A silver rose on a nine-month pilgrimage will be the centerpiece of a special prayer service at Sacred Heart Church in Norwich on November 1, 2025 at 5PM. The program is sponsored by the Knights of Columbus White Cross Council Number 13 to honor Our Lady of Guadalupe and to express both international unity and a deep commitment to the sanctity of human life.
Each year, the journey of the Silver Rose begins in March and concludes on December 12, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. During that time, the Silver Roses travel from town to town along eight routes throughout North America, several beginning in Canada and ending in Mexico.
The Silver Rose Program has a rich history dating back to 1960, when the first rose — a real, living flower — was blessed by a bishop in Ontario. It then journeyed to New York, Texas, and across the border into Mexico, arriving at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Monterrey on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. To preserve this tradition for future generations, the living rose was later replaced with a silver one.
Due to the program’s growing popularity, eight silver roses now travel simultaneously each year, following distinct routes that unite communities across the continent in prayer and devotion.
In 2001, Carl Anderson, Past Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus, expanded the program, explaining:
“Through the Silver Rose Program, we honor not only Our Lady of Guadalupe and express the 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 the roses.”
All are invited to attend this beautiful evening of prayer and reflection, joining the Knights and parish community in honoring Our Lady and seeking her intercession for the protection of life and peace in our world.
For more information, please contact Christopher Kolker 580-309-4171.