Palm Sunday Marks the Beginning of Holy Week at Saint Peter Cathedral
By Allison Mosier03/30/2026
On Sunday, March 29, Saint Peter Cathedral was filled with the voices and prayer of the faithful as Bishop Lawrence T. Persico celebrated Palm Sunday, marking the beginning of Holy Week across the Diocese of Erie. 
The liturgy began with the blessing of palm branches, recalling Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. Held in the hands of parishioners throughout the Mass, the palms served as a visible sign of both praise and the deeper reality of the day — one that moves quickly from celebration into the solemn remembrance of Christ’s Passion. 
That shift came with the proclamation of the Passion of the Lord. As is tradition, the congregation took part in the reading, assuming the voice of the crowd — even crying out, “Crucify him!” — a striking and humbling reminder of humanity’s role in the suffering and death of Christ. 
In his homily, Bishop Persico reflected on the tension at the heart of Palm Sunday — the presence of life and hope in the midst of suffering. “In today’s Passion we encounter nothing short of life and hope emerging from the midst of humiliation, suffering and death,” he said, acknowledging how difficult that truth can be to grasp.
Drawing from Saint Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, he pointed to the example of Christ, who “emptied himself and humbled himself to the point of death,” revealing that true hope is found not apart from suffering, but through it.
Quoting the late Pope Francis, Bishop Persico placed the mystery of the cross into focus: “God triumphs, but the palm of victory passes through the wood of the cross. For the palm and the cross are inseparable.” The image of the palm — held by the faithful at the start of Mass — becomes inseparable from the cross that defines the days ahead.
He also spoke to the weight carried by many in today’s world. “How very much we need this Holy Week,” he said. “Our world and our lives just can’t seem to catch a break.” Referencing ongoing conflict, fear and uncertainty, he acknowledged the anxieties that touch daily life, both near and far.
Yet, he reminded the faithful that Holy Week does not remove those struggles — it transforms them. “That place is at the foot of the cross of Jesus,” he said, pointing to the only place where suffering, disappointment and fear can be met with lasting hope. Christ, he emphasized, is always found among those who suffer — “with the brokenhearted, the unforgiven, the poor, the marginalized, the sick and the dying.”
The palms distributed at the beginning of Mass carry meaning beyond the day itself. As blessed sacramentals, they are not discarded, but kept in homes, often placed behind a crucifix as a reminder of Christ’s victory. When no longer needed, they are returned to the parish to be burned, forming the ashes used on Ash Wednesday the following year — linking the beginning of Lent with its fulfillment in Holy Week.
As the Diocese of Erie enters into these sacred days, Palm Sunday offers both a beginning and a call — to walk with Christ through suffering, trusting in the promise that it will ultimately lead to life. “Our willingness to humbly turn to Jesus as the only source of our true and lasting hope,” Bishop Persico said, “has the power to open our lives to the mystery of God’s saving grace and his promise of life and peace.”
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