Emma Christy deftly crafts a small cross out of a palm as she laughs with fellow Shepparton Parishioners in the Mons. Peter Jeffrey Centre, behind St Brendan’s Church.
Together they are crafting palm-sized palm crosses which will be blessed and distributed at Good Friday and Palm Sunday Masses. For Emma, these workshops are about more than weaving fronds, they’re about preparing for Easter in community and weaving hearts together.
“People just really like them” she explains. “It gives them something to hold on to, a prayer focus, a symbol, a reminder of something that spoke to them at Mass, on the day. They connect with all things that are Easter – Palm Sunday, Good Friday (Jesus on the Cross) – everything.”
These palm crosses have an inherent sensorial beauty. They embody the love of those who crafted them; smooth to touch they carry the scent of the earth. Over time, their vibrant green colour will not fade, but resurrect to the golden colour of wheat. A tangible link to our shared faith and a reminder that even with life’s twists and turns there is hope and redemption.
Throughout her childhood Emma joined her mother making palm crosses for their parish community. When she moved to Shepparton, to follow her nursing career, one of the first questions she asked Fr Jackson (Assistant Priest) was if palm crosses were given out on Good Friday and Palm Sunday. Seeing this as a perfect way to contribute to her new parish, Emma started hosting cross-making workshops.
“Di Teitzel, (Parish Office Manager) puts a time in the parish bulletin and all are welcome. I love teaching people how to make these crosses. People really enjoy being able to contribute to their community and they’re excited to see what they’ve made. The evening Mass crowd gets to meet the morning Mass crowd and they’re talking and laughing … it’s great fun,” says Emma. “Next week I’m going into the Year 11 class at Notre Dame; I’m looking forward to that.”
There is one more workshop to go. If you’re interested in participating, or if you’d like to know more about running workshops in your parish, contact St Brendan’s Parish Office.
Return to Sandpiper e-News 71 (8 March 2024)
