Thousands usher in Holy Week with Palm Sunday observances
The blessing of Palms at St Teresa’s RC Church on Sheriff Street, Campbellville
The blessing of Palms at St Teresa’s RC Church on Sheriff Street, Campbellville

THOUSANDS of Guyanese yesterday joined their Christian brothers and sisters around the world in observance of Palm Sunday as they ushered in the Holy Week celebrations that will culminate in Easter.

The day marked the end of the Lenten fast for Catholics and Anglicans alike, and the beginning of the most solemn and important week in their calendar: Holy Week.

Bishop of the Catholic Church, Francis Alleyne, during Palm Sunday Mass at the GCC yesterday (Photos by Rebecca Ganesh-Ally)
Bishop of the Catholic Church, Francis Alleyne, during Palm Sunday Mass at the GCC yesterday (Photos by Rebecca Ganesh-Ally)

The week commences on what is traditionally called Palm Sunday, which is one of the most important days in the Christian calendar. This final Sunday before Easter, Christians remember Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey, cheered on by palm-waving crowds, in church services around the country.
Yesterday’s event marked the sixth year for a joint Palm Sunday mass held at the Georgetown Cricket Club Ground (GCC), Bourda, for Catholics in commemoration of the occasion. Processions from various parishes culminated at the GCC with singing of hymns and bearing of palms.
This year, the symbolic blessing of the palms was done at the respective churches before the beginning of the procession, which saw parishioners from St

Parishioners in procession with their  palms singing joyful hymns
Parishioners in procession with their palms singing joyful hymns

Teresa’s (Campbellville), Our Lady of the Mount (Meadow Bank), Sacred Heart (Main Street), Our Lady of Fatima (Bourda), St Pius X (East LaPenitence), Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (Brickdam), Holy Spirit (North Ruimveldt)and Our Lady of the Rosary (Kitty) walk from their place of worship to the GCC.
As a symbol of their faith and devotion, many Christians keep the palm crosses, which are distributed during Palm Sunday services, and hang them in their homes throughout the year.
Common Palm Sunday observances include processions with palm branches, the blessing of the palms (which will be burned and used next Ash Wednesday), and the construction of small palm crosses.

(By Rebecca Ganesh-Ally)

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