Roses for Our Lady of Guadalupe
14 dozen beautiful roses to were delivered to Our Lady of Guadalupe this year on 22 February, Feast of the Chair of St Peter, on behalf of South Africa Needs Our Lady.
Our friends from America Needs Fatima, kindly organised this for us together with all their roses.
Below we share their feedback about the event:
A worthy mention to the florist Dona Ara, who had to source these roses from all across Mexico as the national supply had been depleted by Valentine’s Day. Unlike past years when it was sunny and hot, this year we were graced with cooler temperatures, rain and thunderstorms throughout the day. Yet, as our Blessed Mother often does, she smiled upon us, the clouds parted, the sun shone forth, and the brilliant roses dazzled the crowds of pilgrims making their Jubilee pilgrimage of Hope.
As is our custom, along with the presentation of the roses to Our Lady, we light a candle for each state in the U.S., beseeching La Virgen de Guadalupe, Patroness of the Unborn, for the total and complete victory over the sin of abortion in every state, from New York to California, and from Minnesota to New Mexico. Masses were also requested for the intentions of all ANF members and supporters.
Something Extra
In 1921, a young man named Luciano Perez Carpio placed a bouquet of flowers concealing a bomb before the miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The subsequent explosion destroyed the marble altar and damaged a large crucifix. The miraculous image of Our Lady was completely unscathed. Following this event, a great devotion started, honouring Our Lord Jesus Christ under the invocation of “Santo Cristo Del Atentado” (roughly translated as Jesus Christ, Victim of the Violent Attack). This devotion consists of writing one’s intentions and placing them along with a stipend below the damaged crucifix. Many graces and miracles have been attributed to this devotion.
So, we took a moment to entrust all the ANF and SANOL supporters who sent roses to Our Lady of Guadalupe, asking Our Lord Jesus Christ to protect them, just as He protected His Holy Mother.
Holy Hour
After presenting the roses and intentions to the Virgin of Guadalupe, ANF representatives were able to spend a holy hour in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament in the old Basilica for the intentions of ANF and SANOL members and supporters.
The Jubilee Year of HOPE
A special part of this year’s Roses to Our Lady of Guadalupe presentation is that it is a Jubilee Year.
Jubilee years have a long and rich history rooted in religious tradition and biblical precedent. The term “Jubilee” comes from the Hebrew word Yobel, which refers to the ram’s horn used in ancient Israel to announce the year of release and return.
Over the centuries, the Catholic Church began to regularize the practice of Jubilee years, though not every year was declared one. Beginning in the 15th century under Pope Sixtus IV, the Church decided to celebrate a Jubilee every 25 years. Later, Pope Urban VIII (1625) established the rule that Jubilees would occur at 25-year intervals unless a special Jubilee was declared.
The shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City has been established as a Jubilee pilgrimage site for the 2025 Jubilee Year. We were able to walk through the Door of Hope as we presented the roses to Our Lady.
A Mother gathering her children
As pilgrims gathered at the Shrine from all over the world, it was beautiful to see and sense their unity in the love and protection of Our Blessed Mother. For example, it was beautiful to see a small family of Aztec Indians dressed in their traditional cultural attire to pay homage to their Mother, who so many centuries ago brought their people to the True Faith.
Another beautiful sight was the group from the Colegio Guadalupe Victoria Monclova, Coahuila, that had come from hundreds of miles away on pilgrimage along with about 450 000 other people from different parts of Mexico. It is hard to describe the experience of seeing so many devotees honouring Our Lady with prayer, penance, song and dance.
During our days at the Shrine, we saw many priests, nuns and religious. The devotion of the laity and clergy was inspiring.
Roses were not only sent from devotees in the United States; the devotion of sending roses to Our Lady of Guadalupe is starting to spread. This year, roses and intentions came from Canada and as far away as South Africa. We hope there will be many, many more next year.
Thank You
We want to thank each and every one of you who sent roses and entrusted us with your special intentions to Our Lady of Guadalupe. Without your support and prayers, none of this would have been possible.
We would also like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Dona Ara and her family team of florists for their dedicated work in creating the magnificent floral tribute to La Virgen de Guadalupe.
Dona Ara and her family of workers who put together all the beautiful rose arrangements.
Going forward….
The struggle to protect the unborn continues; now, let’s end abortion everywhere, now and forever! Let’s intensify our prayers to the Virgin of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas, Empress of Latin America, Queen of Mexico, Protectress of the Unborn, and demonstrate our profound desire to safeguard the unborn and end abortion once and for all.
So, if you would like to be one of the first to present roses to Our Lady on behalf of the unborn and place your intentions at the top of the list for 2026, click here now!