Roses for Our Lady of Guadalupe - February 24th 2024
On February 24, 2024, Canada Needs Our Lady along with America Needs Fatima volunteers delivered thousands of roses to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico.
The thousands of roses represent the love and devotion of the many CNOL & ANF members and supporters, a fitting tribute to Our Mother Beyond Compare. Like little children who bring small but symbolic things to their mothers (like a bunch of dandelions or wild flowers), the roses represent our childlike devotion. Unlike the roses we presented, that will wither after some time, the permanence of Our Lady’s image on the miraculous tilma represents Our Lady’s undying affection for her children.
Preparing a Tribute Fit for a Queen
Preparing a Tribute Fit for a QueenCanada Needs Our Lady and America Needs Fatima organized this beautiful tribute to Our Lady. After CNOL & ANF donors signed online to present the roses, we order the roses from long-time, local florist Dona Ara. Just as thousands of donations and prayer intentions came from all around Canada and the United States, Dona Ara sourced the roses from all around Mexico.
First, Dona Ara obtains terracotta vessels and fills them with floral oasis. Then her team gathers palm branches and arranges them in each vessel as a background for the roses. The team painstakingly inspects each rose and arranges approximately ten dozen roses in each vessel. They remove all the thorns from the stems, pick off any imperfect petals and cut the base of each stem at a precise angle so that they last as long as possible.
The extraordinary attention and care of Dona Ara’s arrangements demonstrates the quality of her family’s devotion to “La Virgen.” The entire preparation is meticulously scheduled so that by the time the roses are presented to Our Lady, the buds have opened, representing our opening up to Our Lady, the Mystical Rose, so that the fragrance of our tribute fully blossoms before her.
Once the arrangements are ready, Dona Ara’s team carries them and stages them in front of the shrine within sight of Our Lady's image. As the multi-coloured roses arrived, pilgrims from all over Mexico and the world admired their beauty as a tribute to the Blessed Virgin.
After taking photos to record the tribute, Dona Ara’s team then carried each of the rose arrangements into the Basilica, carefully placing the roses along the tall walls on each side of the miraculous tilma. Then the whole team gathered under one of the walls for a group photo. Like little children who have given their mother something special, joy and a sense of accomplishment radiated from their faces.
After the presentation of the roses, we lit 55 candles in supplication for the continued battle against the culture of death and in reparation for the sin of abortion. The 55 candles also represent a continuous prayer soaring heavenward beseeching the Protectress of the Unborn for the urgent abolition of this modern day human sacrifice.
These personal impressions reflect the tender intimacy with which Our Lady herself addressed Saint Juan Diego when she said:
We felt that this was the same motherly concern and love with which she received the many petitions laden with the cares, worries, concerns, sorrows, supplications and needs of our Canada Needs Our Lady members, supporters and friends.
Thank You
With hearts full of gratitude, we would like to thank you for making us, in a sense, the ambassadors of your personal intentions and prayers to Our Lady of Guadalupe. To be part of your own exchange of love with your Heavenly Mother, enriched each and everyone of us and highlighted once again how much we are apart of one family under the mantle and loving care of La Virgen de Guadalupe. Without your help, support and prayers, none of this would have been possible.
