Two Knights of Columbus Councils in the diocese will participate in a North American effort to pay tribute to Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Americas, through the Silver Rose program.

The program involves running a sculpted silver rose from Ontario through the United States to Monterrey, Mexico, where it will arrive on Dec. 12, feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

The Trenton Diocesan leg of the program starts June 8 in St. Ann Parish, Lawrenceville, where a Marian devotional prayer service will be held in the church at 7:30 p.m. The following day on June 9, the Silver Rose will be in St. Joseph Church, Trenton where a prayer service will be held in Spanish at 7:30 p.m. On June 10, the Silver Rose will travel to Monmouth County for two bilingual services at 6 and 8 p.m. in St. Mark Church, Sea Girt.

The schedule for June 11 includes plans for the Silver Rose to visit other parishes and nursing homes in the diocese which are yet to be determined and on June 12, the Silver Rose will leave the Trenton Diocese and head to the Camden Diocese.

The Our Lady of Guadalupe Silver Rose Program began in 1960 as a project of the Knights of Columbus Columbian Squires of North America to honor the Blessed Virgin, under the title of Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Americas.

The program has continued since then as a project in several Knights of Columbus jurisdictions.

Each year, a Silver Rose, honoring Our Lady of Guadalupe and reaffirming the commitment to the sanctity of human life, is carried by Knights from Canada, through the United States and into Mexico to arrive at the Basilica of Monterrey, Mexico, on Dec. 12.

This year, three Silver Roses are scheduled to travel from Canada to Mexico, including the one that will visit the Trenton Diocese for four days.

For more information, on the Silver Rose Program, contact Thomas Ponting at 609-695-5081 or Bernard Ricciardi at 732-528-9259.