Catholics Gather 'to Ask' During Annual Rogation Day Mass
Seeds and soil – two of the most important “building blocks” in the economic foundation of the Diocese of Evansville, and a new farming season drew hundreds of Catholics from four counties to St. Peter Celestine Parish in Celestine on April 13 for the annual Rogation Day Mass. Bishop Charles C. Thompson celebrated the Mass, and blessed representative seeds and soils from the farms and gardens of those who attended.
Father John Boeglin, Diocesan Rural Life Director and pastor of Holy Family Parish in Jasper, joined Bishop Thompson and four other priests to concelebrate the Mass – Father Eugene Schmitt, pastor of St. Peter Celestine; Father Jack Durchholz, pastor of St. Ferdinand Parish in Ferdinand and St. Henry Parish in St. Henry; Father Sudhakar Bhastati, associate pastor of Holy Cross Parish in Fort Branch and Sts. Peter and Paul Parish in Haubstadt; and Father Tim Tenbarge, retired priest of the Diocese of Evansville.
“Rogation comes from a Latin word – Rogare, which means to ask,” Bishop Thompson said. He noted that a rogation day, when the faithful would come together and ask for God’s blessing on their crops and fields, dates back to at least the 7th century. “Pope Gregory the Great made (Rogation Day) a common ritual,” the bishop noted, “and he became pope in the mid-7th century, so it was already observed before his papacy.”
“To ask means to acknowledge that we need something that we can’t provide for ourselves,” Bishop Thompson said. “It is humble acknowledge of our dependence upon God’s grace and mercy – but it’s also to profess our faith, trust and confidence that God provides that which we need.”
He turned to Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical on the environment, “Laudato Si’,” explaining that the Holy Father weaves a thread of connection throughout the document.
“Pope Francis says there is a four-fold connectedness that we have to keep intact,” Bishop Thompson explained, “our relationship with God, our relationship with others, our relationship with ourselves and our relationship with all of creation. To paraphrase the Holy Father … if any one of those four is out of whack for us, we throw the other three out of whack.”
He talked about his favorite line in “Laudato Si’,” which appears very early in the encyclical. In (paragraph) No. 12, Pope Francis writes, “Rather than a problem to be solved, the world is a joyful mystery to be contemplated with gladness and praise.” He then related those thoughts to Rogation Day and what it represents.
“Farming, far more than a problem to be solved … gardening, far more than a problem to be solved ... livestock, far more than a problem to be solved … human beings, far more than a problem to be solved – are joyful mysteries to be contemplated in gladness and praise,” Bishop Thompson said.
“We pray today not only for our well-being but for all – remembering those especially in need,” he added. “We pray for the grace to have a good season of planting and a good harvest. We pray for the grace to remain humble and trusting, not only before God but before all of God’s creation and all of our brothers and sisters.”
After Communion, Bishop Thompson walked through the church blessing small bags of soil and seeds that those attending had brought from home. He also blessed small packets of seed provided for people to take on their way out of Mass. The Rural Life Office also provided small bottles of holy water that those in attendance could take home to sprinkle on their fields, gardens and implements.
“Matt Miller,” our (diocesan) Director of Worship, has provided a Holy Card for us that features St. Isidore, the patron saint of farmers, and his wife, St. Maria,” Father Boeglin told the large crowd. Copies also were available after Mass. Father Boeglin asked for a show of hands, which revealed that there were people from Dubois, Gibson, Spencer and Vanderburgh counties in attendance.
On July 1, St. Peter Celestine will merge with St, Raphael Parish in Dubois, and will become St. Isidore Parish in honor of the area’s agricultural heritage. St. Peter Celestine parishioner Cole Scherzinger dressed as St. Isidore for Rogation Day, and he walked near the front of the procession from the parish center into the church for the start of Mass.
