The Kellyville Palms

Happy Holy Week! We are full into this last week of Lent. These first photos (1-3) are from our last youth group gathering. For a couple of years now we have a "Palm and Pizza Party" on the friday before Palm Sunday. The fronds come from a parishioner; they come to us as full fronds (not the reeds we hand out in the States). (That surprised me when I first saw it. I guess I never thought about where we get the long thin palm reeds for our Masses in the US.) We actually cut the fronds off and then the kids fold them into crosses. Again, where I'm from, if you want a palm cross, you do that on your own. Not here! This is a box full of the crosses at the end of the night (3). Way to go team! At the end, we ordered pizzas and it was a good time for all. Just what you want for High School kids on a Friday night. (Did you spot the big "kid" among the little ones?)

We've had glorious weather the last couple of days with blue skies, low humidity and highs in the 70's. Just perfect. These next few shots are of the church decorated for "Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion," as it is called these days. Here you can see the full fronds that we get lining up gates at the entrance (4). It really gives a great look for the entrance and wasn't hard to do. (Note that the shots with the clouds were taken on Saturday night, while the shots with the pure blue sky were taken Sunday Morning (5-7). The lighting was a bit harsh in the afternoon so I was out in the morning and took the additional shots.)

Here are some pictures of our St. Francis garden (9-12). The grounds man had come out and given the topiary animals (is that redundant?) a "haircut" so they looked presentable (10). I love these fuschia flowers. Each bloom is as big as my head (and so really big) (11-12)! I am not sure what they are, but I suspect something in the zinnia or chrysanthemum family. Any ideas?

This is the main entrance to the church (13). (Isn't it dreadful? No real sense of "entrance.") Here is a statue of Mary opposite the entrance, decorated with fronds (14). The rest are images of the church decked out in Palm Sunday red. I've been ordering live palms from a local nursery for the two years that I've been here and the people really like them.

This pieta is nicely done (19-22). It's not my taste in religious subject matter, but I appreciate the craftsmanship. The statue usually sits in our confessional throughout the year. Last year, a parishioner "enlightened" me sharing that it was usually brought out on Palm Sunday for Holy Week. (Which I don't get as we've covered all the statues from the 5th Sunday of Lent on.) Anyway, more on the Triduum and Easter next Sunday. Blessings to you all in this week of walking with the Lord!