The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1908-04-14
SIGNIFICANCE
Of HOLY WEEK
TO BE OBSERVED ~ CHURCHES
IN THIS CITY.
OF PALMS
First Day Of Week 10 Palm Sunday,
In Memory e. the Entry Of the d.
vine Lord Into misunderstanding
Of the Passion.

go 24-L'FE .L+
From Saturdays Daily.
Next Sunday is Palm Sunday and
the following week is. holy week.
Pain Sunday and holy week wild be
observed by the Catholic and Episco-
pal churches Of this city with spe .ial
services. The following on the sig
n~ificance and observance of Pllm
Sunday and hody week was contribut
ed by Rev. Father Stack, pastor OF st
Patrick's church:
THE last week Of Lent is conse-
Grated by the church to the memory,
OF the last moments Of our divine
Lords lie on earth. The ceremonies
with which 1t Is celebrated remind us
Of his solemn entry into Jerusalem, the
institution Of the blessed eucharist,
mis- agony in the Garden Of Gethsem.
ave, his betrayal, trial. scourging,
eruciixion, death and BURIAL. Hence
this week has been called by the
Greeks and Romans the great week.
the hoy week." the painful week.
the week of indulgence" and the
week Of Sorrows"
f"L,rom the very earliest times the
peculiar character Of the celebration
OF this week was a universal appear
ance OF profound grief, solemn silence
and great seriousness.
I'm the churches the organ was
silent and sounds Of joyous music
ceased. Outside Of the churches all
work was suspended, the courts It
justice were closed, a rigorous fast
was observed, and deeds Of charity
were increased.
Week Of Penance.
"How could 1t be otherwise? How
can this week be celebrated except in
grief, penance and works Of charity,
since it recalls to our minds m the
one side a God Of infite love, suffer-
ing the most cruel fortunes, n On
the other side the hideous crimes and
base treachery Of men? To rejoice,
even for a single day, was q thing
unheard Of in Christian antiquity.
THE first day of holy week = call.
ed Palm Sunday in memory Of the
glorious entry of ollr divine Lord into
Jerusalem, a few days before his pas
sion, when many Of the Jews cut
aown boughs from the trees and
strewed them in the way. The pc.
cnliarity Of the ceremonies Of Palm
Sunday consists in the blessing OF the
palms, the procession and the read
ing of the passion at mass.
Blessing Of Palms.
1.-THE blessing Of the palms takes
place before las In countries
where there are no palm branches
any other green boughs are used. The
blessing consists of several prayers
q lesson from the Book Of Exodus, a
gospel, "a preface and various anti.
Iphons. The blessed branches remind
us not only OF the triumphant enry Of
our king into Jerusalem. but also Of
his crown, his scepter and his throne
the crown of lnorns, the reed and
tno cross.
"After the blessing Of the palms the
procession takes place. This process.
sion is an act Of homage paid to the
divinity Of Jesus Christ. Initiating
the first adorers Of Christ. the faith,
full carry palms in their hands, and
marching in procession, sing the
praises of Christ, their savior and
their king.
Proclaim our Faith.
"By raking in our hall .s q branch
OF the blessed palm we proclaim oul
faith in Christ, our allegiance to him
as our king, our readiness to follow
his example, to carry has cross, to
share his sufferings and to fight with
HIM against the powers Of death and
he'll.
During the high mass the history
Of Christ's passion Is sung Dy three
deacons, one singing the words 81
Christ, another the words the Other
persons who took part in the events
Of the passion, and the third the tex
LOT the evangelist. This custom o.
reading or singing the passion during
the holy week goes back to the early
ages Of the church."
At the local st. Patrick's church the
blessing of the palms will take place
before high mass Sunday at 1913
o'clock, also the palms will be dis
tributed before the mass and will be
carried by the rocessionists.
rRuTHFuL REPORTS.