Sacred Heart Parish at Broadway and Ashford Avenue, Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522 US - Family Rosary Announces Winners of the 2005 “Try Prayer! It Works!” Contest

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Family Rosary has unveiled 13 first place winners of 2,800 final entries from more than 50,000 participants across the United States and Puerto Rico. The 10th annual “Try Prayer! It Works!” contest is a national competition that encourages students to express their faith through art, poetry and prose. All 2,800 final entries depicted the contest’s chosen theme, Healing the World through Mary’s Rosary, and culminated in a total of 40 winners with 13 in first place.

Each year, children and teens from Catholic schools, parishes and other Catholic organizations utilize their creative skills to illustrate a different faith-based theme. This year, students from kindergarten through 12th grade creatively depicted how they use values and virtues taught by Jesus and Mary in their everyday life through various art forms.

“The contest enables children of all ages to creatively express how prayer is answered and healing begins through God,” said Father John Phalen, CSC, President of Holy Cross Family Ministries. “Healing the world with a prayer such as the Rosary is a marvelous way for children to examine their faith and its importance in their daily lives. They can look at the miracles around them and show how they have an impact upon each of us. All of the entries reflect such virtues and are an inspiration to all.”

In addition to the “Try Prayer! It Works!” contest in the United States, separate competitions are conducted in Mexico, East Africa, Brazil, Peru, Ireland, Chile, Haiti and the Philippines. Entries are judged on content, ability to capture and interpret the theme, artistic and technical proficiency, and adherence to rules. Up to three winners are chosen per grade: first-place winners are awarded $100 (U.S.), their sponsoring organization earns $200 (U.S.). Runners-up win a set of Family Theater Productions movies.

Family Rosary was founded in 1942 by the late “Rosary Priest,” Servant of God Father Patrick Peyton, CSC. The “Try Prayer! It Works!” contest derives its name from an experience in the life of Father Peyton. While a seminarian, Father Peyton was stricken with severe tuberculosis. At one point, a frustrated physician said, “Try prayer! We have done all we can for you.” Father Peyton prayed his Rosary to the Blessed Mother and saw his miraculous recovery as the direct result.

This experience – coupled with his strong family life as a youth in Ireland, where his family prayed the Rosary each night – inspired Father Peyton to devote his life to Mary, Mother of God, and to the spiritual well-being of the family. His famous slogan, “The family that prays together stays together,” still resonates today.

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