The new rose is the product of a partnership between Jackson and Perkins Co. and the United Farm Workers, which represents the workers at America’s largest rose producer in Kern County, Calif. near Bakersfield.
For Release: April 3, 2006
Monday at 12:10 p.m. in Los Angeles
L.A. Cardinal Roger Mahony blesses new Pope John Paul II Commemorative Rose
Tribute to the late Pontiff one year after his death results from a union-grower partnership.
On the first anniversary of Pope John Paul II’s passing, Cardinal Roger Mahony will formally bless a newly created rose commemorating the late Pontiff during a special 12:10 p.m. Mass Monday at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles. The commemorative hybrid tea rose, luminous pure white with a crisp refreshing fragrance, was specifically chosen by the Vatican to honor John Paul II and will be planted this year in Vatican gardens overlooking Saint Peter’s Basilica.
The new rose is the product of a partnership between Jackson & Perkins Co. and the United Farm Workers, which represents the workers at America’s largest rose producer in Kern County, Calif. near Bakersfield. Ten percent of net proceeds from the sale of each rose will be put at the disposal of the Vatican, which has informed Jackson & Perkins it will donate these funds to a charity benefiting the poor of Sub-Saharan Africa.
Jackson & Perkins worked closely with Vatican officials over many months to officially designate the rose. Each commemorative selection available to consumers across America includes a bare root Pope John Paul II rose, an engraved garden marker to place near the rose when it is planted, plus a handsomely embossed portfolio lined with moiré silk. Inside the portfolio is a signed and numbered certificate of authenticity, which also bears one of the late Pontiff’s popular homilies.
Who: Cardinal Roger Mahony, Jackson & Perkins President Bill Williams, UFW President Arturo Rodriguez, Jackson & Perkins rose workers from Kern County, Calif.
What: Blessing of the new Pope John II Commemorative Rose.
When: 12:10 Mass, Monday, April 3, 2006.
Where: Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral, 555 West Temple St., downtown L.A.
TV NEWS EDITORS: SATELLITE INFORMATION–
MONDAY, APRIL 3
2:45pm – 3:15pm Pacific – (IA-6, Transponder 13)
C-Band
Downlink Frequency: 3960 Vertical
Audio: 6.2/6.8
3:45pm – 4:15pm Pacific – (IA-6, Transponder 15)
C-Band
Downlink Frequency: 4000 Vertical
Audio: 6.2/6.8 TUESDAY, APRIL 4
2:00am – 2:30am (Pacific) – (IA-5, Transponder 13)
C-Band
Downlink Frequency: 3960 Vertical
Audi: 6.2/6.8