Southern palms

I am the vine; you the branches:
he that abideth in me, and I in him,
the same beareth much fruit:
for without me you can do nothing.
__St. John XV:5

The life of Grace is connected by the will of God with the created order. Grace is almost always communicated to us through the agency of visible, tangible, sensible creatures. The palm branch is one such creature. The Church has made use of branches of palm, olive or what other tree may be available to the faithful and recalling the Lord's own words in which He calls Himself the vine, in the Sacred Liturgy. Here in Southern Louisiana we are blessed with the palmetto tree, whose branches are cut by the faithful during Passiontide and blessed on Palm Sunday for use in the Liturgy and in the homes of the faithful as a sacramental.

After the branches are cut, they are washed to remove any uninvited bugs and placed on a table in the sanctuary ready to be blessed.

After the Mass the branch held by the priest is placed over the doorway of the church.

The sacred images are covered in violet and branches are placed at the base of these statues.

Ite Missa Est. The Mass of Palm Sunday has ended, the crucifix is covered, and palm branches adorn it, a sigh of Christian hope in the glory soon to come. (someone forgot to put out the Altar Cards).