We in the Congregation of Holy Cross and the global Catholic family mourn the passing of Fr. Wilfred (Willy) Raymond, C.S.C., a humble priest whose life of grace in ministry has inspired many of us in the Media Ministry and his devotion to Mary inspired by Fr. Patrick Peyton whom he personally testified to have personally extended him after to serve Mary shortly after his ordination reaching over to him saying “Young Father I think our blessed mother is calling you to work for her in family Rosary” he recounts freaking out receiving such invitation for a renowned spiritual giant of the time.
I personally admired his devotion to Mary and Family prayer like his role model father Peyton whom he personally quoted while sharing about Fr. Peyton in the Nov 2025 webinar saying “Peyton was a passionate son of Mary, his love for the blessed mother was a central part of his spirituality. He saw Mary as a living, relatable presence and the surest path to Jesus”. Fr. Willy’s life was marked by passionate fidelity to the mission of family prayer and media evangelization, inspiring many people towards the strategic use of the internet, social media, and mass media as tools to spread the Gospel. A reflection of a media pastoral genius in him that he learnt from Venerable Patrick Peyton, having served in many capacities education, mission, leadership and media for 14 years after Father Peyton’s death, including serving as first National Director of Family Theater Productions in Hollywood, and later as President of Holy Cross Family Ministries for eight years carrying forward the mission of Venerable Patrick Peyton and drawing people close to God by sharing faith in the eucharist with families and communities in person and on the through film and media but also the many rosary rallies he led as a path of his discipleship to encounter God in extraordinary ways.
September 26, 2010, Bishop Robert President/CEO of The Catholic TV Network | iCatholicMedia wrote “Father Willy is an excellent example and strong model for the many whose lives he touches, especially the young and gifted. He carries on the tradition of Father Patrick Peyton in bringing the message of the Gospel and the tradition of the Church to Hollywood. His unwavering loyalty to the Mother of the Church, the Blessed Mother of God is an inspiration to all of us who strive to live our Catholic Faith in a society that is often hostile. Father Willy’s personal warmth and dedication to the priesthood is a blessed antidote to that hostility.”
My personal encounter with Fr. Wilfred (Willy) Raymond, C.S.C., was in Massachusetts and one evening we went out to a local parish to attend a spiritual talk by Chris Stephanic. His big message was that such spiritual encounters should encourage us “Religious” to do more in public ministry, like Jesus living out the faith outside our “walls” he said.
I was recently blessed to listen to him talk to us about on fr. Peyton’s vision re-imagine evangelizing the modern family through prayer and media he connected the legacy of Venerable Peyton to today’s realities highlighting the power of family prayer especially on how the media and digital culture can serve the mission of evangelization faithfully advancing the vision and mission founded by Venerable Fr. Patrick Peyton that “The family that prays together stays together.”
A Life Rooted in Faith and Mission
Father Willy lived a life rooted in Faith and Mission. Born in Old Town, Maine, Fr. Wilfred J. Raymond was the eighth of twelve children. He entered the Congregation of Holy Cross in 1964 and was ordained a priest in 1971. His academic formation included studies in philosophy at Stonehill College and theology at the University of Notre Dame.
From the beginning of his ministry, Fr. Willy embraced the heart of Holy Cross priestly service, generous, joyful, and profoundly pastoral. His early assignments included campus ministry, educational leadership, and parish work, all of which shaped his pastoral sensitivity and commitment to the Church’s mission.
Champion of Rosary, Family, and Media Evangelization
Fr. Willy’s unique contribution was his leadership in Holy Cross Family Ministries (HCFM), the apostolate founded by Fr. Patrick Peyton to promote family prayer, especially through media and outreach. Over decades, Fr. Willy became one of the most effective communicators of this mission in the modern age.
He served as National Director of Family Theater Productions from 2000 to 2014 a key arm of the ministry that used television, film, and multimedia to bring the Gospel and the Rosary into countless homes. His broad experience in media ministry helped Holy Cross Family Ministries adapt to changing technology and reach new audiences with the timeless message of Christian unity in prayer. He later served as president of Holy Cross Family Ministries where he touched many lives in the world with his pastoral visits to all jurisdictions of the Congregation where he emphasized the foundations of the domestic churches as key to faith formation.
In 2014 Fr. Willy was appointed President of Holy Cross Family Ministries, a role he served with humility and vision until 2022. According to Holy Cross Family Ministry Blog News under his leadership, the ministry continued to uplift families around the world offering resources, retreats, prayer initiatives, and digital evangelization rooted in the Peyton charisma.
Author, Advocate, and Shepherd of Families
Fr. Willy’s heart for families was also expressed through his writing. In 2024 he authored The Family That Prays Together Stays Together: A Bead-by-Bead Family Guide Through the Mysteries, an accessible Rosary guide designed to help families grow in prayer together. Endorsed by spiritual leaders including Cardinal Seán O’Malley and inspired by the legacy of Fr. Peyton, the book expanded the reach of his pastoral teaching to a wider audience. I am happy his work also inspired my youth ministry “the infinite singers” to compose a song about The Family That Prays Together Stays Together https://youtu.be/knOb0hQ7cKw?si=u5fqQa_Nc-vGDgjO
Listening to his reflections you can’t miss the pastoral touch at their core! always focused on helping families understand the Rosary not as a ritual, but as a living, breathing prayer that binds hearts to Christ and to each other.
A Legacy of Prayer and Media Evangelization
Throughout his life, Fr. Willy embraced the tools of media not as ends in themselves, but as instruments of evangelization. He believed strongly in the power of prayer to transform homes, heal wounds, and draw families closer to God. This vision was a living continuation of what his friend and role model Fr. Patrick Peyton began decades earlier: a global ministry encouraging family prayer as the foundation for a more peaceful, faithful world. “A world at Prayer is a world at Peace”.
Fr. Raymond stood as a bridge between generations, connecting the legacy of the mid-20th-century media ministry with the pastoral needs of the Church in the digital age. It’s no surprise his last message to the global family of Holy Cross was “Reimagined: Evangelising the Modern Family through Prayer and Media” https://youtu.be/Dmhrx3-I57M?si=scL28OVwML1FoQT6
Rest in Peace, Fr. Willy
I join the Holy Cross family and the Church to give thanks for the life and ministry of Fr. Wilfred Raymond, C.S.C. Though we grieve his passing, we celebrate a life well-lived in service to the Lord and to families around the world. And celebrate the inspiring life of your pastoral genius in media ministry in the modern times. Fr. Willy’s witness bears everlasting fruits in the countless hearts that have learned to pray together because he showed them how on rosary rallies, media ministry reflections building a bridge from Fr. Peyton and drawing inspirations for Holy people like Mother Thereza.
May his soul rest in eternal peace, and may the Rosary, the prayer he loved and propagated continue to unite families in faith, hope, and love.
Br. Adolf Mugume, C.S.C.
Congregation of Holy Cross
Feb 2026
