The word Rogation comes from the Latin Rogare, ‘to ask’, and historically Rogation Sunday is a time to ask God to grant a fruitful harvest. In the past, when most people lived close to the land and grew their own crops, it was a day of great importance and was often associated with the ‘the beating of the bounds’, when parish boundaries were walked and marked. Over the years I’ve enjoyed many Rogation walks, and it would be good to think that we could organise one for the Cathedral next year.
Nowadays the Rogation season has acquired renewed importance as a time to pray for the protection of the natural world. In the early summer our gardens are looking their best, and the countryside is full of wildlife. We are aware that we live in a world of beauty and abundance, but we also recognise the threats it faces. We must work together to safeguard it, and our work should be grounded in prayer.
During the weeks of Easter we’ve been thinking of aspects of stewardship, and on Rogation Sunday, 5th May, we will be focusing particularly on the stewardship of creation. Our preacher at the 11.15am Eucharist will be the Archdeacon of Brighton and Lewes, The Venerable Martin Lloyd Williams, who has a particular concern for environmental issues. Martin will be helping us to think about some of wider effects of climate change and ways in which we can help to mitigate them.
And there is something else taking place that weekend which we hope you will enjoy. On Saturday 4th May we are holding a Clothing Swap Shop in Vicars’ Hall from 9.00am to 12.00pm. The idea is for you to choose a few items from your own wardrobe to bring along, and to find some wonderful new items to take back home. There will be a Fairtrade Café offering tea, coffee and cake, and you are invited to bring a travel mug to help cut down on waste.
The event is being organised jointly with Transition Chichester, who’ve held very successful similar events in the past. What better way to promote stylish recycling and enter into the spirit of Rogationtide! The hard fact is that the fashion industry is the second most polluting in the world after the oil industry, and the production of cotton fabric requires huge amounts of water. And as if that’s not enough, the industry is also, to some extent, reliant on enforced labour in unregulated cotton plantations and factories.
As a Cathedral we are determined to model good environmental practices and to inspire the diocese with a passion for fair trade, carbon reduction and care of the natural world. We are hoping to obtain our gold Eco Church Award this year and are making good progress towards fulfilling our goal of being Net Carbon Zero by 2030. I invite you all to engage with the spirit of Rogationtide and I’m grateful for the tremendous work that Vicky Sutton, our Estates Co-ordinator is doing to encourage and challenge us.
Interim Dean of Chichester, The Reverend Canon Simon Holland