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Roses of the Rosary

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Roses of the Rosary

– Answered by Father Johann Roten, S.M.

Q: Is there a devotion called "The Rose of the Rosary"?

A: A pious custom among Dominicans consists of blessing roses on feasts related to the rosary. The blessed roses are distributed among the faithful and kept in the homes of those who received them. Piously kept, they are an assurance of divine protection. According to tradition, a great number of favors have been obtained for both body and soul through these blessed roses.

Roses are a symbol of the Rosary and its mysteries. Rosebuds are a figure of Jesus as Infant; half-blown blossoms represent the Passion of Christ. The full flower shows forth Christ's victory over death and triumph. Similarly, the different colors and parts of the rose bush will remind us of the Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious mysteries. And, since Mary is herself called Mystical Rose, she obtains for us the blessing attached to the blessed roses.

Approved by the Church, the blessing can be done by any priest who has received permission from the General of the Dominican Fathers. The short form of the blessing is as follows:

"O God, make that these roses may receive a blessing so that all the sick on whom they shall be laid, and all who keep them in their houses, may be cured of their ills, and that the devils may fly in terror from those dwellings." (From "The Blessing of the Roses of the Rosary.")

To know more about this devotion, address your inquiry to Dominican Nuns, Monastery of Our Lady of the Rosary, 335 Doat St., Buffalo, NY 14211-2199.

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