The Early Years
Family Roots
In County Mayo, Ireland, farmer John Peyton married Mary Gillard in 1899. Patrick Peyton was born on January 9, 1909, and was the 6th of 9 children.
Patrick’s father was about 42 years old at the time of Patrick’s birth and was already stricken with poor health.
Patrick was baptized on January 10, 1909.
The family grew up working on a farm and praying the Rosary nightly.
Schooling
Bofield School
In May, at the age of 5, Patrick started school.
School in Bonniconlon
Patrick was living with his grandparents (Robert and Kitty Gillard) at the age of 8 when he attended school near their home.
Bofield School
Before Patrick’s 15th birthday, he left this school because of an incident with Principal Tadhg O’Leary and was enrolled at the school Currower. In 1924 at the age of 15, Patrick left school and returned to work on the family farm.
St. Thomas High School
At the age of 19, Patrick began his freshman year of high school in America at St. Thomas High School in Scranton, PA.
University of Notre Dame
At the age of 20 Patrick and his brother, Tom, started their second year of high school at Holy Cross Minor Seminary, under the shadow of the University of Notre Dame in Indiana.
A "Spirit of Faith" Influences Patrick Early
The Rosary brings Mary, Our Lady, the Mother of God, to life
John Peyton – Patrick’s father’s dominant quality was his “Spirit of Faith” and he practiced this faith each night by kneeling and leading the family in the Rosary.
Robert and Kitty Gillard – Patrick lived with his grandparents twice in his life before the age of 9. Again Patrick experiences the “Spirit of Faith” as they knelt together as a family and prayed the Rosary nightly.
A farmer from a nearby village needed help picking potatoes. While staying with them, Patrick realized that this family was different than his, as there was no “Spirit of Faith” and no Family Rosary. Patrick decided to share his love for Mary and the Family Rosary with this family, and they began to pray the Rosary nightly.
John Barrett – At the age of 9 one of Patrick’s friends, John Barrett, arranged for him to serve Mass. This was a high honor in his parish and Patrick’s desire to become a priest began to form.
Parish Missions and Applications to Seminaries
From age 9 to age 17, Patrick’s desire to become a priest grew with each retreat and talk given at St. Joseph Parish in Attymass. However, his applications to the seminary were rejected and he refocused on a career.
- Redemptorists (Italy) – These priests were the first to suggest the priesthood to Patrick.
- Capuchins (Italy) – Patrick believed that this was the community for him, so he wrote a letter to them. He never heard from them and felt rejected.
- Society of African Missionaries (Africa) – His parish priest thought that maybe Patrick could get a scholarship to go but he was rejected again: “We are sorry … but Patrick is not up to the required standard in mathematics.”
After his rejections Patrick decided against what seemed to be a “foolish dream” of becoming a priest and focused on becoming a millionaire in America.
