For many residents, life in a nursing home might be a time of profound loneliness, confinement, and stress. A Colorado-based ministry is countering this by praying the Rosary every week with them, building community and hope in Christ all along the way.
“Many times, we do not even wonder who lives in these big buildings that we drive by every day,” Teresa Rodriguez, founder of the Rosary Team, told CatholicVote in an Aug. 15 email interview. “The occupants are invisible to us, known only by their family, friends, and caregivers. We remain comfortably detached to the lives being lived and those that pass away inside. Many of these residents were sitting in our pews not long ago.”
The Rosary Team, which consists of volunteers and employees, aims to counter this complacency by going to the residents every week to pray with them, share the Gospel and Christ’s love, and accompany any struggling to find meaning in this stage of life.
“Sometimes these seniors feel like a burden when they can no longer do the things they did,” Rodriguez said. “They need help with their physical needs and they have so much loss. They lose their homes, their physical abilities, and many of their friends and family have passed away. But they do not need to lose their relationship with God and we can walk with them on this path. They pray for peace in our world, for healing of wounds, for those that are sick or dying and many other intentions.”
Rodriguez began the Rosary Team in 2019 in Boulder County, where she was working as a hospice nurse. She was speaking with her patients and several others about how residents are offered entertainment options but not spiritual nourishment. The discussion inspired Rodriguez, who grew up praying the Rosary with her family every evening, to begin praying it with a few friends at her facility.
The residents continued praying with her via Zoom during the COVID lockdowns, and once volunteers were allowed to return to care facilities in the summer of 2021, Rodriguez made the Rosary Team an official nonprofit. The initiative, which is also endorsed by Archbishop Samuel Aquila of Denver, is dedicated to Rodriguez’s mother Marian Bucheit, who gathered the family regularly for prayer.
What started with just a few volunteers has since grown into a group of 500 who serve at 200 nursing homes, assisted living, and memory care facilities across 18 states, according to Rodriguez.
“As the need became clear, families and facilities began asking for more opportunities to gather for the Rosary not just to hear a distant, unfamiliar voice over a TV, intercom, or radio, but to have more Rosary Team volunteers physically present to lead them in prayer,” Rodriguez said. “These volunteers bring the comfort of in-person prayer and the warmth of community to residents who long for spiritual connection.”
There were many behind-the-scenes efforts to help the initiative expand, including fundraising, training and connecting volunteers with interested facilities, and commitments from staff who left previous careers behind to work for the initiative full-time.
“This growth reveals that ministering to seniors in nursing homes is a holy calling, fulfilling the spiritual and corporal works of mercy by leading souls closer to Christ through the Rosary,” Rodriguez said. “The demand we’ve experienced reveals there are countless residents longing for Christ centered companionship and countless volunteers ready to answer Our Blessed Mother’s call when given the opportunity and support.”
Rodriguez shared testimonials from residents and volunteers with CatholicVote. Dan Cummings, a resident in Ennis, Montana, had not received the sacraments for some time. Rosary Team volunteers at his residency encouraged him to pray — eventually leading to a return to the sacraments, according to Rodriguez.
Cummings said he is now “much happier.”
“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,” he said. “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.”
Cummings isn’t the only one who has encountered prayer for the first time in a long time because of the team.
Cathy, a Boulder-based resident, joined in prayer with a Rosary team volunteer. Afterward, she said: “That was the first Hail Mary I prayed in 45 years.”
Audrey, a resident, told the volunteers who spent time with her: “Thank you for coming today, so that I don’t have to pray alone tonight.”
Volunteers have experienced blessings as well, according to Rodriguez, who said they are “guiding individuals towards the true meaning of life with heaven as the goal.”
Terry, a volunteer, described the time spent with the residents as “one of the holiest hours of my week.”
Michelle Fountaine, a volunteer in Hartford, Connecticut, said that six residents attend her rosary group, and the time goes by quickly.
“We hope our group will grow, but there’s also something so precious and intimate about our small group because we’re really getting to know them and their families,” Fountaine said, according to Rodriguez. “It is such a rewarding time each week for us and our conversations are getting deeper and we are just feeling so grateful to be a part of The Rosary Team.”
Rodriguez told CatholicVote that in the US alone, there are nearly 50,000 nursing homes. Those interested in establishing a Rosary Team in their state can find more information here.
Rodriguez also issued a call to action for those interested in becoming Rosary Team Leaders, who coordinate local volunteers in the ministry.
“Caring for souls in the final years of life can make the difference in winning a soul for heaven,” Rodriguez said.
A dedicated Fasting Team and Prayer Champion Team unites their intentions for the intentions of all those involved in the initiative, and a monthly Mass is also offered for those involved, deepening the support as they minister to those often left behind.
“The Rosary Team sees Jesus in these residents,” Rodriguez said.
She quoted Matthew 25:36: “For I was sick, and you visited me.”