What is Rogation Sunday?

Sunday, May 29 is the 5th Sunday after Easter - commonly called "Rogation Sunday."  

What does "Rogation" mean?  "Rogation" means "asking," which is a theme particularly prominent in the Gospel text for this Sunday (St. John 16:23-33). We call this Sunday "Rogation Sunday" because the 3 days which follow it are ancient Rogation Days, these being the 3 days leading up to the great Feast of the Ascension of our Lord (a much neglected holy day!).

Rogations Days have been a part of the Christian year from early days.  There used to be both a Major Rogation (April 25) and 3 Minor Rogation Days (the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday proceeding Ascension Day).  Thus originally, this Sunday was not a Rogation Day – the change being made in 1662, after the Major Rogation had dropped away.

How should we observe these days?  Rogation days are days of prayerful supplication before God.  In the agrarian culture of yesterday, it was common for the church to gather on the Rogation Days to ask God to bless the crops being sown.  We would have asked Him to send rain and to bless us with a good harvest later in the year.  Often the prayers would have been said (or sung) as the church processed around the boundary lines of the parish (see picture).

It is from the rogation day prayers (as found in the Sarum Sacramentary) that Archbishop Cranmer formulated the Litany (1545), which was his first work of liturgical reform.