Is anyone else doing field or seed blessings for Rogation Days?

[Critters2]

I'm working on my liturgy now, and would appreciate any ideas.

This is one of my favorite things to do, but I get few invitations here, because "it seems too Catholic". :banghead:

Who knew asking God to be involved in growing our food and flowers was distinct to one branch of Christianity?! Did I mention...:banghead: ?

[Rabrrrrrr]

1. No, it's a Catholic thing, and I'm Christian.

:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

I've never been part of a church that does Rogation days. In fact, I think it was last year, maybe the year before, that I heard the term for the first time. A friend and I were doing something for church about Ascension, and I came across "Rogation" and so had to look it up.

[Critters2]

4. I've been doing 'em for about a decade

But they were better received in Iowa. More fields and fewer Catholics. And thus, less Catholic-paranoia.

[okasha]

2. Well, I can tell you how we pagans bless the fields

and make the crops grow, but that might not go down too well with your congregation.:)

[Critters2]

5. It probably would. In fact, one liturgy I've found blesses the 4 directions

Has a very pagan feel to it. My folks know that many of our traditions have pagan roots, and they're cool about such things.

[okasha]

8. Well, one does tend

to get dirt in one's hair.;)

Seriously, there might be some Native American blessings that would work, too. They invoke the seven directions--the animal spirits who personify the four quarters, Mother Earth, Father Sky and Creator at the center. Some folks I know substitute archangels, usually Raphael in the east, Michael at the south, Gabriel in the west and Uriel in the north.

[RevCheesehead]

3. Sounds like a hair-growing medicine to me.

:evilgrin:

Isn't that just a fancy word for the Jewish Pentecost?

[Critters2]

6. Not exactly.

The Jewish Pentecost is Shavuot. It falls near Rogation Days, but after them, and has no historic connection.

Rogation days are the three days before Ascension Day. They were a traditional time for blessing the boundaries of cities and towns, but in time farmers asked priests to bless the boundaries of fields as well. The field blessing part of the tradition hung around longer than the town blessing part.

Many in rural ministry are trying to reawaken the tradition among Protestant Churches. Here's some info:
http://www.elca.org/worship/faq/occasional_services/rogation_days.html

[elshiva]

7. We do that occasionally in the Episcopal Church.

Thank you for writing about this, mycritters2.

The Episcopal Church celebrate Rogation days, but only sometimes do we bless soil or do some sort of ritual IN CHURCH about it. However, the Episcopal Prayer Book, the Book of Common Prayer (BCP) does have three prayers on Rogation days for Crops, the Workers, and the Stewardship of creation. I add a Litany of the Saints from an obscure Episcopal devotional booklet because I read that the Roman Catholic used to do that (do they still) on Rogation days.

Happy Rogation Days! It's the Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday before Ascension Thursday!

[Critters2]

9. Thanks for the kind response.

In the past I've used some prayers from the BCP, but this year I found some stuff at the website of the Center for Theology and Land (Wartburg Seminary, Dubuque, IA) and made a few adjustments.

From waht I can find, RCs are not required to do Rogations--that is, they're not days of obligation--but Rogation liturgies do include a litany of the saints. Here's a site:

http://www.liturgies.net/Rogation/RuralRogationDays.htm