Palm Sunday Tradition: Knocking on the doors of the Church

  • Thread starter Thread starter Thomas48
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
T

Thomas48

Guest
In the Syro Malabar Church we have a tradition on Palm Sunday where the priest knocks on the doors of the church thrice with a processional cross. I believe this is derived from a Latin Tradition but the Latin Churches I have been to have never done it on Palm Sunday. Is this practice still observed in the Latin Church? Also do other Eastern Churches have this custom?


 
Thomas48 said:
In the Syro Malabar Church we have a tradition on Palm Sunday where the priest knocks on the doors of the church thrice with a processional cross. I believe this is derived from a Latin Tradition but the Latin Churches I have been to have never done it on Palm Sunday. Is this practice still observed in the Latin Church? Also do other Eastern Churches have this custom?
Click to expand...
I can remember it being done when I was a child but I haven’t seen it since the Ordinary Form of Mass came into being. I can only assume that it would still be done when Mass is celebrated in the Extraordinary Form.
 
Thomas48 said:
In the Syro Malabar Church we have a tradition on Palm Sunday where the priest knocks on the doors of the church thrice with a processional cross. I believe this is derived from a Latin Tradition but the Latin Churches I have been to have never done it on Palm Sunday. Is this practice still observed in the Latin Church? Also do other Eastern Churches have this custom?

http://knanayavoice.in/news_pics/fullsize/be522c407cc5757c4c94ae147729a89c.jpg

Home - KnanayaVoice
Click to expand...
I think (key word) that it’s common to all the Churches. In my personal experience, I’ve always seen it done in the Byzantine traditions, but the priest knocked with the hand cross rather than the processional cross (that part might be mere coincidence).

It was part of the procession in the Latin rite. There’s no mention of it in the current Roman Missal.
 
FrDavid96 said:
I think (key word) that it’s common to all the Churches. In my personal experience, I’ve always seen it done in the Byzantine traditions, but the priest knocked with the hand cross rather than the processional cross (that part might be mere coincidence).
Click to expand...
FrDavid, indeed in the Byzantine tradition the hand cross is used to knock on the church doors. This is most commonly seen at the conclusion of the procession made at the beginning of Resurrection Matins on Pascha / Easter Sunday. The priest knocks on the doors of the church which are then swiftly opened, symbolic of the tomb being opened by the risen Christ.
 
ByzCathCantor said:
FrDavid, indeed in the Byzantine tradition the hand cross is used to knock on the church doors. This is most commonly seen at the conclusion of the procession made at the beginning of Resurrection Matins on Pascha / Easter Sunday. The priest knocks on the doors of the church which are then swiftly opened, symbolic of the tomb being opened by the risen Christ.
Click to expand...
Yes, that’s how I recall it at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral for Easter Vigil. The Archbishop presided that time, so the handcross was expected. IIRC, simple Byzantine priests (i.e, those under Archmandrite or maybe Archpriest) would not generally be entitled to the handcross, so what would happen in that case?
 
FrDavid96 said:
It was part of the procession in the Latin rite. There’s no mention of it in the current Roman Missal.
Click to expand...
I don’t have my “old” books at hand, but IIRC the “knocking” was done before the so-called “reform” of 1955, and one was of the many things axed in the Latin Rite Palm Sunday ritual. I don’t ever recall seeing it done according to the 1955 rite. Please correct me if I’m wrong. I also have a vague impression that the “knocking” was done with a bishop’s crozier, but I have no memory of what might have happened with a simple priest.
 
Yes! The tradition is still done in the latin rite church because we do it every year at my parish ! We still celebrate the Latin mass though, and are a more traditional parish. But we process around the neighborhood with palm branches while singing, then arrive at the steps of the church, and some of the people inside the church (who did not process with us) sing the main chorus and the people respond with a refrain. It’s like a conversation almost. Then the priest takes the professional cross and knocks on the door thrice and the door is opened for him
 
As I recall in my days as an Anglo Catholic, this was always done. Of course our parish even at times celebrated the EF in Latin.

As a former Anglican one will find that one can be close to the Baptist beliefs all the way to the Catholic beliefs. It is whatever you choose to believe. There really doesn’t seem to be any set doctrines or if there were any, they were ignored.

Yours in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary

Bernadette
 
malphono said:
Yes, that’s how I recall it at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral for Easter Vigil. The Archbishop presided that time, so the handcross was expected. IIRC, simple Byzantine priests (i.e, those under Archmandrite or maybe Archpriest) would not generally be entitled to the handcross, so what would happen in that case?
Click to expand...
Byzantine priests do carry a hand cross - it is generally offered for veneration following the Divine Liturgy.
 
Thomas,

This Liturgy has the alternate name of “Vade Dalmino” (“Open the Door”) in the Malankara Church:
Mor Militos of the IOC claims to be the first to have done this liturgy in NA (:rolleyes:) which cannot be, since we Malankara Catholic have been doing it for years in NA before 2013, as have other IOC and SOC parishes… but he does include some pictures!👍

yuhanonmilitos.wordpress.com/2013/03/26/vade-dalmino-liturgy/
 
In the extraordinary form, there is a mention of knocking the door with the cross. In the ordinary form, no knocking.
 
SyroMalankara said:
Thomas,

This Liturgy has the alternate name of “Vade Dalmino” (“Open the Door”) in the Malankara Church:
Mor Militos of the IOC claims to be the first to have done this liturgy in NA (:rolleyes:) which cannot be, since we Malankara Catholic have been doing it for years in NA before 2013, as have other IOC and SOC parishes… but he does include some pictures!👍

yuhanonmilitos.wordpress.com/2013/03/26/vade-dalmino-liturgy/
Click to expand...
Yes its a great tradition, however I do not know the origins or its background. Do you know the catechesis behind this tradition, what is its biblical meaning? Also thanks for the pictures.
 
frjohbrian.blogspot.com/2010/03/prepared-as-wise-virgins.html

The Syriac Orthodox typically refer to this service as Naheere - the Lights. HH Patriarch Aphrem I’s Scattered Pearls (2003 p. 90) where the Beth Gazo compiled by Simon, metropolitan of Ayn Ward refers to the service as the “Order of Lights.”

The Order for the service is titled in manuscripts “Tekso d-wadeh dalmeeno." "wado” means entrance (noun) and “lmeeno” is harbor or port.

The word indicates our arrival at the entrance into the harbor of hope in the Resurrection. The first hymn of this order dwells on the theme of arriving at the Entrance to the Harbor and perhaps the reason for the name of the Order, but much of the service is centered on the parable of the ten virgins. Hence, Mor Samuel Athanasius in his Madedono: The Book of the Church Festivals (1984) titles the English translation as “Ten Virgins.”

Note also that the week preceding Palm Sunday is referred to as “Shabo d-wa`deh dalmeeno”.

There’s also this article if you can read Malayalam:
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top