The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1913-03-17

In the churches of this city and
throughout Christendom the observ-
ance of Palm Sunday ushers in week
of solemn ceremonfals, to be kept with
fasting and prayer, except that Hiber-
mans are given a little leeway on
Monday for the proper celebration of
ST. Patricks Day. The principal
events of the week will occupy the
last three days, Maundy Thursday,
Good Friday and Holy Saturday,
which is followed by the festival Of
Easter.
Palm Sunday commentaries the tri-
umphant entry of Jesus into Jerusa-
lem. Multitudes of the people who
were come to the feast of the Pass
over took branches of the palm-tree,
and went forth to meet him. hence
the origin of the name We are told
that all Jerusalem was in commo-
ton, the roadway strewn with
branches, every mouth resoundinS
with acclamations and blessings and
praise" Yet .'ere few days ale
sped, the very people that had ap
plauded cIamor for His Death, curse
and insult Him. and assist al Hs'
DEGRADING death with fiendish cries o
triumph
The lesson taught by the church
from the triumph of Palm Sunday
and the passion of Good Friday has
been we'll expressed in the following
language:
Even thus pass away. the glories of
the world, it's joys, its possessions,
even life itself. Today at the height
of greatness, tomorrow in its deepest
absement; but yesterday the idol of a
ma ton, today the object of its hate,
now surrounded with prosperity, and,
yet a little while, borne down by mis-
fortune; one day full of life and Vtgor,
and the next consigned to the tomb
The power of symbolism, which
T1Ja la rt in n
ials of the Catholic church, attains its
height during holy week. With the
close of Palm Sunday begins the
mourning of the church, leading grad
ua1ly in the scale of solemnity to the
closing tragedy of Calvary. In Cath
Ole countries the most impressive
service of the first half of holy week
is the office of the Tenebrae, which
is chanted every day, beginning with
Monday, until Friday evening. The
feature of this ceremony is the
quenching one after the other, of fiji
teen candles symbolic of the fifteen
mysteries in the life and death OF
Jesus. These candles rest in an i'm
menSe triangular candlestlck, of a
shape to symbolic the Trinity, and
upon the top of the stick is a white
candle, the others being brown which
represents Jesus. This is not quench-
ed as are the others, but is taken to
the rear of the altar, and after a
brief time has elapsed is brought out
again, thus commemorative the resur-
rection of Jesus.
There is evidence that the feast of
palms was observed in the East as
early as the fifth century, but the
earliest mention of a procession such
as now takes place on Palm Sunday
both in the Greek and Roman church.
es is to be found in an Ordo Officif
of the tenth century. For centuries
Dominica in PALMS. or Palm Sunday
has been characterized by a. striking
ceremony which takes place in the
church at the beginning of the high
mass of the day. In some churches
branches of palm and olive, held to
symbolic victory over the prince of
Death and coming of a spiritual
unetion'' are blessed and distributed
among the clergy and laity. This is
followed by a procession, after which
mass is said