Rogation Monday

I almost forgot to mention that, in fellowship with the Church of all times and in all places, to-day and the next two days are days of rogation - days when, directly before the Ascension of Our Lord, the Litanies of the Saints are sung in procession.  At least, that is what Traditionalists do, unlike the lazy majority of the Western Church since 1969!  I note that only this year the Church in Australia has finally got around to setting some days for special prayer...  (These three rogation days, in contradistinction to the Greater Litanies sung on the 25th of April, are the Lesser Litanies, and apparently stem from special days of prayer set aside in early Christian Gaul to avert pestilence.)  

According to the 1962 Breviary, the Minor Litanies are only of obligation to those bound to the Breviary AND who participate in a procession "or other peculiar supplications" (the Major Litanies remain of obligation, albeit if they are recited with the faithful in the vernacular, that fulfils the duty - these Greater Litanies are of Roman origin and are, as the name suggests, considered more important): but of course it is laudable sentire - et rogare - cum Ecclesia and pray these prayers.  (I must admit that, as in Australia, the 25th of March is ANZAC Day, devoted to the memorial of the fallen in war, I had entirely forgotten about the Major Litanies, but at least I now recall the Minor ones.)  If and only if the procession with Litanies is held is the Mass of Rogation celebrated; otherwise, only a commemoration of the Rogation Day is made in the usual manner at Mass.