People don’t let rain dampen spirits for Shower of Roses

The weather may have been dreary Sunday, but that didn’t stop the people of the Panther Valley from celebrating the 87th annual Shower of Roses at the Shrine of St. Therese of Lisieux, the Little Flower of Jesus, in the New Columbus section of Nesquehoning.

Attendance for the annual rose drop, the grand finale of the festival, was down by the time the roses from heaven fell.

This year the fog and rain grounded the helicopter, so the shower of roses was from the steps of the shrine rather than from the sky.

Many people who stayed went home with a handful of roses, a rare sight since it is usually typical to catch one if any at the event.

The Rev. Allen Hoffa, rector of the shrine and pastor of St. Joseph Parish of the Panther Valley in Summit Hill said, despite the weather, people still came out throughout the day to pay tribute to St. Therese and take in all that the festival had to offer.

“One of the things that I have constantly been struck by here in the Panther Valley and in Carbon County is no matter what the weather conditions are, if people know you have a good thing, they come and today was no different from that,” he said. “People came out. We sold out of so much of our food, the church was packed for Mass, there were people outside for devotions even though it was raining. It was just incredible and today was a huge success.”

He credited the people who volunteered their time and who also those who came and patronized the festival.

Prior to hundreds of roses being thrown from the steps of the shrine by Emily Reaman, the 2019 Rose Queen, and Hoffa, many gathered in the shrine to celebrate Mass and watch as Reaman was crowned this year’s rose queen; and then followed in a procession through the streets of the town and into the grotto next to the shrine for a military service and devotions.

“Many people were touched,” Hoffa said of the military service and devotions. “When you are able to bring the God who gives us freedom, the freedom that the men and women in uniform fight for, and you honor them, you are bringing all the components together and you can’t just help but stand back and say this is beautiful and that was exactly what it was. It was a beautiful tribute to those who served, and to those who built that beautiful grotto and I am glad we’re able to give (the grotto) its proper due now.”

The grotto, a shrine to Our Lady of Lourdes, was recently named to the National Registry of Historic Places and is the first standalone resource in the state to be approved for its historical significance.

The grotto was constructed on the grounds of the then Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church by local coal miner Placidio Guido LaRizzio under the guidance of Monsignor Agnello J. Angelini, the pastor of the church at that time. The area serves to honor the men and women who died while serving during World War II, as well as the heritage of the Italian American community in New Columbus.