Churches unite for Palm Sunday Catholics, Lutherans and Episcopalians hold joint procession, blessing of the palms.
By Fred Ortega, News-Press and Leader
Tammy Abbott / News-Press
St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Incarnation Roman Catholic Church and Salem Lutheran Church came together to celebrate Palm Sunday. Pastor Dale Banke sprinkled the worshipers with holy water.
DOWNTOWN -- Hundreds of people of different Christian denominations put aside their theological differences Sunday for the blessing of the palms and a procession originating from Incarnation Catholic Church on North Brand Boulevard.
The crowd gathered in the school courtyard at Incarnation as clergy from the Roman Catholic church were joined by their counterparts at St. Mark's Episcopal Church and Salem Lutheran in Gospel readings and the singing of hymns. Holy water and incense was used to bless the hundreds of palms held by the congregants.
The palms are a symbol of Jesus Christ's procession into Jerusalem, a week before his crucifixion and his later resurrection as told in the Gospel, said Fr. Paul Hruby, pastor of Incarnation Church.
"The palms are a reminder of the branches laid down on the road before Jesus by the crowds as he rode into Jerusalem," Hruby said. "A lot of Catholics save these palms and put them up in their homes as a reminder during Holy Week of the events leading up to our salvation."
Following the blessing of the palms, the huge crowd headed north on Brand to Salem Lutheran, then across the boulevard and back down past St. Mark's and finally back to Incarnation. As they passed the churches, the congregations broke off to their respective churches for their own Palm Sunday services.
The procession was symbolic of walking in Christ's footsteps, said Raymond Shinn, a Glendale resident and parishioner at Incarnation Church.
"As a Christian, you always have to follow our lord Jesus Christ, as he was followed into Jerusalem by the people on the week he was crucified," Shinn said.
His son, Raymond Shinn Jr., believed this year's procession had added significance for Glendale.
"This is really important, especially with the Lutherans and Episcopalians joining us," said Shinn, a member of Incarnation Church's Liturgy Committee and Pastoral Council.
"It reminds the people passing by of the importance that faith has for our community."
The ecumenical event was indicative of the truly unified nature of all Christian faiths, said Rev. Mark Weitzel of St. Mark's.
"In reality, God looks down and sees one church," Weitzel said.
"The divisions are ours. But this also points out how much needs to be done, because we are only three of the many houses of worship in the city. We all know each other, work together, go to school together, shop together, so when we separate, it is a false separation."
Hruby felt the joint procession was just a small part of a much larger goal.
"There is a longing in every Christian heart for a reunion of all the churches around the world, and for us this procession is a symbol of that hope of coming together," he said.