Attended the Palm Sunday service at St Bartholomew’s church – ‘which stands within the Anglo-Catholic tradition’ – Brighton, East Sussex, 10 April 2022.

People who gathered outside St Bartholomew’s Primary School, a short distance from the church, were offered standard palm crosses.  Shortly before 10.30 a.m. the priests, carrying dried palm fronds, and other berobed people arrived. The congregation’s palm crosses were blessed, and an informal procession walked downhill to the church, for a lengthy service, during which the entire Easter story was sung.  On arrival at the church no further attention was paid to the palms, though there were arrangements of fresh palm leaves on pedestals each side of the altar.

It was hoped that in 2023 people would return their palm crosses so that they could be burnt to make the ashes for Ash Wednesday.