Byo churches celebrate Palm Sunday

Tinomuda Chakanyuka Sunday News Reporter
FOUR churches from Bulawayo’s Njube high density suburb will begin their Easter celebrations today with a joint Palm Sunday commemoration at Malaba shopping centre. Palm Sunday is the Sunday before Easter, when the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem is celebrated in many Christian churches by processions in which palm fronds arecarried. Members from the Roman Catholic St Pius Parish, Methodist Church in Zimbabwe, Anglican and Lutheran churches will converge at Malaba shopping centre in Njube for a short service.

After the church service the church members will hold a procession around Njube, with members of each denomination ending the procession at their respective church. This would be second time the four churches have held such an event which was inaugurated last year. One of the organisers of the joint commemoration, Mr Edmund Makonese said the idea to jointly mark the day as different churches was born out of the desire to cultivate a spirit of unity among Christians.

“After the short service we will start a procession right round Njube. We will leave members of the Roman Catholic Church at their church then proceed to leave the Methodist Church members at their church. The procession will continue to Anglican Church then to the Lutheran Church in that order. We want to build unity among Christians as well as show people that in as much as we are coming from different denominations we serve one God and one Christ,” he said.

For the Roman Catholic Church Palm Sunday marks the beginning of The Holy Week. On Good Friday, all Catholic parishes across the country will hold a procession carrying “Christ’s cross” reminiscent of their saviour carrying his crucifix on his way to being crucified. On Saturday parishes will hold an Easter vigil into Sunday morning to celebrate the resurrection of Christ. Easter is one of the most important and oldest Christian festivals when believers from various denominations across the world mark the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.