A Life-altering Experience by Emil Saul
Critical injury - I was critically injured in WWII in Normandy at Omaha Beach after my ship took a direct hit from a German missile. When I woke up in a Virginia hospital three weeks later, someone had taped a Rosary to my full-body cast. I spent the next two years in the hospital recovering from my injuries.
New focus on Rosary - My wife, Jane, and I were raised in Catholic families, but we didn’t have too much focus on the Rosary as children. But, when you have been close to death, it changes how you think. Sometimes a traumatic experience brings us closer to the Lord, and this was certainly the case with me. Prayer became an important part of my life, especially the Rosary.
Father Peyton - I first heard of Father Peyton through his radio broadcasts in the early 50s, and we have been following him ever since. We have one of his Rosary tapes in the car, and we pray the Rosary with him every day as we drive to Mass.
Rosaries for others - Jane and I purchase Rosaries each month and have them shipped to Holy Cross Family Ministries so that others can experience the peace and healing of Rosary prayer. When we first started, we sent 100 Rosaries a month – now we send 300 or 600.
Faith Strengthened - After I was hurt in Europe, I realized that I have a lot to be thankful for. An event like that brings you closer to the good Lord. We’ve been blessed with a good marriage and a wonderful family.
And Father Peyton has strengthened our faith immensely. The more we prayed the Rosary together, the closer to God we felt, and it helped us to be closer as a family. We experienced first-hand the strength of his motto “The family that prays together stays together.”