Pope Benedict XVI said music can open hearts and minds to the good and beauty created by God. If so, this year’s edition of Blooms into Rooms might just have helped scores of seniors catch a glimpse of the divine.
In addition to the customary Holy Saturday distribution of flowering plants and greeting cards to retirement homes, group residences, and long-term-care facilities in the north of the Fraser area, three of the volunteer teams this year sang songs for the seniors.
The performances have never been part of the regular Blooms into Rooms program, said Blooms co-founder Wim Vander Zalm. “They seem to have grown organically as volunteers looked to bring light and love into the seniors’ lives. It’s wonderful to see.”
At Chartwell Willow Retirement Community in Maple Ridge, for example, family members of St. Patrick’s parishioner Elizabeth Loch presented a program of 13 religious and secular songs, including Amazing Grace and Edelweiss, accompanied by piano and guitar.
“Not many of the seniors were able to sing along, but they all clapped heartily after each piece,” Loch said.
This Easter marked the 31st year that parish and school Blooms into Rooms teams from Coquitlam to Chilliwack have visited seniors to lift their spirits and bring to life the Church’s reverence for life.
At Eagle Ridge Manor in Port Moody, a St. Joseph’s parishioner serenaded three separate groups with Broadway show tunes, including Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin.’ Some seniors were so lifted by the performance that they continued singing and clapping well after the performer left.
Choir members from Holy Cross Regional Secondary augmented their annual Blooms into Rooms tradition of flowers by serenading residents of Elim Village retirement community in north Surrey with a variety of songs, including Let it Be. Volunteers also included parishioners from St. Luke’s Parish in Maple Ridge and students from Our Lady of the Assumption School in Port Coquitlam.
Art’s Nursery provided 1,500 African violets — one for each senior — at wholesale cost to project organizers, who were supported by cash donations from the Life Compass Society and several individuals and parish groups.
Loch said a wonderful byproduct of the Easter-flowers event is the joy it brings to staff serving the seniors. “They said they loved how the flowers, companionship, and music lifted their patients’ spirits,” she said. “And that, in turn, lifted their spirits, too.”
Martha Bonnet, who led the team visiting the Westbrooke Seniors Living Community in Pitt Meadows, said everyone from receptionists to nurses is buoyed by the visit.
“The nurse said, ‘If my patients are happy, I am happy. And they are very happy and grateful,’” Bonnet said.
Not surprisingly, the sick and elderly who received the flowers, cards, and visits were grateful, too. Barbara, a resident of Dufferin Care Centre in Coquitlam, spoke for many when she told a volunteer from St. Clare of Assisi, “It’s a marvellous, wonderful idea, and it makes me very happy. I wasn’t expecting anything like this. I love flowers and I love surprises.”
Our Lady of Fatima parish team leader Margaret Reilly said Grade 7 students from the Coquitlam parish’s elementary school were thrilled to be members of the teams visiting Foyer Maillard and Belvedere Care Home.
“They said they loved the experience and found the residents to be ‘so sweet,’” Reilly said.
Such connections are important, said Deacon Rolando Sanares, of St. Paul’s in Richmond, whose own ministry is centred on the sick and elderly.
“As a deacon, caring for seniors with compassion and patience is a calling,” said Deacon Sanares, who was ordained as a permanent deacon in June 2024. “This is a ministry work that gives me an opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus. When I show kindness and gentleness to the elderly, I show God’s love in action.”
He said the flowers that are central to Blooms into Rooms have a special way of demonstrating this kindness and gentleness.
“It reminds seniors that they are loved,” Deacon Sanares said. “The presence of volunteers makes the project even more meaningful when they offer a moment of joy and a smile.”
— B.C. Catholic contributor Terry O’Neill is co-founder and lead organizer of Blooms into Rooms.
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