The Customary of
Grace Church in Newark
Palm
Sunday: The Liturgy of the Palms
1.
The Liturgy of the Palms takes place in the
crossing. The altar candles are lighted beforehand, but the electric
lights in the chancel are not turned on.
2.
The choir assembles in the north transept,
occupying the pews in front of St. Mary’s altar.
3.
Palms for the celebrant and assisting priest
are placed on a small table near the font. A vat containing holy water is
also placed on this table.
4.
Palms are distributed to the people as they
enter the church.
5.
A chasuble for the celebrant is placed at
the south side of the sanctuary.
6.
The marked lectionary is left at the first
lector’s stall.
7.
An extra server is needed to carry the
cross.
8.
Incense is put on and blessed in the chapel
(and not put on and blessed again before the Gospel).
9.
When the choir begins the antiphon,
Hosanna to the Son of David, the ministers enter in the following
order:
6. The thurifer, crossbearer, and
candlebearers go all the way to the rail of the Blessed Sacrament altar
(south of the ambo), where they stand facing north.
7.
The readers stand on the south side of the
crossing, in front of the radiators, facing east (close to the center
alley).
8.
The lay eucharistic ministers stand on the
north side of the crossing, in front of the radiators, facing east (close
to the center alley).
9.
The MC, assisting priest, and MC stand at
the head of the center alley (in line with the font), facing west—the MC
at the celebrant’s left, the assisting priest at the celebrant’s right.
10.
The MC holds the
service book while the celebrant [reads the allocution and] sings the
opening collect.
11.
After the collect,
one of the lectors, having passed his palm branch to the other lector,
steps forward and takes the service book from the MC.
12.
The MC leads the
assisting priest to the ambo.
13.
When the assisting
priest has reached the ambo, the thurifer ascends to the MC’s left.
After the announcement of the Gospel, the MC receives the thurible from
the thurifer, and passes it to the assisting priest, who censes the book,
as usual.
14.
At the conclusion
of the Gospel, the assisting priest gives the Gospel book to the MC. who
places it on the table adjacent to his chair, as usual. The thurifer,
moving by the left, descends to the place where he was standing before.
The assisting priest, passing behind the celebrant, descends the steps to
his right. The MC, passing behind the celebrant and assisting priest,
goes to stand at the celebrant’s left.
15.
The lector who is
holding the service book returns it to the MC and takes back his palm
branch from the other lector.
16.
The MC holds the
book while the celebrant sings the blessing.
17.
At the conclusion
of the blessing, the choir begins the antiphon, The children of the
Hebrews.
18.
The celebrant and
assisting priest go to the table small table on which the palms and vat
have been placed. The celebrant sprinkles the palms on the table and,
accompanied by the assisting priest, walks down the center alley,
sprinkling the palms held by the people.
19.
Returning the vat
to the table, the celebrant and MC take their own palm branches and return
to the places where they were standing before.
20.
The assisting
priest sings, “Let us go forth in peace.”
21.
When the hymn,
All glory laud and honor, begins, the thurifer starts to move toward
the north porch. The crossbearer and candlebearers fall in behind him.
The readers join the procession next, then the lay eucharistic ministers.
22.
The celebrant,
before joining the procession, give the people a signal to fall in behind
him.
23.
The celebrant,
assisting priest, and MC walk three abreast, the MC holding the book.
24.
The choir goes
LAST.
25.
The procession
moves out of the church through the north porch door along the walk, back
into the church through the west door, and up the center alley.
26.
While the
procession is in progress, a designated person turn on the chancel lights.
27.
When the
crossbearer and candlebearer have ascended the chancel steps, the
procession stops. The crossbearer, candlebearers, and thurifer turn west.
28.
At the conclusion
of the hymn, the celebrant sings the [versicle and] collect,
Almighty God, whose most dear Son...
29.
At the conclusion
of the collect, the choir begins the responsory, When the Lord was
entering the holy city. The procession moves toward the altar. All
go to their usual places.
30.
After censing the
altar and before going to his chair, the celebrant goes to the south side
of the sanctuary and exchanges the cope for a chasuble.