Interceding for the City: Rogation Days

On Sunday, May 25, as a parish we'll celebrate something called "Rogation Sunday" with a walk through the neighborhood and a BBQ at Alice Fitz park. It's a fun day for the church, and a good excuse to eat some killer brisket. But what is a Rogation Day, and why are we observing it together?

Put simply, Rogation Days are the three days preceding Ascension day (and the Sixth Sunday of Eastertide) "especially devoted to asking for God's blessing on agriculture and industry."

Back in the day, churches could be seen on Rogation Days making processions around the boundaries of the parish (they called it "beating the bounds") praying for God's provision for the material needs of the community for the coming year.

Since most people and places at that time were rural, most of these processions and prayers went through and for fields. It makes for a pretty striking image:

La Bénédiction des bles in Artois ("The Blessing of the Wheat in Artois), Jules Breton

Now, our church isn't in a farming community. But we're still a "kingdom of priests" who have a vocation to pray for the good of the church and the world. So instead of blessing wheat, we'll bless the variety of industries that make up the economy by which we, all of us, have our basic needs met.

It won't be quite as dramatic as the painting, but it'll still be a good time. Plus brisket. So join us as we walk and pray and feast a week from this Sunday!

Cheers,

Fr. Danny