By Ruth Ann Ruiz
The Post Newspaper Features Editor
Reenacting Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday is a tradition that dates back more than 1,700 years and is observed by Christians across the world in many places of worship. Parishioners and visitors at St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica participated in this ancient tradition on Sunday.
Attendees gathered in front of the Cathedral, where they were each given a palm frond and listened intently as Deacon Robert “Buzz” Standridge read the account in Matthew of Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
Bishop Italo Dell’Oro, C.R.S. invited attendees inside to celebrate Mass, welcoming them to participate in the tradition by entering the sanctuary waving their palm fronds in the air just as the people had done for Christ in historic times.
Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week in the Christian faith, and as Dell’Oro emphasized, it is the most sacred time of the year for Christians.
“The truth about the man born at Christmas, is that this is the man who dies on the cross,” said Dell’Oro.
