12/07/2025
One of our long held annual traditions during the holidays is sending poinsettias to our staff, clergy, choirs, church staff, hospice and nursing home staff and special friends to thank them for their partnership in caring for families we serve. ❤️❄
These beautiful plants are given as gifts during Christmas time to symbolize good will and community spirit.
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Legend of the Poinsettia
A legend is told of Pepita, a peasant girl who had no gift to present the Christ Child at Christmas Eve Masses. As Pepita walked slowly to the chapel with her cousin, her heart was filled with sadness rather than joy. Pedro said consolingly, "I am sure, Pepita, that even the most humble gift, if given in love, will be acceptable in His eyes."
Not knowing what else to do, Pepita knelt by the roadside and gathered a handful of common weeds, fashioning them into a small bouquet. Looking at the scraggly bunch of weeds, she felt more saddened and embarrassed than ever by the humbleness of her offering. She fought back a tear as she entered the small village chapel.
As she approached the altar, she remembered Pedro’s kind words: "Even the most humble gift, if given in love, will be acceptable in His eyes." She felt her spirit lift as she knelt to lay the bouquet at the foot of the nativity scene. Suddenly, the bouquet of weeds burst into blooms of brilliant red, and all who saw them were certain that they had witnessed a Christmas miracle right before their eyes. From that day on, the bright red flowers were known as the Flores de Noche Buena, or "Flowers of the Holy Night", for they bloomed each year during the Christmas season.
