Media Release

Mumbai, Apr 4: Palm Sunday was celebrated at St Joseph church, Mira road, here on April 1. After the celebration of the Holy Eucharist in Konkani, the congregation gathered in the church ground with banners of 53 Small Christian communities (SCC).

Parish priest Fr Dominic Vas along with many priests, brothers and sisters blessed the palms and distributed to around ten thousand people gathered to participate in the procession. Devotees with palm leaves walked took part in the procession through the streets of Mira road singing hymns and reciting prayers to commemorate Christ’s passion and death. All people from different parishes, associations and cells helped during the procession.

After the procession a solemn Mass in English was conducted in remembrance of the passion of Christ. “We have many problems: financial, unemployment, underemployment, sickness, old age, fight in the family etc. But all these are nothing in front of Jesus’ suffering. Remembering his passion and meditating on his sufferings and death on the cross will give us strength and help in overcoming our daily problems and difficulties,” said Fr Dominic.

Palm Sunday is also known as the Passion Sunday. The Palm Sunday is celebrated in two parts. In the first part of the service, we remember the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem acclaimed by all the people. The procession started from Bethany, the village of Lazarus, Martha and Mary, and ended in the Temple of Jerusalem. During the second part of the service in the church, the people read and reflect the passion and death of Jesus.