Rogation Sunday

Rogation-tide begins on the Sunday five weeks after Easter and continues for four more days, through Ascension Day on Thursday. 

Rogation is an early Christian tradition of singing psalms and chanting prayers of petition for God's protection on crops, beasts and people. Since medieval days, parishioners in Britain would walk around the parish boundaries, bearing a cross and banners, and asking for God to bless the crops, livestock, and fishing holes. The procession was called 'beating the bounds'; it helped everyone to remember the parish boundaries, in the time before maps were commonplace.

These boundary walks were also known as ‘gang days’ from the Anglo Saxon word ‘gangen’- to go. The parish would bond together as a community, offer charity to poor people they met along the way, and the priest would stop to preach at each prominent tree or landmark.

Now Rogation-tide is celebrated more as a time to honor the gift of creation of the land and waters, to offer thanksgiving for the labors on land and water that feed us, and to pray for stewardship of the earth.

Agenda Today:

1. Beat the bounds

2. Bless my garden

3. Make Rammalation Bisquits

1. Beat the bounds:

Hawthorn tree in our front yard.

A parish is church territory, but I use it to mean the land that I feel responsible for, my home-neighborhood.

This is my annual chance to look at my neighborhood and my community with open eyes, and consider how I can help to support the earth and those who work to feed me.

It's especially important to me now, as I work on climate justice, to regain a sense of responsibility for my parish.

Sadie (looking anxious) in front of our neighborhood store, with a large black walnut tree.

The bounds of my "parish" have changed in recent years, as my children have moved nearby. Now they extend an irregular 7 blocks by 15 blocks, with our house at the northwest corner, our neighborhood store to the north, our neighborhood park and my son's apartment to the east, and my daughter's home at the southwest corner.

Beautiful tulip poplar at our park.

As I walk the bounds, I stop at "trees of importance" to say these prayers:

For rains and fruitful seasons, and your blessing upon the lands and waters, 

I pray to you, Oh God. 

Raggedy group of cedars at my son's place.

For all who work upon the earth and seas to bring forth food for all your creatures, I pray to you, Oh God. 

For all who care for the earth, the water, and the air, that the riches of your creation may abound from age to age, 

I pray to you, Oh God. 

Amen.

3. Bless my garden: 

When I get home from my boundary walk, I will go to my garden to ask blessings on my seeds, animals, trees, and beds-

Great Spirit, Creator of all things and Giver of all life, let your blessing be upon this garden, the animals and people who live here, and grant that we may serve. Amen.

4. Make Rammalation Biscuits:

While technically these are days of fasting, in England the tradition was to gather after the Rogation Procession to drink "ganging beer" and eat "rammalation biscuits." 

Unfortunately, no one knows what a rammalation biscuit really is - possibly a cookie to eat while you "perambulate”? I decided to make a classic English Digestive Biscuit, and they are very yummy. The recipe is here.