When Arima Catholics bear the flowered statue of Saint Rose through their town next weekend, they will be reviving more than an age-old tradition. They will seek to re- connect with their history. That history is closely tied to the indigenous peoples and the growth of the Church in the eastern borough.

There is, of course, the linkage between those two and the Peruvian girl whose beauty helped in naming her, and whose simple and holy life led her to be the first saint to be canonised in Latin America.

The Arima connection with Saint Rose is best related in two stories. One of them, as told to the world by Tracy Assing - herself a descendant of our indigenous peoples - in an international travel magazine, speaks of a young girl who appeared to three Amerindian hunters in the forest, who took her back to their village on Calvary Hill. The story goes on that she disappeared three times, only to be returned to the village.

A priest explained that the young girl must be a manifestation of Santa Rosa, and that the natives should make a statue in her honour before she disappeared again. This the obedient tribes people did, and the young girl duly vanished, leaving only a crown of roses to mark her presence.

Decorated statue of Santa Rosa in Arima

The other story researched by Ms Assing and reproduced in the same magazine, tells of three hunters coming upon the statue in the forest and bringing it back to their village, where the priest explained that it was a likeness of Santa Rosa, it was a miracle to find such a statue in the forest, and such a find must be sign from God, and should be respected and honoured.

Whichever the more credible of the two stories, the passage of time has not reduced the reverence and sacred esteem in which St Rose of Lima is held in the Eastern Borough and no doubt in other American centres and the Philippines where she is also Patroness.

Santa Rosa is one of the Christian persons who faithfully followed her Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. She is the First among the peoples of the Americas to have been recognised as an outstanding model (icon) of holiness and discipleship.  From the beginning of the Arima Parish, she was the Christian Model (the Saint) chosen for followers of Jesus to be guided in our own discipleship of Jesus.

We decorate her statue in appreciation of her faithful life; in gratitude to God for all that she did to help people of her time many of whom were native to the region.

In celebrating her feast and in bearing her statue aloft in procession, the First Peoples, the early Arimians - Gens d’Arima - and the present community of Arima, choose to remember too that we are all on a pilgrimage.

The traditional practice of processions reminds us that all God’s People are on pilgrimage through this life. On this pilgrimage, we are all committed to Jesus, whom we recognise as Our Lord and Saviour; we seek to follow Jesus ever more faithfully and in so doing we recognise the model of our parish, the patron Saint of Arima – Santa Rosa – as an inspiration to all of us.

As Arimians reflect on the life of St Rose, and as we honour her for her discipleship, we too seek her inspiration and encouragement to follow Jesus by our prayer, and service to others.  Santa Rosa shows us that it is possible for ordinary human persons (like herself) to excel in a good and noble life of faithful discipleship of Jesus.

The statue is merely a reminder that in the following of Jesus we have a model of holiness along with a great litany of persons as outlined in Hebrews 11, who have been faithful to God and who are an inspiration for us today in faith.  Hebrews 12 begins by acknowledging the value of looking at these models of holiness.

There is no reason for faithful Christian people to be ashamed of celebrating our patronal feast. There is no reason for us to be embarrassed by walking in procession behind the statue of our patroness. We are proud of our Faith in Christ and we are grateful that we have many models (icons) who can help us to follow Christ.

Santa Rosa is one of them and is indeed our Arima model of faithful discipleship.