Palm Sunday at Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary

The priests and seminarians of Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary continued Passiontide by honoring Christ the King and His entry into Jerusalem with a Solemn High Mass on Palm Sunday. Fr. Charles Ryan, FSSP, was assisted by Rev. Mr. Edward Brodsky, FSSP, as deacon and Rev. Mr. Ian Verrier, FSSP, as subdeacon.

The Second Sunday in Passiontide would be in any case a great and holy day as it commemorates the last triumph of our Lord Jesus Christ on earth and opens Holy Week.  On this day, the Church celebrates the triumphant entry of our Lord into Jerusalem; when the multitude, going before and following after Him, cut off branches from the trees and strewed them in His way, shouting “Hosanna (glory and praise) to the Son of David.  Blessed is He that comes in the Name of the Lord.”  It is in commemoration of this triumph that palms are blessed and borne in solemn procession.

In fact, this Palm Sunday triumph of our Lord only led to His death.  But we know that this death was not a failure.  It was through His Passion and Death that He conquered the world and entered into His Kingdom.  “I, if I be lifted up…will draw all things to Myself” (Jn. 12:32).  So the Church asks the faithful to join in the triumphal Procession today as an act of homage and gratitude to Christ our King.  This triumphal beginning to Holy Week is full of meaning.  Although the violet Mass vestments and the Gospel of the Passion remind us that the Cross lies ahead, we already know that this is the means of victory.  So the Church asks us to begin Holy Week by joyfully and publicly acknowledging Christ the King.

~ From the General Decree of November, 1955, Restoring Holy Week