The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1902-03-24
Blessing Of the Olive
Branch in the Various
Catholic Churches.
ORIGIN OF THE CUSTOM
Glorious Entry OF Christ Into Jerusalem
Beginning of the End of the Lenten
Season.

Season.
Palm Sunday. or Christ's entry into
Jerusalem, was celebrated yesterday in
every church of the Christian world. The
ceremonies attendant uron this red letter
day in the history of the life of Christ
were more pronounced in the churches of
the Catholic AMI Episcopal denominations
than in any other. Yesterdays beautiful
sunshine and blue sky brought to the
churches immense congregations, and
though Lent not being at an end yet. there
was noticeable a considerable sprinkling
OF bright colors in woman's apparel re-
minding one of Eastertide. This obsorva-
tion proved true not only in the parks
and streets of the city. but also in the
houses Of worship
The gospel of the day being rather
lengthy, a number of the Catholic
churches dispensed with the sermon. Be
fore the mass the palms were blessed and
distributed to the clergy and the faithful.
Origin of the Day.
The name Palm Sunday" Dominica
in Palms" or "ad Palmas, lis ancient, for
il occurs in the life of Euthymius, who
died in Az. and is spoken of as a great
day by Isidore of Seville. According to
the present rite of the Catholic church.
palms or olive branches are blessed by
the celebrant before mass and distribu-
ted to the faithful; the clergy walk in
procession through the church and pass
outside. Then cantors enter the church.
leaving the rest without; the hymn
Gloria. laus ct Honor" is sung, both
parties; those within and those without,
taking part. At last the subdeacon knocks
at the door with the shaft of the process
sional cross, and the whole body marches
up the church. The Greeks have process
sion with palms at mathis.
Martene denies that any trace of the
procession can be found before the eighth
century. and he seems to be perfectly
right. in spite of Meratis elaborate at
tempt to produce earlier testimonies
Merati shows that the name Palm Sun
day occurs in an ancient Roman calen-
dar. published by Martene himself in his
"Anecdota,' and dating from the fourth
to fifth century; that ST. Adhelm (7G9)
mentions the singing of the "Ozanna,"
and that in a prayer in the most ancient
manuscript of the Gregorian Sacramentary
ttenth century, there is an allusion to
the practice the faithful had of coming
TO the church with palms. 1t seems that
these instances are not clearly to the
point In an order observed in a Ger
man monastery, and aseribed by Mahil-
Ion to the year SEQ, the procession is
in,
century,.
Holy Week Begins.
Today Holy Week begins, and the
church observes it in a most rigorous
manner. This week the church commem-
crates Christ's death and burial. The
Observance of Holy Week is mentioned by
Irenaeus toward the end of the second
century. while Eusebius evidently believed
that the custom of keeping Holy Week
dated from Apostolic times.
Next Thursday is known in the Catho-
lie churches as Holy Thursday" On this
DAY only one mass can be said in the same
church. and tfst mass must be a public
one The mass Is celebrated in white /
Nestments, because the institution of the /
EUCHARIST IS joyfully commemorated but 1
at the same time there are certain signs 1
x.
The bells which ring at The Gloria do I
not sound again ill the Gloria in the /
mass Of Holy Saturday. and the church |
returns TO her ancient use of summoning
the faithful or arousing their attention |
by wooden clapper.
Nor Is the embrace Of peace given. The !
celebrant consecrates an additional Host.
which IS placed in a chalice and borne in |
procession after the mass to place pre-
p
during the procession, and the place 10
which the blessed sacrament is removed
often called the sepulchre. but properly
TIE altar Of repose-is decked with flow
Frs ard lights Afterward the affairs are
This is done to remind the
Christians Of the way in which their Mas
ter was stripped of his garments. In St. /
Peters. Rome. the chief altar is washed
with wine and a similar custom prevails
among the Dominicans and Carmelites,
and in some churches of France and Ger
many.
Washing the Feet
The stripping of the affairs is followed
by the washing Of the feet, called Man
datum from tie words of the first an
iiphon sung during The ceremony. whence
bur English word Maundy Thursday The
principal priest or prelate of the church,
assisted by deacon and subdeacon. washes
he feet Of twelve roor men. The Pope
washes the feet Of thirteen poor persons,
III Of whom are priests. and some church
IS follow the Panal custom.
On next Friday. called Good Friday"
he Catholic church Commentaries the
Passion OF Christ, so that IL is the most
ad and solemn Of all the days in the
Holy Week The officiating clergy appear
n black vestmsnts and PROSTATE them
elyes before the altar, which still re-
mains stripped. Nor are the candles
lighted After 4 short pause the altar is
covered with white cloths and passages
rom the Ola Testament, followed by the
history of St. John. are read Next the
huTch Drays solernly for all conditions
4 men, for all the members of the hier-
rchy, for the prosperity Of Christian peo-
lie. for entertainments, heretics, Jews
nd pagans. When the payers are ended
he cross. which has been up to this time !
overed with black. is exposed to view,
adOrcd" and kissed by clergy and people
he present discipline of the church for
ids communion to be given on Coed (
friday, except IT. the case of sickness.
The ceremonies on Holy Saturday begin |
nth he blessing Of the candles. This
: followed by the twelve prophecies, and I
fter they have been read the priest goes
0 procession TO bless the font The wa
er in the font is scattered toward the
our quarters Of the world, to Indicate
be catholicity Of the church and the
lorId- wide efficiency of her sacraments.
he priest breathes on the water in the ]
1rm OF cross and plunges the paschaI :
andle three times into the water for the ,
piIit Of God IS to hallow IL. and the
owar of Christ is to descend upon it. J
nd lastly a few drops of the oil OF cate I
humcns and of the chrism are poured to s