By Teresa Rodriguez
Maria Cuevas and Teresa Koency pray weekly in English and Spanish on Saturday mornings at Highland Park Rehabilitation and Care Center in Aurora. Grateful for the opportunity to serve the residents through their group prayer, the pair helps residents grow in their Marian devotion, especially to Our Lady of Guadalupe, whose statue accompanies the volunteers each week.
“For the past two years, I’ve spent my Saturday mornings with The Rosary Team after feeling called to join,” Cuevas shared. “Although I enjoy sleeping in since I work full time, God tells me to ‘Go and pray’ with the seniors who need extra help. This is God’s will for me, even when it’s difficult and I have a long to-do list, I have a deep sense of joy. Seeing their faces light up brightens my day.”
Her ministry is made all the more special because of her deep devotion to the Blessed Mother, Cuevas shared. From the time she was a child, she and her family would pray the Rosary daily, which she remembered during a time of great struggle, which ended up bringing her back to the Lord and his Church.
“She found me about seven years ago before my conversion, when I hit rock bottom. I found myself very desperate, knew I needed God and wondered, ‘Where do I look for him?’ I prayed the rosary because it was all I knew,” she said of her profound closeness to her name-saint.
After praying the Rosary for a few months, Cuevas realized she should return to Mass again.
“So I did, and then, I felt the desire to receive the Eucharist,” she shared, saying that Mary was “guiding me out of my sin.”
“I wanted to receive Jesus so badly that I knew the difficulty of Confession was worth it,” Cuevas explained. “Through the Rosary, Mary gave me this desire, a journey that took nearly a year of faithful devotion to the Rosary. It took a lot of trust. She freed me.”
After a good and holy Confession, Cuevas experienced a deepening of her faith. Just as she did with St. Juan Diego in Tepeyac, Mary drew near to Cuevas and led her back to Jesus’ heart. As she was brought back to the home of the Church, Cuevas came to see the power of the Rosary for all.
Pope Leo XIII held the Rosary up to the faithful as both private and public devotion to combat the dangers of society that wound our souls. He noted: “Our need of Divine help is as great today as when the great Dominic introduced the use of the Rosary of Mary as a balm for the wounds of his contemporaries” (Supremi Apostolatus Officio, 7).
All the more true today, the agonizing loss of souls “snatched from salvation by the whirlwinds of an age of error” remains a grave concern (SAO 7). Pope St. John Paul II taught that the mysteries of the Rosary and our meditation on them bring “to mind what is essential and awaken in the soul a thirst for a knowledge of Christ continually nourished by the pure source of the Gospel” (Rosarium Virginis Mariae, 24).
For Koency, ministry with The Rosary Team and regular recitation of the Rosary has similarly brought her closer to Jesus through Mary, leading her to a greater commitment to her faith through weekly Adoration, bible study and deeper surrender to God.
“Praying the Rosary with the residents has made my faith stronger. Making God a priority, I carve this time out by scheduling it on my calendar,” she said. “Sometimes we have to stumble first, but God wants us to love him freely.”
Koency’s deepened devotion even extended into her care for her husband during a long illness. Even amid loss, she strives to emulate Mary’s perseverance in suffering, trusting in God’s will through it all.
“Life is about accepting the curveballs without letting resentment and anger take hold. When I lost my son, Raimundo, in a sudden accident, I prayed for strength and courage like Mary had. She watched her perfect Son suffer and die. Despite her heartbreak, she accepted God’s will. Her example helped me with my anger towards God, as I asked for her help,” Koency shared, remembering the peace she found in knowing that “the best way to honor my son is to continue living and doing God’s will.”
Comforted in the hope of eternal life, Koency knows she will “eventually see Raimundo again.” Today, she counts her blessings and feels grateful for her daughter and other family members who continue to be a source of joy. She is thankful, too, for her ministry of prayer and for the opportunity to give of herself, just like Mary.
“My life has changed a lot this year with my husband's passing,” Koency said. “When I ask myself, ‘What is my purpose?’ I realize I need to trust God and use my gifts for the good of others.”
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The invitation to join The Rosary Team is to emulate Mary’s unwavering “Yes” to God’s divine plan. This nonprofit aspires to fill nursing homes across the United States and the world with a dedicated Rosary Team. With a straightforward guide and coaching from the Denver-based team, the goal is to establish teams in more than 50,000 nursing homes in the United States alone. Also, learn about becoming a mission partner or shop to support.
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