Dear Friends in Christ,
This evening, Thursday April 25 at 7:00 p.m., the scheduled Latin Mass at St. Thomas Aquinas will be a special Rogation Mass.
The 25th of April has traditionally been observed as the major rogation on the Roman Calendar, a day of penitential sacrifice and prayers of petition rooted in the agricultural cycle and linked to the spring planting of crops. An outdoor Rogation procession is also customary on this day.
Rogare is a Latin verb that can be translated to ask, beg or request. In the Ordinary of the Mass it is usually translated as beseech – as when the celebrant prays, following the consecration of the eucharistic elements, Supplices te rogámus, omnípotens Deus (“We most humbly beseech Thee, almighty God”). Historically, the prayers of petition associated with the major rogation have focused on the need for favorable weather conditions and protection against calamitous events.
The minor rogations are made on the three days (Monday-Wednesday) immediately preceding the Feast of the Ascension. For an informative article on the subject, see Mathew Plese’s Forgotten Customs of Rogation Days on onepeterfive.com.
Respect Life Latin Mass – Saturday April 27 at 8:00 a.m.
Also, this Saturday April 27 at 8:00 a.m. is the monthly Respect Life Latin Mass at Saint Ann parish. Following Mass, there will be prayers said at the Planned Parenthood abortion facility and a Holy Hour of Reparation offered in the church (for those unable to travel to the abortion facility).
We wish our readers a blessed Eastertide. Christus Resurréxit! Resurréxit Vere!