Rogation 2025

Donning walking boots and hats, parishioners from around the TVS churches gathered at Cross Farm in Stoke Bliss today (Sunday 25th May) to mark our connection to the farming community with a traditional Rogation Service. Farming has always been at the heart of village life, and the tradition of Rogation is one of the days in the church calendar which note the passage of the farming year. Rogation is a centuries old tradition of blessing the fields, farms, crops and livestock within the parish and recognises our historical connection to the land. In former times villagers would process to the parish boundaries, reinforcing their sense of place with a “beating of the bounds”.  In our modern interpretation of the tradition, we prayed at vantage point with most of the village in view. A curious flock of ewes and lambs crowded in to watch as the Reverend Jen Jones lead the group in prayer and blessed different points around the farm – the crops and sheep in the fields; the waters flowing in streams and rivers; the orchards newly set with fruits; and of course, the farmstead and the farmers.

Our thanks go to our hosts for the visit, Gillian and David Gwilt who generously opened their farm and set aside time in their busy lives to share an insight into real farming life in our age. Our visit ended with a chance to meet some of the 6-week-old calves, before enjoying tea and cakes in the farmyard.