Palm Sunday at the House of Studies

The solemn celebration of the entry of Christ the Lord into Jerusalem began on Sunday at the Dominican House of Studies with the blessing of palm branches in the Priory courtyard. Eighteen young men, visiting our community as part of a Vocations Weekend, Dominican sisters, students from Catholic university, and lay men and women from the Washington area processed from the courtyard into the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception for the conventual Mass. Fr. John Chrysostom Kozlowski, OP, offered the Mass as its principal celebrant and preached the homily. The text for the blessing of palms from the Dominican Missal reveals in a beautiful way the use of branches throughout salvation history and emphasizes the identity of Christ as the anointed Messiah. Here is an excerpt from an unofficial translation of the Latin prayer,

Once you guided Noah in the ark over the waves of the flood and willed to announce the returning peace to earth by means of the ministry of a dove through the branch of olive. But also Jacob the patriarch erecting the stone on the mystery of your glory poured on the height of honor the blessing from these tree branches, whence you anointed your kings and prophets. For you are the Christ of God, the fruit of anointing and peace completes for you, in whom the psalmist composed the ineffable praise, saying: God anointed you, your God with the oil of gladness and exultation before your portions.

For the full Holy Week schedule at the Dominican House of Studies, click here. Pictures from the Mass: