Palm Sunday (April 5, 2026) at the Cathedral of St. Nicholas was a day filled with many moving moments.
Among the many faithful who filled the church, the presence of the newly illumined was especially moving. Having received Holy Baptism at the baptismal Divine Liturgy on Lazarus Saturday, they came forward vested in their white baptismal garments and bearing palms and candles to receive the Holy Mysteries for the second time in their lives. At the close of the Divine Liturgy, the rector of the cathedral, Fr. Antonios Lim, presented them to the congregation, and all welcomed them with warm applause and many wishes that they would be firmly rooted in the faith.
Following the communal agape meal, the faithful, the newly illumined, the catechumens, and visitors from other countries joined together in a general cleaning of the church and the holy vessels in preparation for Holy Week and Pascha.
At 3:00 p.m., the Service of the Bridegroom was celebrated in an atmosphere of reverent compunction, marking the beginning of Holy Week, as everyone wished one another a blessed Resurrection!