By The Rosary Team Staff
The Rosary Team sees miraculous conversions in our ministry through the power of the Rosary.
As St. John Paul II taught, “The Rosary is a prayer of great significance, destined to bring forth a harvest of holiness” (Rosarium Virginis Mariae, 1). We see a bit of that harvest each day.
The Rosary Team supports volunteers who dedicate one hour each week to praying at the same nursing home on the same day and time. This Corporal and Spiritual act of mercy allows volunteers to build meaningful relationships with the residents while fulfilling Jesus’ words in the Gospels: “For I was sick, and you visited me” (Mt 25:36).
When Dan first saw the new Rosary offering on the weekly calendar at his nursing home, he was unsure if he wanted to attend. Ultimately, he decided to.
“It wouldn’t do any harm to try the Rosary once,” he said to himself.
When he saw the devotion of the volunteers and received their support, Dan decided to return to the sacraments after 40 years away, and his life changed.
“I have peace now and am much happier. It’s changed my whole outlook on life! Now, I am 80 years old, and before the rosary, I felt that all I had to look forward to was quitting breathing. Now, I have peace. I can’t really even explain it. Living in a nursing home is pretty confining, and I couldn’t believe how good praying the Rosary made me feel and how welcoming the volunteers have been.”
The ministry impacts not only the residents, but the Rosary Team volunteers, too. Cris Fanelli, one such volunteer, expressed the joy this ministry has brought her and her team of volunteers.
“We receive many, many graces, and our hearts are overflowing with love! By volunteering with the Rosary Team, individuals have the opportunity to contribute to a cause larger than themselves, making a meaningful difference in the lives of those who may be struggling or in need of hope. One resident, Audra, shared with her volunteers, ‘Thank you for praying with me, now I don’t have to pray alone tonight,’” she said.
The Rosary Team’s vision is to support volunteers in spreading the Gospel and sharing Christ’s love. This nonprofit was established to fulfill nursing home residents’ desire to still contribute meaningfully to the world and connect them with dedicated prayer volunteers.
Elderly residents often struggle with their lack of independence in their final years and feel like they are a burden to others. This prayer partnership between the volunteers and residents provides purpose and peace, fulfilling God’s call to pray. Praying with residents who are sometimes forgotten in these facilities has a tremendous spiritual impact on the lives of both the residents and the volunteers.
For instance, Connie Sperberg, another Rosary Team volunteer, shared that a resident recently thanked her for “enriching her life!”
For Don Stills, a volunteer, the bond he’s forged with the residents he serves is an important, beautiful one in his life. “The residents are like family to me,” he said.
Sarah Jacobs echoed Stills’ sentiment, saying that praying the Rosary with the nursing home residents she visits is special because “I feel like I am praying with my grandmother.”
“Today, we had a brand-new resident come to the Rosary and she cried and cried. She was so happy to have somebody to pray the rosary with her,” Marilane McCarthy, another volunteer, added.
The impact of these visits and prayers goes far beyond what can be seen and is transforming the lives of countless individuals across the country.
Kate Davis brought her five children to pray with two other Rosary Team volunteers, Jayme Schneider and Erika McDonald, at an assisted living facility in Boulder. The children learned the names of all the residents, and one resident, who usually does not join, came over to be with them and prayed the Our Father.
Davis said she wanted this opportunity to pray with the elderly for her children —especially her youngest — because many other volunteer opportunities cannot accommodate preschoolers.
“Even my 4-year-old leads a decade of the Rosary when we pray with the seniors at the nursing home,” she shared.
Everyone is invited to pray: family members, caregivers and residents of all faiths.
In a world often fixated on fleeting concerns, the Rosary Team advocates for a focus on eternal life in Christ. As Pope St. John Paul II observed, “The Rosary, though clearly Marian in character, is at heart a Christocentric prayer” (RMV, 1). A Christ-centered prayer, the Rosary is a meditation to grow in love and knowledge of God and to spread God’s love to others. St. John Paul II taught that the faithful receive abundant grace through reciting the Rosary. Similarly, Pope Leo XIII emphasized that the Rosary is a spiritual weapon combating evil. This beautiful prayer is a simple way to contemplate and spread the Gospel message.
The Rosary Team is endorsed by Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila, Archbishop of Denver, and hundreds of volunteers pray in Colorado and twelve other states. Teresa Rodriguez dedicated the Rosary Team to her mother, whose example and faithful prayer life inspired her to say “yes” when the opportunity arose to organize one rosary team.
“I started with one rosary team of two volunteers, Sue Dunn and Marcela Arvesen, five years ago, and they are still volunteering today. Thank you to the donors supporting this ministry, which enables us to coordinate and train volunteers. Because of their generosity, over 75,000 rosaries are being prayed each year in honor of Our Blessed Mother, helping all to know the powerful love of Christ,” Rodriguez shared.
Our vision is to have Rosary teams in the 50,000 nursing homes in the United States and many more in other countries. Join this army of donors and volunteers to start new rosary teams: http://www.therosaryteam.org/.
