and livestream the 1:30 p.m. event at the Cathedral.