Rogation Days

The Church says there are 4 Rogation days every year; one major Rogation, and three minor ones.   What the heck are Rogation days anyway?   See below patient one:

The Major Rogation Day of the year; falls on the feast of St. Mark April 25th, it has nothing to do with him though.   The Minor Rogation Days are the three days before Ascension Thursday. The word "Rogation" comes from the Latin verb rogare, which means "to ask," this refers to the Gospel passage "Ask and ye shall receive" (Gospel of John 16:24).   The Old Farmer’s Almanac has always noted these days in their calendar pages.  

 The Church had suppressed these days since Vatican II, but in an effort to return Roman Catholicism to the fun Religion we all know it to be the Church, during the time of John Paul II, beginning in 1988, has begun to slowly re institute the Rogation Days, albeit quietly without fanfare.   And Benedict XVI encouraged the use of these ancient rituals.   It is even listed in the Ordo for today.   Check it out..I dare you….

On Rogation Days, like their distant cousins the Ember Days, we celebrate the change of season and the coming of spring.   On these days we should pray for a good climate and fruitful harvest.  Rogation days, like many other Christian feasts, were put in place to replace a pagan practice…in this case the festival was called Robigalia in honor of the god Robigus.   Robigus was the god of mildew and fungus….(no joke), and he was asked to lay off the wheat crop every year at this time.  

 Priests used to walk the boundaries of the parish and bless the fields along with churchwardens and a whole entourage.  So many people were involved in this procession it was also called Gang Day, and those involved were said to “beat the bounds.”  

If you feel a little silly in the big city blessing your tomato patch or lawn, or flowerpot, you can still

Rogation day...back in the day....

 mark the days by reciting the Litany of the Saints.    If the boundaries of your parish are miles long, and would require a backpack filled with Lembas to peregrinate, you can at least learn where those boundaries are and walk a portion of them, getting to know your surroundings, and maybe your neighbors, in the process. Finish it all off by attending daily Mass and praying for good weather and a fruitful harvest.   If you do go for a walk in honor of the Rogation days…use Desenex in your shoes to keep Robigus happy anyway; hey, couldn’t hurt right?