2024 Rosary Club backyard gathering. Photo courtesy of Jennifer Sammons.
By Laura Melius
A Rosary Club that has been meeting for over 20 years first sprang from the roots of a place of deep gratitude.
After being the recipients of great support and prayers from their friends in 2004, Eric and Jennifer Sammons, then parishioners at St. Michael Parish in Sioux Falls, sent out an invitation for a night of praying the Rosary and fellowship at their home.
“Knowing that you have remembered us in your prayer has inspired us to share with you an event that was shared with us,” the letter read. “We hope that by sharing this event, everyone can know the sense of support, love and concern that you’ve shared with us.”
That hope came to fruition, as the Rosary Club that formed that evening has continued to meet monthly for over two decades. “Over the years, our connection has grown far beyond those monthly gatherings,“ Jennifer explained. “We always knew from the beginning that we were going to meet monthly. We seldom have all the members present each month, but we always have a good-sized group praying for those who are not present.”
Jeannie Williams recalls her invitation, at a time when she, too, was facing health and job uncertainties within her family. “My husband was not raised Catholic, so the Rosary was a new concept for him, but he agreed to join me. That one act welcomed us into a group of faith and fellowship that we will be forever grateful for.”
The members are all originally from St. Michael Parish and have kept St. Michael as their group’s name. However, many of them moved to St. Katharine Drexel Parish in Sioux Falls to become founding members when it opened in 2004.
Although the Rosary Club has gone through the inevitable changes that life brings, it has remained approximately the same size in its two decades of existence. “We often discussed branching out and starting new groups, but we always came back to wanting to stay with the same group,” Jennifer explained.
Supporting each other
They have provided prayerful support and encouragement for each other in order to face several difficult challenges, including losing two members’ spouses to cancer. Ann (Fleck) Matthies was a part of the group for just two years when she lost her husband, Brian, to brain cancer. She found their support to be invaluable in her grief and healing journey.
“As a mother to two young boys, ages 8 and 10, I was lost. This group shared their faith and love when it was needed the most. They kept my faith strong and helped me carry my cross when it seemed impossible,” she shared.
Jim and Margaret Jarding were carried through their cancer journey by the group’s prayers as well. About seven years after joining the Rosary Club, Jim was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of terminal brain cancer.
“As a result of his cancer diagnosis, the Rosary became the most important tool he possessed to deal with this disease,” Margaret shared, and added that Jim not only continued to pray the Rosary daily as he had since joining the Rosary Club, but also during every radiation and chemo treatment he received. “Jim said it provided him with such a sense of peace and gave him the strength and the grace he needed to deal with his cancer,” she said.
“These prayer warriors carried our family through the most challenging time of our lives,” Margaret continued. “To this day, I feel my husband’s presence among this special group of people. In reaching out in prayer, our faith has been strengthened. This group has taught us when troubles and challenges arise, we can turn to God and seek his courage, wisdom and guidance.”
Occasionally, some members will meet more than once a month, often at the St. Katharine Drexel Chapel, if urgent prayers are requested.
“When someone in the group needs support, we send out a message asking for intercessory prayers,” Jennifer said. “We’ve walked alongside each other through significant trials, losing spouses to brain cancer, facing illness, grieving losses, unexpected events, but also through moments of great joy, celebration and gratitude.”
These moments of great joy include, but are not limited to, the celebrations of 33 weddings and the addition of 58 grandchildren within their growing faith family.
The group has provided for physical needs as well by supporting families in need, providing meals and gifts through medical trials, and praying for service members stationed overseas.
“God never intended for us to walk through life alone. The impact has been profound,” Jennifer added.
The next generation
Starting last year, the Rosary Club began inviting their children and grandchildren to join a summer Rosary Club. “It’s truly beautiful to witness such a large group gathered in prayer, representing all ages,” Jennifer said. “Some of our grandchildren have even led decades of the rosary, which has been incredibly moving.”
After prayer, the fellowship continues with a kickball game—kids versus dads, just as the group had done when their children were young. “It’s a cherished tradition that brings laughter, connection, and memories full circle,” Jennifer added.
This past September, the Rosary Club celebrated 20 years together with a day spent at Trinity Heights. Father Joe Vogel celebrated a commemorative Mass, where they prayed the Glorious Mysteries at Trinity Heights, explored the area at their leisure and then finished the day by gathering at a restaurant for a meal. “It was a beautiful day!” Jennifer said. “God is so good—and it’s a joy to share that goodness with others.”
As the Rosary Club has now entered its third decade of prayer, their mission will remain the same: faithfully walking with each other in prayer through both the joys and sorrows of life.
Laura Melius is a freelance writer and parishioner at All Saints Parish in Mellette. She has a degree in English and a certificate in Catholic catechesis.
