ATTLEBORO, Mass. — On Oct. 2, the Knights of Columbus of Rhode Island, received at La Salette Shrine in Attleboro, from their counterparts in Massachusetts, a delicate rose cast in silver continuing a powerful expression of Marian devotion and intercontinental unity which began in the 1960s as the Silver Rose Program.
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Originally called Operation Rose, the initiative has gathered Knights and Columbian Squires from Mexico, the United States and Canada under the mantle of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas. In the mid-1990s, it was adopted as a Supreme Council initiative, which grew to encompass multiple pilgrimage routes and reaffirm the Order’s commitment to the sanctity of human life.
On Dec. 12, 2014, a Knights of Columbus Silver Rose was presented to Pope Francis at the conclusion of a Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica celebrated in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Over the last few years five Silver Roses have made their way in a Knights of Columbus pilgrimage from Canada into the United States, with one Rose being brought to all the way to Mexico City to honor Our Lady of Guadalupe.
During the month of October, the Knights of Columbus of Rhode Island have brought the Rose to various parishes and other events around the state to encourage prayer for the sanctity of human life. The Rose will finish its pilgrimage next month in New Haven, where the Knights of Columbus is headquartered.
