Family Rosary announces winners of 2018 "Try Prayer! It Works" Contest

"Try prayer! It works! Contest results by Holy Cross Family Ministries (CatholicMom.com)

Created by Olivia Volion for the 2018 "Try Prayer! It Works!" contest. Courtesy of Holy Cross Family Ministries. All rights reserved.[/caption] 31 Students Named First-Place Winners; 20^th Annual “Try Prayer” Contest with nearly 800 Entries. EASTON, Mass. – Family Rosary announces the winners of the 2018 “Try Prayer! It works!” Contest. The 20^th annual competition – which encourages students to express their faith through art, poetry and prose – attracted nearly 800 entries from across the country. The Try Prayer! It works! Contest focuses on family faith enrichment in the home. Our goal is to bring the Church’s teachings to life around the dinner table with discussion prompts, reflection question, prayer ideas, and creativity. Each year, children and teens from Catholic Schools, parishes and other Catholic organizations across the globe utilize their creative skills to illustrate a different faith-based theme. This year the theme was Mary, the New Eve. Students from Kindergarten through 12^th grade creatively depicted in various forms how their families are united through prayer and faith. The theme of this year, “Mary, the New Eve,” is to help your family reflect on God’s call for family life and to discuss the importance of our Blessed Mother Mary. Mary’s “Yes” to God’s call was her commitment to becoming “the New Eve,” the Mother of the Church and all baptized in Jesus’ name. Mary’s role as “the New Eve” was the Holy Spirit working through her to bring each of us closer to God’s merciful love. Her devotion to Christ and humble acceptance of God’s plan gently unites all people, as she works to share the deep joy and peace His friendship can bring. United by baptism, we are all brothers and sisters of Christ, sons and daughters of God. Mary is our perfect model, committed to helping bring God’s love to all. Reflect with your family about how you can work together to live your life full of faith like the Blessed Mother. In addition to the “Try Prayer! It works!” contests in the United States, separate competitions are conducted in Mexico, East Africa, West Africa, Bangladesh, Brazil, India, France, Chile, Peru and Philippines. Entries are judged on content, ability to capture and interpret the theme, artistic and technical proficiency, and adherence to rules. In the United States, three winners are chosen per grade, one each from three categories: Art, Poetry and Prose. First place winners are awarded $100 U.S., and the sponsoring organization earns $ 100 U.S. All the teachers involved are given a memento and each student who participated a Certificate of Appreciation. Family Rosary was founded in 1942 by Father Patrick Peyton, C.S.C., who was declared VENERABLE in December 2017. The “Try Prayer! It Works!” contest derives its name from an experience in his life. While a seminarian, Venerable Peyton was stricken with severe tuberculosis. At one point, a frustrated physician said, “Try prayer! We have done all we can for you.” Venerable Peyton prayed his Rosary to the Blessed Mother and he made a miraculous recovery, which he attributed entirely to Mary’s intercession. This experience – coupled with his spiritually rich family life as a youth in Ireland – inspired Venerable Peyton to devote his life to Mary, Mother of God, and to the spiritual well-being of the family. His famous phrase, “The Family That Prays Together Stays Together,” still resonates today. In the spirit of its founder, Venerable Patrick Peyton, Family Rosary serves Jesus Christ and his church by inspiring, promoting and fostering the prayer life and spiritual well-being of families throughout the world. Faithful to Mary, the Mother of God, Family Rosary encourages family prayer, especially the Rosary. For more information, call 800-299-7729 or visit www.FamilyRosary.org.

Created by Ellen Marie Hesselbrock for the 2018 "Try Prayer! It Works!" contest. Courtesy of Holy Cross Family Ministries. All rights reserved.[/caption] WINNING ENTRIES LIST: Grades 11 & 12 1st Place, Art Mary Cecilia Eidem Holy Angels Academy, Louisville, KY 1st Place, Poetry Emily Kenney Holy Angels Academy, Louisville, KY Grades 9 & 10 1st Place, Art Ellen Marie Hesselbrock Holy Angels Academy, Louisville, KY 1st Place, Poetry Jacob Paul Bifone Holy Angels Academy, Louisville, KY 1st Place, Prose Ethan Schroeder St. Joseph High School, Natrona Heights, PA Grade 8 1st Place, Art Hannah Ramalho H/S, New Bedford, MA 1st Place, Poetry Emma Mohon St. Peter Chanel School, Paulina, LA 1st Place, Prose Denisse Adalay Alacron Rodriguez St. Benedict School, Montebello, CA 1st Place, Prose Samuel Moreno St. Benedict School, Montebello, CA Grade 7 1st Place, Art Olivia C. Smith H/S, Indianapolis, IN 1st Place, Poetry Jared Michael Spalding Holy Angels Academy, Louisville, KY 1st Place, Prose Michael Garcia St. Benedict School, Montebello, CA 1st Place, Prose Marc Barajas, Jr. St. Benedict School, Montebello, CA Grade 6 1st Place, Art Genesis Sanchez St. Benedict School, Montebello, CA 1st Place, Poetry Dominic Annaloro St. Peter Chanel School, Paulina, LA 1st Place, Prose Ram Alen Garcia St. Benedict School, Montebello, CA Grade 5 1st Place, Art Kohana Nguyen St. John the Evangelist Catholic School, Hapeville, GA 1st Place, Poetry Sofia Navarro St. Peter's Memorial School, Laredo, TX 1st Place, Prose Morgan Veale St. John the Evangelist Catholic School, Hapeville, GA Grade 4 1st Place, Art Tyler Milioto St. Peter Chanel School, Paulina, LA 1st Place, Poetry Olivia Shuck St. Martha Catholic School, Sarasota, FL 1st Place, Prose Massimo Sorce St. Benedict School, Montebello, CA Grade 3 1st Place, Art Lisa Olech Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy, Brooklyn, NY 1st Place, Poetry Nikolai Gonzalez St. Benedict School, Montebello, CA 1st Place, Prose Bianni Rosales St. Benedict School, Montebello, CA Grade 2 1st Place, Art Olivia Volion St. Peter Chanel School, Paulina, LA 1st Place, Poetry Emiliano Vazquez St. Peter's Memorial School, Laredo, TX 1st Place, Prose Edgar Benavides St. Peter's Memorial School, Laredo, TX Grade 1 1st Place, Art Luke Becnel St. Peter Chanel School, Paulina, LA 1st Place, Poetry Luna Mia Rodriguez St. Peter's Memorial School, Laredo, TX 1st Place, Prose Joaquin Rolando Perez St. Peter's Memorial School, Laredo, TX Kindergarten 1st Place, Art Edmund Sampedro Holy Angels Academy, Louisville, KY

Copyright 2018 FamilyRosary.org Family Rosary, along with CatholicMom.com and Family Theater Productions, is part of Holy Cross Family Ministries, founded by Venerable Patrick Peyton. "The family that prays together stays together."