Growing up, one of my favorite parts of my parish’s Holy Week preparations was gathering together a day or two before Palm Sunday in order to fold palm branches into palm crosses! It was a time for parishioners to work together, enjoy casual conversation, and unwittingly participate in some community building.

With all of the stay-at-home orders in effect within our country right now, Palm Sunday is definitely going to feel a little bit different this year. Despite the changes, we can still make the most of it and take advantage of fact that our Faith uses all five senses, and we can participate to the best of our ability at home. One way to add the sense of touch to at-home worship is to sit down as a family and make your own palm crosses out of paper to incorporate into your participation on Palm Sunday.

 

Here are some instructional videos on how to fold palm crosses:

• Presvytera Lea Garinis demonstrates how to make a cross out of paper specifically for using at home this year, if you don’t have access to palm fronds
• Presvytera Vassi Haros demonstrates how to traditionally fold a cross out of palm fronds

 

Below are step-by-step instructions, shown through images, on how to fold a palm cross:

(These instructions and photos are from www.kingofpeace.org/palmcrosses/)

 

• Click here for the PRAXIS article "How to Make a Palm Cross in 13 Easy Steps" by Elaine Petrides-Scott for an additional way to make palm crosses 

The Archdiocesan Center for Family Care, Department of Religious Education, and Department of Youth and Young Adult Ministries have developed and compiled more at-home resources for Holy Week and Pascha. For the complete set of resources, visit www.y2am.org/holyweek.

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Angeliki Constantine is an Educational Ministry Specialist in the Department of Religious Education for the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese and a Youth Director at St. Nectarios Greek Orthodox Church in Roslindale, MA.