Udupi/Karkala: ‘Palm Sunday’ was observed with much devotion and fervor in the district on March 29. Devotees were seen flocking to their respective churches with palm leaves to mark the occasion.
Dr Gerald Isaac Lobo Bishop of Udupi Diocese celebrated the Palm Sunday Service at the St Theresa Church Kera Karkala Taluk. In his homily the Bishop explained the significance of the Palm Sunday. A large number of parishioners participated in the blessing of the palms, procession and the solemn Palm Sunday Mass in their churches.
In Mother of Sorrows Church Udupi Fr Fred Mascharenhas accompanied by Fr Wilson D’Souza (Assistant Parish Priest), Fr Clement Mascarenhas (Secretary CESU) conducted the liturgy of the Palm Sunday and blessed the palms.
Palm Sunday is observed in honour of Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem riding a donkey while thousands of his disciples threw their upper garments on the ground before him and waved palm leaves into the air. The incident is also symbolic of the victory of good over evil.
On Palm Sunday, Christians enact the biblical scene by organizing a procession in which each Christian carries a palm leaf in his/her hand.
Grand Palm Sunday processions were observed in the parishes of Shirva, Udupi, Belman, Sasthan, Brahamvar, Kundapur, Basrur and other places.
