[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/white_rose.jpg” caption=”A white rose in the Nina de Villiers Rose Garden.”]

A single white rose continues to bloom defiantly in the Nina de Villiers Rose Garden among the falling leaves that signal winter is not far away.

The rose garden was named after the young McMaster student who was sexually assaulted and murdered in 1991. Flowers were one of Nina's passions, so it's fitting that this symbol of hope and innocence will mark today's annual commemorative service to celebrate non-violence.

McMaster's Anti-Violence Network is inviting all faculty, students, staff and members of the community to the Roses Among the Stones commemorative service. The event will take place today (Wednesday) at 1 p.m. on the stairs in front of Gilmour Hall, just steps away from the rose garden.

The theme of this year's ceremony is “Compassion is Not Enough, Take Action” and focuses on non-violence both on campus and in the community. Speakers include Dr. Peter George, Tommy Piribauer as well as Priscilla de Villiers, the mother of Nina and a victim's advocate. The event remembers those who have been affected by violence and encourages different ways to create change and take action.

“The garden continues to serve as a living, lasting tribute to Nina and to the many others whose tragic and untimely deaths have touched our hearts and our community,” says President Peter George.

Ecumenical chaplain Carol Wood is a member of McMaster's Anti-Violence Network, an association of 15 staff and student groups who are co-ordinating activities for the Month Without Violence, which runs from mid-September to mid-October.

“The garden ceremony is a powerful symbol of renewal and hope,” says Wood. “Just as a garden renews itself through the stages of death and new growth, we experience that sense of renewal through liturgy and music.”

Throughout the month, the various groups involved in the Anti-Violence Network will host events to promote campus safety and peacemaking through education. International concerns, homophobia, racism, war, and domestic abuse are among the issues being addressed.

For more information about the Anti-Violence Network or Month Without Violence events, visit http://www.mcmaster.ca/avn/ or contact Vilma Rossi at extension 24235.