Ashes and Alleluias!

On the left: Dean Catherine Short presides at the cathedral’s annual burning of palms in preparation for Ash Wednesday On the right: Scott Payne, grandson of Archbishop Stewart Payne, deposits his “alleluias” with crucifer, Michelle Joyce
Photography: 
Dr. Doreen Helen Klassen

On February 11th, parishioners at The Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Corner Brook participated in the annual “Rite for the Burning of Palms in Preparation for Ash Wednesday.” As they moved from the sanctuary to the lychgate, they “hid” their alleluias and prayed: “Loving God, as Lent nears, we hide the Alleluia, our song of joy. In the forty days of Lent to come, we will sing quieter songs and think about how we can follow you more closely. Bless our Lenten days, and when they are done, bring us here again to sing our song of Easter joy.”

Skip to content