Silver Rose Travels Through Diocese of Des Moines

by Benjamin Shane Evans | May 5, 2026

The Des Moines Diocese participated in the Knight’s of Columbus’s Silver Rose pilgrimage in late April, which sought to share the message of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  

Knights of Columbus councils across Iowa shepherded a single silver rose, which was one of eight silver roses conveyed through North America, the Philippines, and Puerto Rico from early March through mid-December. At each stop along the route, the Knights performed a rosary-centered ceremony, with all roses converging in Mexico for the Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Saturday, December 12.

The Silver Roses themselves are between 9-12 inches of solid silver cast in the image of a rose. These roses reference the miracle of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a revered Marian apparition of the Virgin Mary who appeared to St. Juan Diego four times in December 1531. On the fourth appearance, the peasant was asked to gather flowers as a sign to take to the local Bishop, which he did by carrying them in his tilma, or cloak. When St. Juan Diego showed the flowers to the Bishop, an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared on the tilma, which was then full of roses native to Spain, both signs of the miraculous appearance.

The particular rose that journeyed through Iowa included several stops beginning in the Dubuque diocese on April 12. These stops included St. Peters Catholic Church in Council Bluffs, Pioneer Park in Harlan, St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in Webster City, St Cecilia Church in Ames, Sacred Heart Catholic Church in West Des Moines, St. Joseph Church in Des Moines, and St. Bernard’s Catholic Church in Osceola. 

At each stop, the Knights performed a ceremony that typically included a rosary service and opportunity to donate to a local organization that supports the promotion and preservation of life.

One of the stops along the route was Sacred Heart Catholic Church in West Des Moines on Tuesday, April 28. Past Grand Knight, Sacred Heart Council 9632, Bob McElderry said was an honor to “proudly share [the rose’s] presentation with our Parish community.”

“Personally, I see the icon ceremonies as an opportunity to participate alongside one another and expand our understanding of Mexican culture through our Catholic faith,” McElderry said.

Sacred Heart’s Knights of Columbus Council will also host the Sacred Heart of Jesus icon on June 12, and the Mexican Martyrs Relics in mid-June.

Bob Greco, a district deputy for the Knights of Columbus in Fairfield, Iowa, helped coordinate the rose’s 28-day journey through the state.

“The spirit of generosity and the focus on mother and child just follows all of these roses,” Greco said.

Greco added that generosity spreads through the route, with the Silver Rose’s journey affirming the sanctity of life. By honoring Mary’s appearance to St. Juan Diego, the journey connects a historical miracle to the Church’s commitment to protecting the unborn.

Greco said he hopes these acts of faith and prayer help shift the cultural focus from “choice” to the sanctity of life, inspiring a deeper respect for all human life from conception.

“All of these signs that we see in the rose support our faith and enable us to believe that this is Mary’s son, this Mother of God, and her calling her request for us is to respect life, to pray the rosary, and to be faithful and to believe in her son,” Greco said. “It’s all connected, it’s all about faith.”