God be praised! The Rev. Fr. Daniel Suelzle has accepted the Divine Call to join the pastorate of All Saints Parish to serve as Associate Pastor and Teacher. Father Suelzle and his family will be moving to Jonesboro from Grand Forks, North Dakota, where he has been serving as campus pastor at Wittenberg Lutheran Chapel (University of North Dakota). We look forward to welcoming Father Suelzle, his wife Mary, and their four children, when they arrive toward the end of summer. Please keep them in your prayers during their transition.
A local, urban take on an ancient Christian tradition.
An “Urban Rogation Procession” for the entire Jonesboro community will be held Tuesday, May 27, beginning at 6:00pm, in downtown Jonesboro. The procession will begin in front of the Municipal Center (300 S Church St) and will continue through downtown, giving thanks to God for His blessings and asking for His continued blessing and care upon: hospitals and healthcare workers, the homeless and neglected, the unemployed, children and schools, commerce and industry, agriculture and the arts, and our city.
What are Rogation Days and what is an “Urban Rogation Procession”?
Very quickly after Jesus’ ascension into heaven on the fortieth day after Easter and His sending of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, a Church calendar began to take form. Christians wanted to organize their lives around the life of Jesus, and so they began to observe annually days like Christmas (to celebrate Jesus’ birth), Epiphany (to celebrate the visit of the Magi to the infant Christ), Good Friday (to commemorate and give thanks for His crucifixion for our sins), Easter (to celebrate Jesus’ victory over sin and death in the resurrection), and so on.
Quickly, days were also added to the calendar to commemorate other people and events that were especially important in the Church’s life—like the days on which various apostles were martyred, the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and others—including days dedicated to repentance and prayer. The Rogation Days fall into that final category.
For about fifteen hundred years now, these days of repentance and prayer have been historically observed on the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday before the Feast of the Ascension of our Lord. The name “Rogation” is derived from the Latin rogare, which means “to ask” or “to pray.”
According to tradition, Rogation Days were introduced into the Church’s calendar about the year 470 by Saint Mamertus, Bishop of Vienna, when the ripening crops were threatened by a volcano. Following that example, the primary focus of the Rogation Days has been that of asking for God’s blessings upon the fruits of the earth. Throughout most of history and around the world, there have been processions to fields and gardens on these days each spring, giving thanks to God for the ways He provides for our body and life and asking that He would bless the crops and give a bountiful harvest.
Particularly in a modern urban context, many of the ways which God uses to bless us and take care of us in our bodies goes beyond just a successful crop of food. The “Urban Rogation Procession” is being held to thank God and pray for His blessing also upon the other ways He cares for our body and life in society, like the ways listed above. We will also pray for peace in the world, and many of the same prayers that were used in the first Rogation procession all the way back in the year 470 will also be prayed.
Please join us Rogation Tuesday for this local, urban take on an ancient Christian tradition. Sponsored by All Saints Lutheran Church (allsaintsjonesboro.org).
Last week was the final week of the school year, and it was jam-packed with good times. Our Spring Recitation Night (with the theme Jubilate Deo) gave us the opportunity to hear All Saints scholars recite original poetry; share wonderful music (violin, piano, & choir); conjugate, decline, and translate Latin; diagram sentences and talk about English grammar; and more.
The last day of school included a BBQ lunch from Blue Ember (thanks to the Crismons), field day at Joe Mack Park, and root beer floats to end the school day.
Finally, we topped it all off with Schwarzer Bär Friday evening, enjoying lots of good food, fun, and fellowship. God be praised!
Finally, finally: Our parish voters’ assembly voted Sunday after Divine Service to extend a Divine Call to The Rev. Fr. Dan Suelzle (currently Campus Pastor at Wittenberg Lutheran Chapel, University of North Dakota). Please keep Fr. Suelzle and his family in your prayers as he considers the call to serve God’s people at All Saints Cathedral Parish.
All Saints Lutheran Church and School 