“The family that prays together stays together,” said Venerable Fr. Patrick Peyton, the “Rosary Priest.” Sadly, many homes have forgotten this truth, but not the homes of the saints.
On the banks of the Mississippi River in Wisconsin, Bl. Solanus Casey’s family prayed the Rosary every night. Bl. Solanus and his sixteen siblings took turns leading, and this daily practice remained with him for life. Other saints like Blessed Bartolo Longo (soon to be canonized), St. Maria Goretti, St. Padre Pio, and Venerable Sister Lucia dos Santo also prayed the Rosary with their families each day. After St. Maria Goretti’s father died, she prayed the Rosary for his soul when the family was too poor to have Masses offered. The Rosary truly links Heaven and earth.
St. Zelie Martin’s daughter Marie once said of her:
Her rosary beads never leave her fingers; she is praying constantly in spite of her sufferings. We all have great admiration for her; she has such courage and surpassing energy. Until two weeks ago she used to recite the five decades of her beads on her knees, before the Blessed Virgin, in my room, which she loves so much. Seeing her so ill, I wanted to have her sit down, but it was useless to ask her. (O’Hearn, 2021, p. 91)
For the saints, the Rosary wasn’t a piece of jewelry worn around their necks or dangling on their rearview mirrors. The Rosary was a weapon of demonic destruction, which can prevent global wars according to several Marian apparitions. If it can prevent worldwide calamities, as Our Lady promised, how much more can it protect our homes from division and spiritual attack?
Yet today, many families claim they are too busy. Meals together are rare, screens dominate our attention, and divorce rates climb. Heaven offers a remedy: the family Rosary. Outside of devoutly receiving Holy Communion, few practices can bring more grace to the home than gathering together to meditate on Scripture through the Rosary.
Jesus promised: “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Mt. 18:20). When families pray the Rosary, Jesus and Mary truly come to dwell in their homes, bringing peace. And peace in the world begins with peace in the family.
That is why, on September 7, 2025, Holy Cross Ministries and the University of Notre Dame will host a historic Rosary Rally on campus, modeled after the monumental rally led by Father Peyton 75 years ago. Families, students, clergy, and faithful from across the nation will unite in prayer and descend upon South Bend, Indiana. Fr. David Marcham, C.S.C., Vice-Postulator for Peyton’s cause, explains: “Every person, every family is searching for hope, healing, and unity. Come reignite the fire of faith and love of God and family at the Notre Dame Rosary Rally.”
History shows what the Rosary can do. Over 400 years ago, Pope St. Pius V formed the Holy League, and through the Rosary, Catholic forces defeated the Ottoman Empire at Lepanto, saving Europe from Muslim conquest. Today, as threats to our Faith and culture grow from secular influences and the rise of Islam, the Rosary remains essential if we wish to preserve our Catholic identity and raise saints. In fact, one of the fifteen promises Our Lady made to those who pray the Rosary are as follows: “The Rosary will be a very powerful armor against hell; it will destroy vice, deliver from sin and dispel heresy.”
The Rosary’s power against Hell is another reason why exorcists pray it before an exorcism or touch a blessed Rosary to a possessed person (this causes intense pain). The demons hate the Rosary as seen in the new book, The Most Powerful Saints in Exorcisms (Sophia Institute Press). Eighteen minutes a day is all it takes. If you doubt its power, read the lives of the saints and also Gabriel Costello’s new The Power of the Rosary (Sophia Institute Press).
If we want peace in our homes, if we want to keep our children in the Faith, if we want to preserve our Catholic culture, the Rosary must become one of our greatest weapons. As Ven. Fr. Peyton reminded us: “The Rosary has saved the world in the past. It will save the world now, by saving the family.” A Rosary a day keeps Satan at bay. A Rosary a day invites Jesus and Mary into our homes and into our hearts. A Rosary a day is a mighty remedy to broken families and an imperative element for raising saints.
Author’s Note: To learn more about the historic Rosary Rally this September 7, 2025, visit this website: https://www.familyrosary.org/rosaryrally.
Photo by Chris Hardy on Unsplash
