WAYNESVILLE — On June 4, St. John the Evangelist Parish in Waynesville became one of 15 parishes in the Diocese of Charlotte to host the Silver Rose Pilgrimage and prayer service.
Each year, the nine-month pilgrimage starts in March and ends on December 12, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The pilgrimage, which honors Our Lady of Guadalupe and expresses international unity and dedication to the sanctity of life, began in 1960, when the first live rose was blessed by a bishop in Ontario. Today, eight silver roses travel different routes throughout North America, several of which begin in Canada and end in Mexico.
Father Lucas Rossi, pastor of St. John the Evangelist, led a bilingual prayer service, litany and rosary, followed by a gathering in the parish hall. Mark DeMarco welcomed visitors on behalf of the Knights of Columbus, who host the program.
In 2001, when Carl Anderson, past Supreme Knight of the Knight of Columbus, expanded the Silver Rose Program, he told those gathered for their annual meeting in Toronto,
“Through (the Silver Rose Program) we honor not only Our Lady of Guadalupe and express unity of the (Knights of Columbus), but we also reaffirm the Order’s dedication to the sanctity of human life. It is to the Blessed Mother that we turn in prayer as we work to end the Culture of Death that grips our society. As we think in terms of ‘One Life, One Rose,’ it is most appropriate that we turn to Our Lady of Guadalupe who made known her will through Juan Diego, and the miracle of roses.”
— Gail Webb
