Family Rosary announces winners of the 2019 "Try Prayer! It Works!" contest

"Try Prayer! It Works!" 2019 (CatholicMom.com)

Art by Brithney Rivera, grade 11, All Saints Roman Catholic Church, Brooklyn, New York.[/caption] Family Rosary announces the winners of the 21^st annual “Try Prayer! It works!” Contest, which encourages students to express their faith through art, poetry, and prose. The Try Prayer! It works! Contest focuses on family faith enrichment in the home. The goal is to bring the Church’s teachings to life around the dinner table with discussion prompts, reflection questions, prayer ideas and creativity.

Artwork by Omayra Fernandez, grade 7, St. Gerard Majella School, Paterson, New Jersey.[/caption] 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. Students from Kindergarten through 12^th grade creatively depicted in various forms how their families are united through prayer and faith. This year’s theme, Mary, Mother of the Church, helped families explore how Mary isn’t only the Mother of Jesus, but also Mother to us all. Our Blessed Mother’s important role in the Church flows from her deep connection with her Son and from there into every home.

Artwork by John Valencik, grade 3, St. Thomas More School, Brooklyn, Ohio[/caption] The Bible shows how Mary is a Mother from when she’s first introduced in The Annunciation (Luke 1:26-38). Her “Yes” to God to be Jesus’ mom is a perfect model of what it means to have strong faith even when something unexpected happens. In addition to the “Try Prayer! It Works!” contest in the United States, separate competitions are conducted in Mexico, East Africa, West Africa, Bangladesh, Brazil, India, France, Chile, Peru and the 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, winners are chosen from four categories: Art, Poetry, Prose and Video. Each winner is awarded $100 U.S., while the sponsoring organization earns $100 U.S. All the teachers involved are given a memento and each student who participated get a Certificate of Appreciation.

Artwork by Ben Kaufman, grade 5, Holy Angels Academy, Louisville, Kentucky[/caption] View images of all the winning entries at FamilyRosary.org.

Copyright 2019 FamilyRosary.org About Family Rosary: 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 FamilyRosary.org. Like CatholicMom.com, Family Rosary is a partner ministry of Holy Cross Family Ministries.