From the sacristy of the cathedral, Father Benoit de Roeck, vicar of Saint Jean Baptiste in Perpignan (Pyrénées-Orientales) questions the weather for this Sunday March 10 of the great procession.
For the second year in a row, it is about imploring Saint Gaudérique (San Galdric in Catalan) the saint of the Laborers and more broadly of those who live and work from the land.
It is about saying prayers so that the rain finally returns to the thirsty lands of the Catalan country which have been deprived of heavy rains for almost two years.
For Sunday it will be overcast with barely 3 mm, barely enough to moisten the vegetation a little.
“This procession mobilizes practicing Catholics throughout the diocese but it also brings together much more widely, those who join, through their prayers, those who find themselves here in suffering,” indicates Father de Roeck.
“Since we announced this procession, it has been raining”
An identical process of religious procession is also planned in Barcelona which today finds itself in the same situation as Roussillon.
“The vine, right now, you see, is literally dying of thirst.
Without significant rain we are heading for disaster.
We hope for a return to a more classic climate with regular rains in winter and storms in summer.
Since we announced the organization of this procession, it has been raining and that is a good sign.
It is raining, including on the plain, and it has also snowed a lot in recent days in the high mountains, which allows for much better filling of the reservoir dams,” continues Georges Puig, winegrower and market gardener in Thuir, also organizer of the first procession of 2023.
“This year, this procession is part of a diocesan day of prayer.
We are thus committed in all parishes alongside those who are in difficulty,” explains Father Marc Justafré, vicar general of the bishopric of Perpignan-Elne.
Unsurprisingly, the procession will take participants this Sunday afternoon from Saint John the Baptist Cathedral to the bed of Tet.
Hoping for rain.
For now, the weather forecast predicts stormy spells capable of generating 20 mm of precipitation which should be added to the precipitation of the previous days: 50 mm.
It is insufficient but it helps generate hope in the midst of dry and thirsty lands.