Skip to main content

Branch Sunday

My first year living in Spain I was edified by the many beautiful Catholic traditions that are celebrated across the country.  Statistics show that Catholicism is dying in this former jewel of Christendom; my experiences proved to me otherwise.  The Catholic Faith seemed deeply engrained in the soul of the country and its people.  Semana Santa was always a thrilling time. 
For the suffering people of Spain who this year will be deprived of the glory of its grand processions, liturgies and celebrations,  perhaps this temporary deprivation will lead to a greater appreciation and love for its Catholic roots.
La Macarena.  Jueves Santo en Sevilla.

Domingo de Ramos en Valladolid.
In Madrid on Domingo de Ramos (Branches Sunday), blessed olive branches adorn the entrances to the churches  - so fitting for the heart of España which is geographically surrounded by olivos or olive groves. 
This week Father agreed to bless palms and leave them outside the church for the faithful.  However as palms were not readily available,  I went on a hunt for an olive tree.  An apocalyptic downtown street proved successful and yesterday I delivered a basket of ramos olivarum (as Father called them) to the church for blessing.
Researching Domingo de Ramos I found that palm or olive branches are commonly substituted with yew and willow on Branch Sunday in England.
For our Sunday morning home devotions I used clippings from our English yew as the blessed olive would not be ready till the afternoon.
I recommend reading Fleurs de Marie-Jacqueline's excellent post on Palm Sunday  for information about church decoration for this feast. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Christ the King: Altar Flowers

Altar flowers for the feast of  Christ the King! The challenge with these arrangements was to incorporate the traditional colors of white, gold and red with the request from a dear friend to provide flowers for the church upon the celebration of her son's nuptial Mass.   The bride selected autumn colors for her bridal bouquet: burnt orange, dark red and rose.  I thought it would be best to select flowers that could be used for both the wedding (on the feast of St. Raphael Archangel) and the feast of Christ the King.  Let me know what you think!  Entry table arrangement Side altar arrangement Another entry table arrangement Main altar arrangement Roses and lilies with acacia, eucalyptus and blueberry greens. Christus vincit, Christus regnat, Christus imperat!
2 comments
Read more

Hydrangeas, Roses & Holly: Altar Flowers for Christmas

                      Unfortunately, this is the best picture I could get of the arrangements for the Latin Mass on Christmas Day.   However, it may serve as inspiration for what can be done in the most unlikely of spaces.   The architecture of the church is typical postmodern, with no vestiges of the past.  The crucifix was added and the tabernacle put in its rightful place only within the last d ecade.  Who would have thought that the Latin Mass would be making its debut here in our isolated, rural community when there are a handful of beautiful, century-old churches perfectly designed for the purpose not far away! The proliferation of fake poinsettias already present in the church set me in motion to find other examples of possibilities for the traditional altar.  My search led me to the liturgy guy's post Does this 1944 Christmas Eve Mass Look Anything Like Yours?   I was inspired by the Solemn High Mass featured in the movie Christmas Holiday and later horrified a
7 comments
Read more

Altar Flowers for Marian Feasts

For the feast of the Annunciation, we will have no Traditional Latin Mass.  Much the same as last year, yet different.  At the large brass doors of the church I left two small flower offerings for our good curé to place on the altar for his private Mass.  His Roman vestments were trimmed in sky blue.  Looking round the garden, forget-me-nots seemed appropos.  One year later, the forget-me-nots are back, but now the private Latin Masses are being canceled in the Vatican. Supernatural hope prevails.  Our Lady breaks through the spiritual darkness and the Lenten flower fast with her  fiat  at the Annunciation. For altar flowers, perfectly white roses would be my ideal choice.  Where white roses aren't available, alstroemeria, carnations and liles are good substitutes.  Daffodils, or "Mary's Star", would also add a beautiful touch of gold. For information on flowers traditionally associated with Our Lady, check out  Fleurs de Marie-Jacqueline's blog. Here are some arr
3 comments
Read more