CERESCO (SNR) – Approximately 150 people attended a “Rogation Days” procession and Mass Wednesday, May 12 near Ceresco.
Participants were members of St. Francis of Assisi in Lincoln, Immaculate Conception in Omaha, and Fraternity of Saint Peter apostolates. The procession was led and Mass celebrated by Father John Rickert, FSSP from Immaculate Conception Church. They were held at the LaPLante Ranch near Ceresco. David and Edi LaPlante have been hosting Rogation days since 2010 on their acreage.
The minor Rogation days, three days leading to the feast of the Ascension, were introduced by Saint Mamertus, Bishop of Vienne in Gaul in A.D. 470, in response to a series of calamities that afflicted his diocese. “Rogare” is the Latin root of Rogation, meaning “to ask” or “to pray.”
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The observance May 12 consisted of a procession featuring the singing of the Litany of the Saints while processing around the boundaries of the property, as well as prayers for protection of crops and from natural disasters.
The procession was followed by a special Mass in a small chapel on the property. A potluck pasta bar meal completed the day.
