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Putting the pedal to parish mettle

Kevin Schweers | Catholic Herald Executive Editor of Content

Chalk marks the boundary of St. Rita Parish. | Kevin Schweers / Catholic Herald

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Riders gather at the conclusion of the 2021 Rogation Boundary Bike Ride at St. Rita Church in Alexandria. | Kevin Schweers / Catholic Herald

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Josh Bowman (left) explains the plan for the morning and the history of Rogation Days at St. Rita Church in Alexandria.| Kevin Schweers / Catholic Herald

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At 6 a.m. on a recent Saturday morning, 10
sleepy-eyed parishioners assembled in the St. Rita Church parking lot in
Alexandria to commemorate a largely overlooked, centuries-old tradition in the
Catholic Church: Rogation Days.

Historically, the springtime rite, often
centered around prayers for an abundant growing and harvest season in the
months ahead, also featured a procession around the parish to reinforce
boundary lines before maps became commonplace. That procession is sometimes
referred to as the “Beating of the Bounds,” especially in Europe.

Now in its fourth year, St. Rita’s observation
has taken the form of a Rogation Boundary Bike Ride — a 7.5 mile loop
illustrating where the parish abuts the boundaries of neighboring churches such
as the Basilica of St. Mary, Blessed Sacrament, Our Lady of Lourdes and St.
Joseph. 

“My Dad woke me up at 5:30!” shouted Max
Bowman, 7, as he pedaled up to the church in the gathering sunlight with older
brother Gus, 8.

Their father, Josh Bowman, organizes the outing
each year.

“My goal of starting the boundary ride was to
recover a wonderful and beautiful ancient tradition,” he said. “The beating of
the bounds emphasizes that our parish community joins our houses together.” He
added, it “also recalls the walls of the vineyard or the sheepfold that appear
so often in the Gospels.”

According to “Question Corner,” a syndicated
column written by Father Kenneth Doyle and published by the Catholic News
Service, Rogation Days take their name from the Latin verb “rogare” meaning “to
ask” and were first instituted in France during the fifth century following a
period of great pestilence and natural disaster. Four hundred years later,
Father Doyle noted, Rogation Days were observed by the universal church. As the
global economy gradually grew more industrialized, the practice became optional
starting in 1969, observed at the discretion of local church leaders.

Participants gathered for prayer inside the
church, where overnight Eucharistic adoration was still underway. Following a
short trek to the starting point at Four Mile Run Park, they recited the Litany
of Saints (a Rogation staple) and listened to Psalm 69 before setting off on
the ride. At various points during the trip, bikers paused to demarcate the
borders with washable chalk blessed by Father Nicholas Schierer, parochial
vicar at St. Rita.

Bowman said the parish ride has alternated,
marking different variations on Rogation Days. In the beginning,
he chose the “minor rogation,” which falls on a different date each year based
on the Ascension. After the onset of the pandemic last year, he shifted to
observe the “major rogation,” which was first instituted by Pope Gregory the
Great and always falls on April 25, by selecting a Saturday near that date.
“Even without the richness and depth of meaning in all the rituals and
traditions, it’s a glorious way to start the day.”

“My
hope is to someday host a sanctioned cycling rally that roughly follows the
route, so that the tradition becomes inculturated in a way that those who
thirst for the truth can approach it afresh and anew,” Bowman added.

Reflecting
afterward on the ride, his son Max said, “I felt great and strong.”

 

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