Blessing of Roses on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

As this is a devotion unknown to most Catholics, I wish to share part of a post written last year by the blog Kankakee TLM.  For those interested in participating in this tradition who are in the Chicago area, there will be a 7 PM High Mass on December 12th (The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe) followed by the Traditional Blessing of Roses at the Shrine of Christ the King on Woodlawn Avenue in Chicago.  The Sermon will be in both English and Spanish.

The excerpt:

In 1554 a plague broke out, which quickly claimed the lives of more than 12,000 persons.  A public procession to Our Lady’s shrine was organized, and by the very next day, the death rate began to ebb off, and the plague soon ended.

Other outbreaks of rampant disease occurred in 1633 and 1695, when again, with a procession, and with a novena to our Lady, she put an end to the death-dealing calamities. Many, many other such historical accounts have been recorded, when our Lady, as compassionate Mother has hastened to assist those who with faith and love invoke her aid. She still loves her children and will speedily hasten to come when invoked.  So many can attest to her signal graces!

Last year, the Shrine of Christ the King in Chicago had their first TLM in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  Afterwards, Canon Talarico blessed roses for the faithful to take home; we were encouraged to take them to the sick.  These roses were given a traditional blessing:

“…by the sign of the Holy Cross let these roses be endowed with such blessing that the sick to whom they are brought and whose homes they adorn may be healed of their infirmities; and let them drive away in fear and trembling the devil with all his followers, nevermore to molest the people who are Thy servants.”