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Holy Rosary Society
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St. Nicholas Holy Rosary Society
...More Than a Century of Service
For more than 100 years since it’s 1924 founding, the Holy Rosary Society of St. Nicholas Church has served the parish needs not just in prayer alone but also in fundraising and support of parish life. The Blessed Mother Mary is a beacon of living faith for every member of the society. Below is the history of this amazing group that became a bulwark of St. Nicholas parish and remains so today.
If you are interested in joining the Holy Rosary Society, please contact Sandy at 412-268-0807 or s[email protected]
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HOW THE HOLY ROSARY SOCIETY CAME TO BE
In the 1920’s, the world was still suffering from the ravages of World War I and trying to deal with the uncertainty of the times. The Croatian immigrant women of St. Nicholas felt this upheaval deeply and based on the Blessed Mother appearance to St. Bernadette at Lourdes (southern France), asking for prayers for peace, this plea moved them to action. This plea for prayer inspired a group of parishioners and in 1922 they began to meet regularly to say the rosary for peace. In 1924, from this initial gathering of Croatian immigrant women, the Društvo Presv Ružarija (Society of the Most Holy Rosary) was born becoming an official group of St. Nicholas Church.
THE HOLY ROSARY SOCIETY ACTIVITY OVER THE LAST CENTURY
Over the last century the Holy Rosary Society performed a variety of housekeeping duties to support for the church, parish life and the priests that lived in the rectory. These activities included cleaning the facilities, laundering of the priests’ garments, sewing, baking, preparing and serving meals for banquets and dinners. This also included purchasing drapes and linens for the rectory, hosts for Mass, and kitchen & bathroom supplies for the church hall.
The three core activities to the Holy Rosary Society are:
Fundraising
Fundraising is core to the Holy Rosary Society to help meet the needs of the Parish from 1924 to present day. In fact, one of their biggest fundraising efforts helped to pull the church out of debt in the 1930s.
By 1930, the St. Nicholas was under tremendous debt and in 1931, when Father Albert Zagar arrived (St. Nichoals Priest 1931-1966), he embraced the Holy Rosary Society and under his direction, membership grew to reach 250 members. As the serious debt threatened a sheriff’s sale, the women of the Holy Rosary Society went to work fundraising. They went door to door seeking contributions from Millvale residents, private citizens, businesses, and organizations. The Holy Rosary Society efforts were so great in helping to eliminate church debt, Father Zagar attributed a great deal to them in helping in reducing the church’s debt and saving it from a sheriff’s sale, saying “God will repay you one hundred-fold.”
The Holy Rosary Society has performed many activities and held many events over the last century to raise funds to support the Parish. These activities include Flea Markets, Square Dancing, Cow Bingo, Holy Thursday “Seven Church Walk” visiting 7 churches as a group and meditating on the solemn evening. The two core annual fundraisers that remain today are the Spring Luncheon & Bingo (March) and the Annual Fall Spaghetti Dinner (November).
May Crowning
St. Nicholas May Queen Crowning circa 1939May Crowning is a time-honored tradition of the Holy Rosary Society. The May Crowning of the Blessed Virgin Mary Statue of St. Nicholas Church is performed to honor Mary as the Queen of Heaven during the month of May. The Holy Rosary Society procession of the May Crowning is solemn procession each year and looked forward to by the 
St. Nicholas May Queen Crowing 2005whole of St. Nicholas Parish. It is a cherished position to be the "May Queen" and place the flower wreath on Mary's head.
St. Nicholas May Queen Crowning 2026
Praying the Rosary
From the inception of the Holy Rosary Society, praying the rosary has been central to its existence and continues today. Members pray the rosary to meditate on the life of Jesus and his Mother Mary to deepen their faith and seek spiritual strength and peace. They pray for the needs of the church and the cherished parish members. You will find society members reciting the rosary 30 minutes prior to Mass, funerals and upon request.
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Holy Rosary Society
Photo Journey
1924 Founding of the "Bratovština Bresvetoga Ružarija bl đ Marije" Confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary
1944 20th Anniversary of the Holy Rosary Society
1950 Holy Rosary Society
Circa 1952 Holy Rosary Society
1999 75th Anniversary of the Holy Rosary Society
2014 Holy Rosary Society
2024 100th Anniversary of the Holy Rosary Society
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A Message FROM OUR HOLY ROSARY SOCIETY PRESIDENT, SANDY KOCH
It has been my privilege to serve as President of the Holy Rosary Society for the past 32 years. I have been blessed by the dedication, kindness, and faith of our members, and I invite you to become part of this special ministry. We would love to welcome you into our Holy Rosary Society family.
We hold meetings several times a year and invite you to join and be a part of this mission oriented group.
We extend a special invitation to those members of the other Pittsburgh Shrines but we welcome all that are interested!If you are interested in joining the Holy Rosary Society, please contact Sandy at
412-268-0807 or s[email protected]
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Holy Rosary Society Presidents
- Sandy Koch 1995 - Present
- Ana Hagendoerfer 1950 – 1994
- Frances Andrisvic1948-1950
- Rose Cavlovic 1947-1948
- Barbara Rudar 1946-1947
- Barbara Cvetetic 1944-1946
- Barbara Rudar 1943-1944
- Rose Grbic 1940-1943
- Barbara Rudar 1939-1940
- Barbara Cvetetic 1938-1939
- Barbara Rudar 1937-1938
- Ana Labas 1936-1937
- Barbara Cvetetic 1935-1934
- Rose Erdeljac 1933-1935
- Barbara Rudar 1932-1933
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