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Ashley B. Choate
office: 337-643-6472
email: [email protected]

A Special Advent Event Hosted by: 

Behold Catholic Ministries 

In the Beatitudes, Jesus tells us to comfort those who mourn and in the eleventh chapter of John we see him weep at the death of Lazarus. Perhaps in addition to his love for his friend, Jesus’ tears are shed out of sympathy for those who love Lazarus and the grief they expressed at his passing.

The Passion Flower Project at Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary is a grief support ministry that oversees small-groups focused on specific areas of loss. It’s name is inspired by the tendril-bearing Passion Flower vine that produces showy flowers consisting of a distinct corona and stigma. The unique structure of the flower has been used as a catechesis tool since the 15th century when Spanish missionaries adopted it to recall the last days of our Lord’s earthly life.

Floyd Broussard, life-long parishioner of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary parish, had a great devotion to the Blessed Mother and the sufferings she endured during her Son’s crucifixion. Well-tended Passion Flower vines could be found growing around his yard and every visitor received a bloom and a lesson before their departure. When Floyd was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and placed on hospice in 2021 his botanical evangelization became more fervent than ever. Every nurse, therapist, family member and friend that visited during the final three months of his earthly life heard the story of the Passion Flower: the pointed tips representing the lance that pierced Jesus’ side, the tendrils representing the whips used to strike our Lord, the ten petals and sepals calling to mind the ten faithful apostles, the radial filaments symbolizing the crown of thorns, the three stigmas and five anthers mirroring the three nails and five wounds of Christ. Finally, the three days of each bloom’s life, recalling the three years of Jesus’ public ministry. 

The Passion Flower Project, founded by his granddaughter Ashley B. Choate, was inspired by Floyd’s lifelong witness of love and compassion for those suffering and his testimony to God’s merciful love, both of which were evident in his holy death. Whether you are experiencing the loss of a spouse through death or divorce, the loss of a child, a sibling, a friend, or any other shade of grief, our prayer is that you find love and support in our community. 

We are glad you are here.  

Collective Hope is a support group at Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Parish focused on the particular needs of those who have experienced the loss of a spouse. Whether in your first or your fiftieth year of widowhood, Collective Hope is a safe environment to experience friendship with widows and widowers who are on the same grief journey and who understand the adjustment of being alone.