By Rick Losey
To know the love of a loving and caring mother is something to cherish. But to have that love and know that she was also the mother of Jesus is also a very wonderful thing to contemplate. Now maybe you’re thinking that you didn’t really have that kind of relationship with your maternal mother. But you do have the mother of Jesus as your ever-present mother watching over you and loving you. Our loving Mother Mary has done and continues to do so much for us. Our adoration of her Son and our prayers are our ways of thanking her, loving her, and asking for her intercessions on our behalf.
Out of love and gratitude from their hearts to our blessed Mother Mary, the Lady of Guadalupe, the people of Mexico wanted to give something appropriate back to our most holy mother. So, in 1960 the Columbian Squires council 2312, a youth organization of the knights of Columbus, came up with an idea. They decided to run a rose to the basilica of our Lady of Guadalupe in Monterey, Mexico. The rose was chosen to commemorate Juan Diego and the miracle of the roses, an important part of the story of our lady and mother.
The first rose was a natural rose blessed by the bishop of London and sent to New York City, where it was received and then shepherded by the Knights of Columbus to El Paso, Texas. It was here that the rose was handed over to the Squires from Monterey, Mexico on the international bridge. The rose then eventually made its way to Monterey on December 10, 1960. This first original and natural rose lasted for a year, at which time the squires were so enthused by the success of this effort that they wanted to extend an invitation to others to participate with them. It was decided that a rose would be made of silver, because it is a precious metal of Mexico. Over the years, the special event of the Silver Rose traveling to honor our Holy Mother Mary has grown by leaps and bounds. Today, eight silver roses run along different routes including Canada, every U.S. state, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia. The roses then come together to travel to Mexico for “The Feast of the Virgin of Guadalupe” on December 12th. This growing tradition spreads devotion to our Lady of Guadalupe and it embodies the international family which has worked to nurture and share our Holy Mother’s love.
Recently, here at Saint Elizabeth Seton, we had the opportunity to be a part of something very special when we had the honor of hosting the Silver Rose, dedicated to our area here in Arizona. The congregation that gathered for the unique celebration were greeted by Dan Kudulis (Knights of Columbus District Director) and told the history of the Silver Rose. Our choir under Steve Raml’s direction provided the beautiful music to honor Holy Mary. Father David shared some beautiful words of adoration and then led us in the rosary, while different members of the Knights of Columbus helped in the reciting of each decade. After the memorable ceremony, there was a joyous time of sharing stories, taking pictures and thanking God for the opportunity to be a part of this special and blessed moment with our Most Holy Mother.
If you were unable to make it to this very special and inspiring event, then keep your eyes and ears open for more of the amazing things that the Knights of Columbus have coming up, that you won’t want to miss.
