Rogation Sunday Celebration at Shaftesbury Abbey

For centuries, parish communities have observed Rogation Sunday as a time to seek blessings for the land's bounty and collective wellbeing.

Join Shaftesbury Abbey’s Rogation celebration of our community, nature, plants, food, growers and growing with a ceremonial walk with blessings in four directions led by Rev Mary Ridgewell and pilgrim guide, Laura Downer.

The ceremony will start at the Abbey at 2pm and process to Castle Green and Park Walk (a flat route of half a mile) with blessings from St Francis and Hildegard of Bingen en route.

Participants who do not like hills can then return to the Abbey, however, the party will then continue to walk down Stoney Path for further blessings at the Millenium Green, allotments and back up through the community gardens (uneven surfaces and a steep hill; complete walk just over a mile).

The walk will be followed by a simple seed sowing activity…