Think tank to develop new models of family prayer and spirituality.
Created by Holy Cross Family Ministries, The Peyton Institute for Domestic Church Life was formed to create a collaborative think tank of distinguished theologians, social scientists, and pastoral ministry professionals noted for their work and writings on family life.
Most contemporary families experience a high level of distress, and many are in crisis. School, church, work, social media, organized youth sports, and friendships all have legitimate claims on the time and presence of families. Combined with the negative impact of consumerism, drugs, pornography, violent video games, music, films and other activities, many families find it difficult to develop habits and practices that lead to healthy spiritual and religious lives. Catholic families are not immune to these daily pressures and challenges, and many find it difficult to even schedule regular family meals.
Catholic families are called to be different! Many parents need support, encouragement, and solid resources in order to unite and live a joyful and rich Catholic family life. The Institute, together with their collaborators, will take an in-depth examination of the best ways to strengthen families as the basic cell of Church and society.
As we look to the future and how we can better understand and meet the spiritual needs of the 21st century family, The Peyton Institute for Domestic Church Life will gather data and commission new research through partnerships to develop effective models of family prayer and spirituality for church leaders and families.
Under the leadership of HCFM, and other Holy Cross Family Ministries staff, initial work will consist of commissioning research on Catholic families who successfully pass the faith to their children. From that data, practical programs and materials will be developed both for families as well as leaders in the church, particularly those in family life ministry.
The Institute is based at The Father Peyton Center in North Easton, Massachusetts.
Created by Holy Cross Family Ministries, The Peyton Institute for Domestic Church Life was formed to create a collaborative think tank of distinguished theologians, social scientists, and pastoral ministry professionals noted for their work and writings on family life.
Father Jenga, a priest of the Congregation for 17 years. Prior to being appointed as the new president of HCFM, Father Fred has served as a corporate member on the board of directors for 5 years. He also served in a pastoral role as Regional Director of Holy Cross Family Ministries in East Africa for 7 years where he helped lay the foundation for the dynamic growth in ministry outreach to families and youth. He introduced digital and in-person mission events to help families pray and grow spiritually. He built several teams of lay people, teams that have helped the ministry grow in East Africa. He also creatively educated and helped the members of Holy Cross in East Africa to learn about and embrace the ministry as an important part of the Congregation’s efforts.
The first Peyton Prayer Guild Chapters for children were formed under Father Jenga’s leadership. He developed a program that brought children in schools and parishes together to learn the Rosary, pray for their families and learn about the life of Father Patrick Peyton. This program has grown and now thousands of children are participating.
Father Jenga has multiple degrees in Communications, including San Francisco State University, Makerere University, Kampala, as well as a Bachelor of Theology from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa, Nairobi, and a Bachelor of Philosophy from the Pontifical Urban University in Rome. Father Jenga recently completed a Doctorate in Communication from the University of Texas. He is an active researcher in the area of Communication and Religion; and he has published and presented several papers at academic conferences.
Father Jenga was born in Uganda, where he grew up on the banks of the River Nile and Lake Victoria, in the Ugandan district of Jinja. Father Jenga speaks several languages, including his ethnic language, Lusoga, as well as Luganda, Rutooro, Swahili, and Kinyarwanda.
Be the first to learn about new research materials and projects from the Peyton Institute for Domestic Church Life.
©2025 The Peyton Institute for Domestic Church Life. Terms and Conditions Privacy Policy