Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday, which will be celebrated on April 2, 2023, marks the beginning of Holy Week and the celebration of our Lord’s Paschal Mystery. The day gets its name from the palm branches placed at Jesus’ feet as he made his triumphant entrance into Jerusalem. During Palm Sunday Masses, parishioners receive palm fronds to take home and keep until the following Lent. The palms are then burned, with the ashes used on Ash Wednesday.
The vestments for Palm Sunday are red, the color of blood, reflecting the ultimate redemptive sacrifice that Christ was entering the city to fulfill: his Passion, death, and resurrection. On Palm Sunday, which is also known as Passion Sunday, the faithful hear an account of the Lord’s Passion, so they may reflect on it during the week in preparation for the celebration of the sacred triduum, which begins on Holy Thursday and concludes with evening prayer on Easter Sunday.
