The 90th Annual Shower of Roses in honor of St. Therese of Lisieux was held at the Diocesan Shrine of St. Therese in the New Columbus section of Nesquehoning on Sunday, October 2nd. Despite the rain throughout the afternoon, people gathered at the shrine to honor St. Therese, the "Little Flower of Jesus".
The faithful gathered for a Rosary at 1:30 p.m. in the shrine, followed by Mass. Father Robert George, Rector of the shrine, celebrated the Mass, assisted by Deacon Joseph Cannon.
"It's important that, when we celebrate a day like this, when we look at those roses, we remember that St. Therese was completely other-centered, and that she is praying for us," Father George said. "The roses remind us that it's up to us to serve one another."
At the end of the Mass, Father George crowned Megan Reaman the 2022 Rose Queen. Reaman and the rest of her court then exited the church and gathered in front of the Grotto.
At 4:15 p.m. was Benediction and the Novena to St. Therese.
Due to the rain, the traditional helicopter was cancelled. Despite the rain, Rose Queen Megan Reaman, Mega Paisley, and Jenna Goff boarded the St. Therese Float and distributed roses to the people.
The St. Therese Celebration and the Shower of Roses was started in 1932 by Monsignor Angnello J. Angelini, Pastor of what was then Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church. In 2008, the church became the Shrine of St. Therese of Lisieux.
As she was dying in the convent infirmary, St. Therese explained: "After my death, I will let fall a shower of roses. I will spend my heaven doing good upon earth. I will raise up a mighty host of little saints. My mission is to make God loved."