Editor’s note: During May, the month of Mary, Michelle Iurman, founder and director of Full of Grace Productions, will be writing a four-part series on her “calling” for a major motion film production titled, All For Her. Based on the autobiography and heroic life of Venerable (Fr.) Patrick Peyton, C.S.C., whose prayerful slogan was “The Family That Prays Together Stays Together,” the film will feature the famous Rosary Priest’s unfailing devotion to the Blessed Mother. This film will include and reveal how the forgotten “Canadian Connection” was providential for the fruition of Fr. Peyton’s saintly mission.  

From as far back as I can remember, I always wanted to sing and to perform. Having recognized my “big” singing voice at a very young age, my parents took me to the Sisters of St. Joseph in my hometown of London, Ont., because the Sisters ran the most highly esteemed music school in our city. I began piano and theory lessons, soon to be followed by private voice lessons.

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At 10 years of age, I auditioned and was thrilled to be accepted into the St. Peter’s Choir School program from Grades 5 through 8, since the school was connected to St. Peter’s Cathedral Basilica, the mother church of the Diocese of London. On top of my private music lessons, I soon added choir and violin studies based on the school’s choir and orchestra curriculum. As students of that school, our faith played an important role in our lives as we regularly sang and participated at the Cathedral Masses.

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I was also blessed to have grown up in a tight-knit family with parents who were devout Roman Catholics, and through the example of our parents, we always attended Sunday Mass together. We were also grounded in the tradition of praying and reciting the Family Rosary together, and my dear mother taught us about the First Saturday Devotion to Our Blessed Mother as given to us by Our Lady of Fatima. My father came from an area in northern Italy that also had a popular Marian shrine, so Our Lady played a huge role in all of our lives.

I recall that along with my strong family life, this kind of unique practicum in a Roman Catholic school environment that combined faith, academics, arts and sports was a very special and blessed time in my life; it was there that I was able to nurture and to utilize my burgeoning musical and theatrical gifts and talents. In doing so, I also innately realized that my own vocation had to be in the performing arts. As my own performances grew locally leading to auditions in Toronto, an eventual move to New York City was inevitable. But I felt aspired to do what I deemed as much bigger and more important things than I did growing up singing at church: I wanted fame and fortune as an actress and singer.

Similarly, Patrick Peyton’s family was a close-knit and prayerful one as well. His parents not only instilled their strong Roman Catholic faith into the lives of their nine children, but led the beautiful tradition of the daily recitation of the Most Holy Rosary every evening. Born in the small village of Attymass, County Mayo, Ireland, Patrick and his siblings lived in a three-room house and worked hard together and collectively on their farm raising animals and harvesting crops. 

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When Patrick reached nine years old, he began to serve at Mass, which was the highest possible honour in his village; he soon was not content to serve only one Mass on Sunday, but began to serve at the second and final Sunday Mass. 

Patrick Peyton was not solely enraptured as a Mass-server; he had a secret ambition and desire to become a priest. However, because not all of his educational skills were up to the required standards in order for him to become a missionary, he was devastated and gave up his dream of becoming a priest. He decided that he would go to America, and become a millionaire as a real estate mogul.