December 2, 2024 // Diocese

Elkhart Knights to Pray 500th Consecutive First Friday Rosary

Eric Peat

In the spring of 1983, Benny Wiercioch received an invitation to join the Knights of Columbus St. Jude Council 1043 in Elkhart. One of his conditions for joining – which was gladly accepted by the Knights – was that he be allowed to begin a Rosary on the first Friday of each month.

Nearly 42 years later, this tradition is still going strong, as the Knights of Columbus are preparing to pray their 500th consecutive First Friday Rosary. Council 1043, which was formed back when Elkhart only had one Catholic church and now alternates its monthly Rosary between St. Vincent de Paul and St. Thomas the Apostle, will pray its milestone Rosary on Friday, December 6, at 7 p.m. at St. Vincent.

Photo provided by St. Jude Council 1043
Members of the Knights of Columbus St. Jude Council 1043 in Elkhart pose together in this undated photo. The group will pray its 500th consecutive First Friday Rosary at St. Vincent de Paul Parish on Friday, December 6, at 7 p.m.

While parishioners and pastors at both parishes have come and gone during the past four decades, the Knights of Columbus’ First Friday Rosary has remained a constant in Elkhart – and so has Esther Dyer, who was there at its inception with her late husband, Dick, a former Knight.

“It’s always been special to Dick and I, always a special gathering, although none of the people who were there when it originally started are still there, except me,” reflected Dyer, now in her 80s. “It’s just one of the things you can do to help people. There’s a lot you can’t do, but saying the Rosary with a group of people with a like mind is always something I like to do.”

It’s a tradition that has already been passed on to the next generation. As Dyer noted, if you were around to “start doing something in 1983, you’re no longer a spring chicken anymore.” When Wiercioch’s health began declining about 15 years ago, he asked fellow Knight George Kalil to begin leading the Rosary. Kalil took charge a couple years before Wiercioch’s passing in 2012 and has led the way ever since, including navigating through the COVID pandemic, when families were forced to pray it separately in their own homes.

“He asked me to take it on; he had to give it up when his health got bad,” Kalil said of Wiercioch. “Sometimes, the Rosary is said at funerals, and he had asked me to lead the Rosary at his visitation. It was emotional but an honor. I keep it going because of Benny, and sometime when my health gets lousy, hopefully someone else will continue it.”

The monthly Rosary is prayed specifically for the intention of the sick – those homebound or in nursing homes, those with long-term health problems or recovering from surgeries, and also caregivers of the sick. Names are taken out of bulletins from both Elkhart parishes and read aloud at the beginning of each Rosary in order to remain “all in our minds,” according to Kalil. Some individuals are removed from the list because they are healthy again, and some because they have passed away. As Dyer said: “There are different kinds of healing – there’s the healing of getting well and the healing of going home. I don’t think Dick would have lasted as long as he did without all the continuous prayers. There comes a time when it’s time, and then we can pray for their soul.”

When asked what has kept it going all these years, Kalil simply pointed to Wiercioch’s commitment and belief in the power of prayer.

“I just think, more than anything else, it’s been his dedication for many, many years, and his praying for the sick,” Kalil said of Wiercioch. “Prayers help, and the Rosary is a great prayer, praying for the people who need help the most and who we can’t reach out and help physically. I agree with that sentiment, so it was somewhat easy to take it over.”

While attendance for the monthly Rosary has fluctuated throughout the years, Kalil says they normally have at least a dozen people show up. However, he is hoping for a big turnout for the 500th Rosary on December 6 at St. Vincent de Paul, which will be followed by a reception with cake and refreshments. Although the Knights of Columbus began the tradition and still lead it, all are welcome to come and join them in prayer each month. Any encouragement needed to participate, Dyer said, is provided in Matthew 18:20 by Our Lord Himself: “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”