DIOCESE—From Aug. 14 to 20, several Knights of Columbus councils around the diocese held daily Silver Rose prayer services to honor the Blessed Mother, Our Lady of Guadalupe. 

 

The Silver Rose tradition began in 1960 in Monterrey, Mexico, when members of the Columbian Squires — an international youth fraternity run by the Knights for Catholic boys ages 10-18 — ran a rose from the International Bridge in Laredo, Texas, to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The rose commemorated St. Juan Diego and the miraculous roses Mary gave him. 

 

In following years, the first live rose was replaced by a bronze rose, then by a silver rose made by Brother Miguel Martinez Montoya in Monterrey. Today’s roses honor the tradition’s origins, since silver is one of Mexico’s precious metals. 

 

Today, eight silver roses travel throughout Canada, the United States and Mexico, eventually uniting at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. Each Silver Rose prayer service brings together Knights, parishioners and community members to pray for respect for life, for the spiritual renewal of each nation, and for the advancement of the message of Our Lady of Guadalupe.