HONESDALE, Pa. — The blessing of the palms is an important tradition for many Christians who celebrate Palm Sunday. Last year, many churches canceled that tradition when everything shut down due to the pandemic.
Sue Kohrs runs Bold's Florist near Honesdale and had put out free palms for anyone to who wanted them. Fr. Edward Erb from the Grace Episcopal Church had heard about the palms and wanted to help.
"I drove by last year and saw 'We have palms,' so I stopped, and I said, 'So do you need a priest to come and bless these palms for you?'" Fr. Erb recalled. "I said I'd be happy to, so this is actually the second year we've done this."
Fr. Erb stopped by Bold's Florist once again this year to bless the palms in advance of this weekend. Many churches will have services this weekend, but not everyone will be able to attend in person.
"This is the first Sunday that we've been open since November. We were open for a couple of months during the summer, and then the bishop shuts down again, right around Christmas time, so people are really looking forward to it, and especially on the holidays," said Fr. Erb.
For those who celebrate Easter, it is important to be able to hold a tangible palm to celebrate the holiday, even if they can't attend church.
"The churches are still on video or appointments, so it's important for them to know and to visualize that their palms and their crosses are being blessed," said Sue Kohrs at Bold's Florist.
"To have the various celebrations and to remember that Jesus is our king and that we can celebrate. Even Palm Sunday when we're shut down, we could still bless the palms," Fr. Erb added.
Kohrs says also has palm crosses and Easter flowers for sale but will be putting out single palms again this weekend for those who wish to have one and won't be able to attend church in person.