Catholic Activity: Palm Sunday Procession in the Home

Palm Sunday is the day of public homage to the kingship of Christ. Christ reigns as king of the Christian home also, and so a family prayer service and procession within the home is a memorable part of this day. The palms can then be kept in the home as a witness to faith in Jesus Christ, the messianic king, and in his Paschal Victory.

DIRECTIONS

After the family meal, the members gather in the living room. From the palms received at the parish Mass, they prepare small crosses of palm to be pinned above the doorway of each room or woven palms to be placed behind the crucifix in each room. Then the father reads the account of Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem from the family Bible (Matt. 21:1-11). Thereupon the mother, with a lighted candle, may lead a procession from one room to another. As they proceed, all sing "All Glory, Laud and Honor" (the hymn Gloria, laus). Appropriate psalms may also be read aloud during the procession, especially Psalm 147, which is likewise in the Holy Week booklet, and Psalms 23 and 46. During the procession the children joyfully wave their blessed palms.

After the rooms of the house have been visited, all return to the living room. Here the father reads the final prayer of the procession rite used in church today, asking God to bless all the places to which these palms have been carried.

Activity Source: Lent and Holy Week in the Home by Emerson and Arlene Hynes, The Liturgical Press, Collegeville, Minnesota, 1977