Parishioners at St. Agnes Anglican Church marched in the streets holding palm branches in observance of Palm Sunday on Sunday.

St. Agnes Rector, Father Keith Cartwright spoke with ZNS News about the significance of the day. He said, “Palm Sunday begins the most important week in the life of the Christian church, Holy Week. And Holy Week reenacts the last days of our Lord before his crucifixion with, first of all, his triumphant entry into Jerusalem which was on a palm Sunday. The ultimate sacrifice that anybody can give, the ultimate gift of love is for somebody to really die in your place and he did that. And then he gives us that gift of eternal life through the power of his resurrection. So this is what this is all about and all Christians all over the world are today and this week really focusing on the salvation acts of Jesus and his glorious resurrection.”

Father Cartwright also explained the use of palm branches. “We have the palms because in our Lords day whenever there was a great victory or when there was a great celebration people would cut down the palm branches. Now in our day we would wave flags or some other paraphernalia in celebration of a great event or a great victory. But in those days they showed their great rejoicing that Jesus came as the messiah and the hailed him Hosanna, the son of David, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest,” he said.

Resurrection Sunday will be celebrated on April 5th.