By Rons Bantwal 

Mumbai, Mar 25: Palm Sunday was celebrated at St Joseph Church, Mira Road, on Sunday March 24. After the celebration of the Holy Eucharist in Konkani, the congregation gathered on 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 them to around 10,000 people who had gathered to participate in the procession.

Devotees with palm leaves walked in the procession through the streets of Mira Road singing hymns and reciting prayers to commemorate Christ’s passion and death. 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.

Palm Sunday is also known as Passion Sunday. Palm Sunday is celebrated in two parts. In the first part of the service, the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem acclaimed by all the people, is remembered. 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.