Rogation Days of Prayer and Fasting - Mon, Tues, & Weds before Ascension

Hello Everyone:
Today begins an old Tradition in the Church which is to ask God for protection from calamities through prayer, fasting and processions (which we can do in our homes).  I wish it was more well known and more publicized by our bishops to at least have homes honor these days with fasting and prayer especially this year. We have locusts swarms in parts of Africa and Asia, we will have famine because of it and we have the destruction of much of our food supply because of the shut downs of restaurants and cafeterias, earthquakes and other natural calamities are on the rise and intensifying, we have this pestilence upon us and more tyranny and lost freedoms to come. This is a perfect time to beg God to give us the necessary graces to make it through these trying times with prayer and fasting.

 I am giving three links at the bottom for you  (1) some history and (2) a homily of this Catholic history gone by the wayside and (3) a document to print copies of the prayers to be done at home if you are called to participate -which can be beautifully done in a procession, 

"Rogation days were days which were instituted to appease divine justice, ask for protection, and invoke God's blessing on the harvest. They are divided into the "major" and "minor" rogations, with the latter being the three days before Ascension Thursday -- and hence, this very Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. 

The Rogation Days are the 25th of April, called Major, and the three days before the feast of the Ascension, called Minor. The Major Rogation, which has no connection with the feast of St. Mark (fixed for this date much later) seems to be of very early date and to have been introduced to counteract the ancient Robigalia, on which the heathens held processions and supplications to their gods. St. Gregory the Great (d. 604) regulated the already existing custom. The Minor Rogations were introduced by St. Mamertus, Bishop of Vienne, and were afterwards ordered by the Fifth Council of Orléans, which was held in 511, and then approved by Leo III (795-816). "               Taken from The Catholic Encyclopedia, "Rogation Days"

May Our Lady Help of Christians, help us!
All ye Holy Angels and Saints, pray for us!

---

History of Rogation Days

Homily on Rogation Days

Prayers for the Rogation Days