[1] Rookey was widely believed to have had the charism of healing, and spent a good part of his priesthood in that ministry.
After about a year, his sight gradually began to improve, which Rookey credited to his mother leading the family in praying the rosary each evening after dinner "until little Peter's eyesight returns".
Rookey professed solemn vows on November 1, 1938, and was ordained a priest on May 17, 1941,[3] at the Servite Our Lady of Sorrows Basilica in Chicago.
St. Philip in Granville, Wisconsin, and then as assistant pastor at Assumption Parish in Portland, Oregon.
He helped expand the Order to Ireland where he served from 1948 to 1953 as assistant master and then prior at Benburb Priory.
At Benburb, Rookey began the common Catholic practice of blessing people after Mass.
It was in Benburb that it was first reported that people experienced healing when Father Rookey prayed for them, unbeknownst to the young priest.
In the early 1960s Rookey served as the administrator of the Servite Catholic College of Louvain in Belgium and as a parish priest in Düsseldorf, Germany for several years[3] until assigned to the Ozark missions in Missouri from 1967 to 1984 when he returned to Chicago to begin the second phase of his healing ministry.
"[4] Rookey died in his sleep just short of his 98th birthday, on September 10, 2014, at Our Lady of Sorrows Monastery, Chicago, having been a priest for 73 years.
Peter M. Servite Priest - A solemn professed friar and priest of the Order of Friar Servants of Mary (Servites) - United States of America Province, died Wednesday, September 10, 2014, at Our Lady of Sorrows Monastery, Chicago, Illinois.
He was predeceased by his parents, Anthony and Johanna (McGarry) Rookey; and siblings, Rose, Chester, Gordon, Harold, Mary, Genevieve, Kathryn, Robert, Bernard, Dale, and Richard.
September 15th at 11:00 a.m., preceded by a viewing from 8:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. and the recitation of Morning Prayer from the Office of the Dead at 10:30 a.m. also at Our Lady of Sorrows Basilica, Chicago, IL.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to The Servite Friars - USA Province, at 3121 W. Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL 60612-2729.