by Hunter Dawkins
Last Tuesday evening at the St. Paul Chapel in Pass Christian, the Knight of Columbus Msgr. Leech Council #4472 celebrated the 59th Silver Rose for the Honor of Life and Our Lady of Guadalupe. With this being the third anniversary at the chapel, the journey of the silver rose begins each year in March and ends on December 12, or the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
During this time, Silver Roses travel from town to town along eight routes throughout North America. Several of the routes begin in Canada and end in Mexico. Additionally, two separate rounds end in Washington, D.C. and New Haven, CT where the Knights of Columbus were founded.
In 1531, Our Lady of Guadalupe presented a cloak of roses to the bishop, asking that he builds a church. The Knights are asking to intercede for petitions.
The silver rose program began in 1960 on Thanksgiving, when the first silver rose was blessed by the bishop of Ontario, Canada. Following this, the rose traveled from New York, Texas, and finally in its resting place at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Monterrey, Mexico on December 12. To ensure future trips, silver roses were made. Due to the popularity of the program, eight silver roses travel unique routes.
In 2001, the Supreme Knight of Columbus Carl Anderson expanded this program, saying “We reaffirm the Order’s dedication to the sanctity of human life through the Silver Rose porgram, which honors Our Lady of Guadalupe and the unity of the Knights of Columbus.”
