The 50th Run of the Silver Rose

From the Supreme's website:
After Hand-Off on the Mexico-US Border, the Final of Leg of the 50th “Running of the Silver Rose” Begins.

Laredo, TX – Three silver roses were exchanged on the International Bridge on the border between the United States and Mexico, on Thursday. It is the first in a series of events sponsored by the Knights of Columbus to commemorate the 50th running of the silver rose and the 478th anniversary of the apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12.

The “Running of the Silver Rose” began in 1960 as an initiative of the members of the Columbian Squires, the youth arm of the Knights of Columbus. The roses, symbols of unity among the peoples in the Americas, are also symbols of the pro-life movement of which the Knights is heavily involved. The program’s devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe stems from the fact that she is considered the patroness of the pro-life movement.

The roses began their journey in Canada last May, and spent the last six months traveling throughout the western, central, and eastern corridors of North America, with Knights of Columbus from Canada to Mexico carrying them from destination to destination.



On the morning of December 10th, runners carrying the roses began the final leg of the 50th “Running of the Silver Rose.” Their journey will conclude in Mexico City at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Saturday where the roses will be presented to Our Lady.

Each part of the bouquet has an important meaning. The five roses (one of the three is a bouquet of three roses) represent the five decades in which this tradition has been in place. The seven guides carrying the roses represent the sacraments of the Catholic faith and the ways to approach God. The thorns represent all the efforts and sacrifices of the Columbian Squires and Knights of Columbus along the way. And the strong stem represents faith.

Also in attendance at these events is Monsignor Eduardo Chavez, postulator for the cause for canonization of St. Juan Diego to whom Our Lady appeared on that fateful day in 1531. Msgr. Chavez recently co-authored a New York Times best selling book with Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson entitled: Our Lady of Guadalupe: Mother of the Civilization of Love, which reached number 6 on the bestseller list this August. (For more information on the book, visit guadalupebook.com )

Last August, the Knights of Columbus also sponsored the first ever International Marian Congress devoted entirely to Our Lady of Guadalupe this summer in Phoenix, AZ. The congress was preceded by the Knights’ 127th annual convention and was followed by the Guadalupe Festival which brought more than 20,000 faithful to the Jobing.com arena (For more information visit mariancongress.org or guadalupefestival.org).

For more information on the history and origins of the “Running of the Silver Rose” as well as more detailed information about this weekend’s events, please visit runningoftherose.org.