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Silver Rose Prayer Service Update
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May 17, 2023On December 9, 1531, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Juan Diego (now St. Juan Diego) near Tepeyac Hill in Mexico. She requested that he ask the Bishop to build a temple at the base of the Hill. The Bishop was cordial to Juan Diego but reluctant to believe this story. After conferring with Our Lady a second time, Juan Diego again visited the Bishop to make the request. This time the Bishop asked Juan Diego to ask Our Lady for a sign.
At the same time, Juan Diego’s uncle became gravely ill and was near death. Our Lady provided Juan Diego with fresh roses to take to the Bishop as a sign. Roses did not grow in the area and the temperature was also below freezing. Our Lady also promised Juan Diego that his uncle would be healed, and when Juan Diego returned to his uncle, he found that he had recovered. After receiving the roses, the Bishop honored the request for a temple.
Today we commemorate and honor this event with the Silver Rose ceremony. There are 8 sterling silver roses in North America, and each makes its way throughout the U.S. and Canada, stopping at various parishes for Silver Rose ceremonies. These events are sponsored by the Knights of Columbus. By December 9, these roses will make their way back to the site of our Lady’s appearance in Mexico.
On May 5, a Silver Rose ceremony was held in the Chapel at Holy Infant. Knights and other parishioners gathered to pray the rosary and offer prayers and petitions to Our Lady. In particular, we prayed for all Life, especially the life of the unborn, and for the elderly and people subject to violence.
This is the second year that Holy Infant has hosted a Silver Rose Ceremony. Before traveling to our parish, this Silver Rose was at Holy Infant parish in Reidsville and it traveled to St. Luke’s in Raleigh after it left our parish. Our own parishioner, Tim Hall, is the NC chairman for these events.