Monday, May 18, 2009

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.

6 comments:

  1. Alas the Rogations days seem to be consigned to commemorations in the Roman calendar this year, displaced by assorted feasts. But I'm joining you in saying the litanies anyway!

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  2. Thanks, Terra - and I do hope you're saying a prayer or two as a novena to St Philip Neri also!

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  3. Of course. One of my most favouritist of saints, not least because I received most of my instruction as a catholic at the London Ortory!

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  4. Wow - you are lucky! Do tell...

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  5. Hmmm its a complicated story - I was baptised a catholic but not brought up as one. But I took a gap year after High School, and studied in France - when on the vigil of the Ascension my classmates discovered I was totally ignorant of the faith (by virtue of not knowing what the holiday the next day was about)they started trying to convert me.

    Didn't have much effect until I attended a TLM with choir and orchestra and saw what real liturgy was (I had been to a few masses as a teenager, but each time I went they were of the worst kind, and made me run away screaming, back to the nice methodist church, I attended). Feast of the Assumption was my last day in France, and the day I knew I was a catholic.

    Went to England, where our village anglican PP on discovering my catholic leanings said you really must visit the Oratory when you go to London, my daughter sings in the choir. As Providence would have it, the Oratory was on my route to work...

    A wonderful period in my life, dropping in to the Oratory each day on the way to and from work, mass in the am, prayers on the way home, and instruction from a wonderful scholar priest.

    So I continue to be grateful to St Phillip Neri for his assistance!

    And I'm praying to him for your mother, do hope she recovers well and it all proves a success.

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  6. Thanks, Terra: I always enjoy conversion stories. St Philip must be pleased.

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