The 'Apostle' of the "Rogate"

FR HANNIBAL: 'APOSTLE' OF THE ROGATE.
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"Pray the Lord of the harvest 

to send out laborers 

into his harvest" 

- Matthew 9:38

The above command of the Lord inspired Hannibal Mary Di Francia to pray for vocations to the priesthood and religious life. 

As stated in his official Vatican Biography, 

He was only seventeen when, at prayer in front of the Blessed sacrament, he was given the "revelation of Rogate", that is, he deeply felt that vocations in the Church come only through prayer. Subsequently he found that such prayer is commanded by Jesus in the Gospel when He says, "Ask [Rogate] the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers to gather his harvest" [Matthew 9:38; Luke 10:2]. These words became the fundamental insight to which he dedicated his entire life.

So he worked hard to promote the prayer for vocations. The decision to zealously promote the Prayer for Vocations was born of his own experiences in serving the poor of Messina, Italy, particularly the ghetto of Avignone. This place became the start of his journey to the realization of his response to the mission to promote the Prayer or Vocations. It was before he was ordained priest that he discovered the sad situation in Avignone, having met an almost blind beggar who lived there named Francesco Zancone. Himself having lost his father while only fifteen months old, he understood the plight of orphans and also the poor. After his ordination and upon the encouragement of his bishop, Msgr Joseph Guarino, he made Avignine his home and there started the work of a shepherd for the people of Avignone seemed like sheep without a shepherd. He faced many trials and sufferings in his work but he saw those as opportunities to strengthen his faith and resolve to pursue his mission of helping the poor and the orphans. Having a deep devotion to St Anthony of Padua, he named the orphanages he established as Anthonian Orphanages.

But then he realized that there must be more places like Avignone in the world and that there are more people who are in need of shepherds. So he wrote,

"What are these few orphans we attend to, these few people we bring the good news to, compared to the millions who are lost and abandoned as sheep without a shepherd? ... I looked for an answer and I found a complete one in the words of Jesus: 'Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers to gather his harvest'. I conclude then that I had found the secret key to all good works and to the salvation of all souls."

In order to carry out this mission more concretely, he founded the Daughters of Divine Zeal in 1887 and the Rogationists of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in 1897. The living out of the Rogate was added as a fourth vow of the Daughters and the Rogationists aside from the three evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience. In August 16, 1926, the two congregations were canonically approved. He also initiated the Holy Alliance for the clergy and the Pious Union of the Evangelical Rogation for the lay faithful in order to promote the Prayer for Vocations.

Important thing that we must take note is that he prayed not only for priests but for holy priests for he believed that the world can only be saved through their work. That is why he emphasized the need for a lot of prayer and solid spiritual training. Part of the Prayer for Vocations also is the prayer that those who are undeserving may not be able to enter the priesthood. In order to be a good example of what he prays for, he did everything to live in accordance to the Sacred Heart of Lord Jesus Christ, that is, his charity was boundless and was directed to all.

Hence even while still alive, he was already considered saint by many that when he died on June 1, 1927, people would say, "Let us go to see the sleeping saint." Before his death, he had a vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary, with whom he also had a very deep devotion. 

In his homily during the beatification of Fr Hannibal Mary Di Francia on October 7, 1990, Pope John Paul II called him the authentic forerunner and zealous master of the modern pastoral care for vocations.

In 1964, Pope Paul VI established the annual World Day of Prayer for Vocations which can be considered as a response to the efforts of St Hannibal Mary Di Francia.