Mother Mary is often called “Our Lady of the Roses” because these beautiful flowers are one of her symbols. When we’re in her sacred presence, we may smell the fragrance of roses without having any physical flowers nearby.

In fact, the name Rosary means “a garland of roses.” Roses are considered the queen of flowers, and white ones symbolize Mother Mary. Red blooms are said to have blushed when she kissed them in heaven. In the Middle Ages, roses were used in purification ceremonies, and Mother Mary is the ultimate symbol of purity. White roses are associated with Mary’s joys, red with her suffering, and yellow with her glory.

Roses are also a symbol of St. Thérèse, the “Little Flower,” so the scent or sight of roses can also signal that prayers to this saint were heard and answered. Many devotees believe that roses indicate that both St. Thérèse and Mother Mary are present.

There’s a beautiful story that Mother Mary appeared to St. Juan Diego in the 1530s, but no one believed him. So the Blessed Mother appointed St. Diego to gather roses to prove her presence to the bishop, because it was then the middle of winter when roses normally hibernate. When St. Diego climbed a hilltop in search of roses, he found them blooming abundantly, and his vision was believed.

Many Gothic cathedrals feature round stained-glass windows representing roses. These windows are called the Mystical Rose, with four petals—representing the Holy Trinity, plus Mary, for a total of four.

Some theologians draw a parallel between Mother Mary’s roses and the Buddhist deity Quan Yin, who is normally shown with a lotus flower. Since Quan Yin is a virgin “goddess of compassion” who’s frequently called the “Mother Mary of the East,” these are interesting theories.

The stories I’ve received about roses and the fragrance of roses are beautiful. How like Mother Mary to bring more beauty into our world in this way! I love the following story about an actual rose that stayed perfectly preserved for over a month, with the help and blessings of Our Lady of the Roses:

Marcelle Lannaman was in between jobs, raising a family, and on a tight budget. Unable to buy her usual bouquet of roses for the Blessed Mother, she chose a magnificent single bloom: one that was cream colored and edged in scarlet. She placed it by a statue of Our Lady in her home.

“Blessed Mother, I wish I could buy you roses every week,” Marcelle said.

Her solitary rose bloomed, and seemed to become fresher with each passing day. Two weeks later, it was still radiantly beautiful.

“Is that the same rose, Mum?” asked her son, Alexander, when he came home from school one day. They both gazed at it in awe and then took a picture of it.

Marcelle’s “mystical rose” flourished for five weeks, never fading or wilting in any way.

On the first day of her new job, Marcelle came home to find that the petals had fallen at the feet of the Blessed Mother’s statue. Whenever her faith in divine Providence wavers, Marcelle affectionately remembers her eternal rose.

How blessed we are to have Mother Mary gracing us with signs of her love! Whether she appears to us in a dream or vision, or makes her presence known via a feeling, divine intervention, or the fragrance of roses, it’s comforting to know that she’s hearing and answering our prayers.