Bringing faith, hope, and love to nursing homes through the Rosary

For the past two years, Emma Trujillo, a member of St. Patrick Catholic Church in Elkhorn, Wisconsin, has prayed a Rosary with residents at Holton Manor Nursing Home, also in Elkhorn. She and three other volunteers visit once a week, bringing great joy to the residents, witnessing some returning to the Faith, alleviating loneliness, and giving them a renewed sense of purpose.

After learning about The Rosary Team on WFSI 88.5 FM, which broadcasts from Libertyville, IL, Trujillo felt called to serve in this ministry. She contacted The Rosary Team to learn how she could get involved. They assigned her to Holton Manor with another volunteer, and before long, two more stepped up to pray every Saturday morning.

“We normally have about six residents join us, sometimes more and sometimes less,” she said. “It all depends on how they are feeling that day. They are very thankful we are there. We have regulars who enjoy having us there to pray with them, and the employees are also grateful. One of the activity coordinators stays and prays the entire Rosary with us.”

One of the more profound transformations happened just before Christmas when Trujillo arrived at the nursing home. She began setting up the room, but a woman, who was no longer a practicing Catholic and a bit bitter about the Faith, was at one of the tables and instructed the volunteers to leave.

Trujillo politely informed the woman that they were planning to pray the Rosary, and she was more than welcome to stay, but she had to move her table to make room for the others. The woman was unhappy and told Trujillo she was where she needed to be and that they had to go.

“Again, I politely explained to her that everyone expects to come here to pray, and we have to move the tables, but she could stay. She accused us of kicking her out and even threw in a little curse word or two in there. At that point, I started gathering the residents. Lo and behold, her favorite person came to pray, so she decided to stay,” she said. “Not only did she stay, but she prayed the entire Rosary out loud with us. At the end of the prayer, with her glossy, watery eyes and a smile on her face, she thanked us. She came again the following week. We were amazed. One of the volunteers said, ‘God works in mysterious ways.'”

The Rosary Team began in 2019 at a memory care facility in Boulder, Colorado, and was named a nonprofit 501(c)(3) in 2021. Teresa Rodriguez founded the organization while working as a hospice nurse. She noticed many entertainment opportunities for residents, but very minimal spiritual support.

“The Rosary Team started when I asked a memory care facility if they would like volunteers to pray the Rosary with their residents, and to my surprise, they said ‘yes.'”

Rodriguez enlisted a friend from her parish to help her lead the Rosary. Not long after, one resident’s family asked if someone could lead more days of the rosary.

“I felt excited that they desired more volunteers to lead the Rosary, even though I had thought I was done with just one Rosary team in place and got to work finding more volunteers from local parishes,” she said. “At this facility in Louisville, Colorado, we have a team of eight volunteers leading the rosary three days a week for the past five years.”

Endorsed by Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila of Denver, The Rosary Team has expanded to 18 states and Paraguay, drawing in volunteers from parishes around the dioceses. The organization gathers and supports volunteers who dedicate one hour weekly to praying at nursing homes. Creating a structured routine, each group of volunteers visits the same nursing home at the same time each week. The volunteers perform a corporal work of mercy while building relationships with residents and returning some of them to their Faith.

One day, while praying with residents, Rodriguez felt inspired to ask the Blessed Mother what they were doing with this ministry.

“I immediately realized that this was ‘The Rosary Team,’ and I knew then that she had a plan. I help her plan unfold daily, even though I don’t know all the details for the future,” she explained. “After COVID, I wondered if other nursing homes would like volunteers to lead the Rosary for their residents, and as I called, the facilities were all telling me ‘Yes’ and their residents would love this. Over three years ago, the realization of this need became apparent, and I formed a nonprofit organization because this is a big project requiring many volunteers and donors to hire staff to coordinate the volunteers. There are over 50,000 nursing homes in the United States and more worldwide.”

Like Trujillo, Rodriguez has witnessed many miracles attributed to The Rosary Team, such as Dan Cummings’s return to the Faith after 40 years away.

The Ennis, Montana, resident lived a rugged, cowboy life away from the Faith. He saw a notice for The Rosary Team at his nursing home and decided it wouldn’t hurt to try it once.

After witnessing the volunteers’ devotion, he met with his priest and is now an active member of his parish. He has returned to the sacraments and a life of prayer and is a changed man.

“I have peace now and am much happier,” Dan explained. “It’s changed my whole outlook on life. I am 80 years old, and before, 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.”

Melanie McClanahan’s experience with The Rosary Team has been a miracle in her life, and she has witnessed similar miracles in others.

“I have watched people heal, including myself; I have seen family members come together, and I have watched people who weren’t sure about their beliefs grow in their love of Jesus and their devotion to our Blessed Mother,” she said. “The Rosary Team gives me a reason to really ‘show up’ for others. No matter what I am experiencing, praying with the residents who are going through their own trials allows us all to have solidarity in our worldly pilgrimage.”

McClanahan has witnessed friendships growing among volunteers and between the residents.

“Friendships bloom when our residents consistently get together once a week to pray. They get to know each other, the crosses other residents bear, and tolerance for communal living seems to grow,” she explained. “The residents become very dedicated to showing up to pray. If for some reason they cannot come due to an appointment or feeling ill, the next time we see them, they tell us how much they missed praying the week before.”

Rosary Team volunteer Cynthia Nunes has endured many personal sufferings throughout the years. She credits the Rosary Team for changing her life.

“Being a part of the Rosary Team helped me begin the journey towards healing because it required that I think of others before myself,” she said.

When Bill and Joyce Poska began praying the Rosary at an assisted living facility, a Catholic resident refused to join them.

“Now she is our single most faithful participant. Every week, when we arrive, she is sitting in our prayer corner waiting for us. When possible, her husband will come to visit her, and he prays with us,” said Joyce. “We have formed a friendship with them, and every week, we spend a few minutes visiting and catching up with them. We can only hope the residents are getting at least half of what we are getting out of the Rosary Team. It’s true what they say, ‘When you help others – you are the one gaining the most benefit.'”

For Bill, being a member of the Knights of Columbus also fulfills his obligation by helping others grow in their Faith while growing in his own. ”

Not only do the residents of Holton Manor appreciate The Rosary Team, but the employees are also grateful for their presence. One of the activity coordinators regularly prays the entire Rosary with the group.

“I’m thankful we can serve our Lord and the residents in this small but beautiful way. You get to know the residents and grow close to them,” said Trujillo. “Two of our regulars recently passed away. Most residents have a hard time speaking, so they pretty much listen. Some fall asleep, but this particular resident was very sharp in her mind, and she would always pray along with us. I really enjoyed that. She then began to deteriorate and then passed. Another was a ray of sunshine. She was always very happy and would light up the room with her presence. It was sad because she had dementia, but it was always so nice to see her. She passed away suddenly. I think her death impacted my daughter and me the most. There is another resident who is not Catholic, but she would come and pray along with us. I really enjoy seeing the residents.”

For more information on The Rosary Team and how to join, please visit The Rosary Team site.