Mystical Rose

Happy Feast of the Rosa Mystica – the Mystical Rose

July 13, 2020

 

Today is the Feast of the Mystical Rose, one of our favorite devotions to Our Lady. We were introduced to Rosa Mystica in 2003. Fr. Bill McCarthy, MSA and Sr. Bernadette Sheldon were going to lead a retreat at the Shrine of the Rosa Mystica in Edmeston, NY (20 minutes from the Baseball Hall of Fame). They wanted us to come sing for the retreat. We said “yes.”

We knew nothing about this devotion. In fact we never heard of it. But we decided to compose a song about her. We had 1 month to put it together. We set out to learn her story, first the 3 Roses because the statue of Rosa Mystica has 3 Roses. This led us to find out that the visionary, Pierina Gilli, first saw her with 3 swords in her heart!

Nov. 1946 Saint Maria Crocifissa di Rosa (of whom she had a special devotion) appeared to the visionary and told her to look at a certain point in her room. Pierina Gilli saw a beautiful Lady. Saint Maria explained that the Lady is the Virgin Mary who came to ask Pierina for “prayers, sacrifices and sufferings” to repair the sins of three categories of souls consecrated to God:

        ◆ the religious souls who betray their vocation

        ◆ the religious souls in mortal sin;

        ◆ the souls of priests who betrayed, becoming unworthy of their sacred ministry.

Afterwards, Saint Maria recommended the sanctification of the priests through the very effective means of prayer, sacrifice and penitence.

 

13th July 1947 Pierina Gilli asserted that the Virgin Mary appeared to her again, this time dressed in white, with three roses on Her breast instead of the the three swords, that this time were at Her feet:

        ◆ the white rose indicated the spirit of prayer,

        ◆ the red one the spirit of sacrifice,

        ◆ the yellow one, with golden reflections, the spirit of penitence

 

The song was finished – the music and arrangement – just before we left for our 5 hour drive to Rosa Mystica. It’s here that we began our relationship Our Lady of Rosa Mystica and with Noreen & Joe Von Zwehl who became the founders of the Edmeston Rosa Mystica Chapel. 

The link below will take you to the History of the Rosa Mystica Foundation of America

https://www.rosamysticaofamerica.org/history--photos.html

 

 

This link below will lead you to the website of Rosa Mystica in Montichiari, Italy where the original apparition occurred in 1946. You will encounter the visionary, Pierina Gilli, St. Maria Crocifissa di Rosa and The Rosa Mystica, the Blessed Virgin Mary.

https://www.rosamisticafontanelle.it/wp-content/uploads/documenti-inglese/dep-storia-ING.pdf

 

We were privileged to sing this song to Our Lady, Rosa Mystica in Montichiari on our first pilgrimage to Italy with Dr. Rosalie Turton and the 101 Foundation from New Jersey.

Peace Be with You,
Maria & Gloria