Blessing of Palms and Ecumenical Procession in Manor House

Image: Patricia Hammond

A record number of people gathered for this year's traditional Blessing of Palms and Ecumenical procession and prayer service in Finsbury Park on Sunday. They were accompanied by a donkey called Wayne, from Suffolk. Musicians: singer Patricia Hammond and accordionist Sam James (from the band Amberbugs) led the music. There were hymns, prayers, and readings from members of from St Thomas More's Catholic Church, Finsbury Park Methodist Church, St John the Evangelist Church, and St Olave's Woodbury Down. Rev Tunde Roberts, from St Olaves gave the welcome, Deacon Kassa Tsegaye blessed the palms.

In his homily, Fr Clive Lee from St Thomas More's reflected on the day's readings. He asked: "Why are we like donkeys? Because at the end of Mass when the priest says 'Go in Peace' we go out of the Church carrying Christ to the world."

He went on: "Holy Week begins with Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. Before Palm Sunday Jesus had had a long association with donkeys. He might not have remembered but there was a donkey with him in the stable when he was born. Some artists depict the donkey neighing in recognition of the son of God a reference to Balaam's donkey that stops in the middle of the road because it see's God. It was a donkey that carried Jesus to safety in Egypt when King Herod decided to kill all the baby boys in Bethlehem. And today on Palm Sunday it is a donkey that carries Jesus into Jerusalem. The crowd is wild with Joy. They shout Hosanna in the highest blessed is he who comes is the name of the Lord. They proclaim him King. Jesus knew what was in everyone's heart. We get no hint of him being impressed by the acclaim of the crowds. And we, who know the whole story, know that from this point onwards everything will accelerate towards that poignant last supper with his companions, betrayal and execution."

Fr Clive said: "Palm Sunday always makes me think about the fickleness of popularity. One day Jesus is being hailed by the crowds: probably some of them were the same people who within a few days would be calling for his execution. It seems to be like that with the popularity of the Church. There are always times when it seems to be fashionable to be a Catholic."

He pointed out that Tony Blair and other celebrities have converted to Catholicism, but then a short while later: "we are back to a phase when people sneer at the Church. In truth it does not matter much either way. What counts is our faithfulness to what Christ calls us to do and to be. It is the will of God that has called the Church into being. We are faithful when we help one another to grow in faith, to be those who cherish the sacraments, to be people who know the Bible and who seek to love God and neighbour. We are a supernatural society in the sense that it is God who makes us and shapes us. For this reason today's popularity and tomorrow's unpopularity should make no difference to us. To seek popularity is to have an opinion, and your opinions can change from one day to the next. To believe in God is to have your foundation deep in love, a love which never changes and which allows you to build for life and for eternity."

After the prayers the crowd processed from the park to each of their churches for their Palm Sunday services. Many passersby, including some Muslim families and a group of Coptic Christians, stopped to watch. Several drivers passing by waved. At St Olave's, homeless guests enjoying lunch came out to admire Wayne.

This service has been a fixture in Finsbury Park since 2006 - with a two year break for Covid. Places of worship around Finsbury Park have a long history of collaborating together on various social projects. The churches have been on many ecumenical pilgrimage together to shrines around the country.

For more information about St Thomas More's Catholic Church, Manor House, see: https://parish.rcdow.org.uk/manorhouse/

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