The Diocese of Allentown is reaching out to young adults with a Palm Sunday evening Mass that will be celebrated by Bishop Alfred Schlert at a local university. 

“SAVE THE DATE! All college students are invited to join us for a Palm Sunday Mass at Packer Chapel at Lehigh University Catholic Campus Ministry this Sunday! Mass will be celebrated by Bishop Schlert,” the diocese posted on Facebook. 

Palm Sunday is the final Sunday before Easter, the first day of Holy Week, and celebrates Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem.

The Palm Sunday Mass will be celebrated at Packer Chapel at Lehigh University in Bethlehem. Students can participate in Adoration and confession from 8-9 p.m., and Mass will begin at 9:10 p.m.

The Gospel reading for Palm Sunday this year comes from Luke chapter 22, according to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). The passage begins with a recounting of the Last Supper, where Jesus broke bread with his apostles. It was during the Last Supper that Jesus instituted the Eucharist, telling his disciples that the bread was his body and the wine was his blood, which would be shed for them. 

He then tells the disciples he knows one of them will betray him. Jesus and the disciples went to the Mount of Olives, but the disciples fell asleep while Jesus was praying. He prayed so fervently that "his sweat became like drops of blood." The passage goes on to describe Judas' betrayal, Jesus' arrest and trial before Pilate, and finally, Jesus' crucifixion, the USCCB summarizes. 

Palm Sunday is the first day of Holy Week and the final Sunday before Easter, according to Britannica. Participants in Palm Sunday Masses typically receive palm leaves, which commemorate Jesus' entry into Jerusalem before his Passion. Many members of the Church keep their palms all year, until they are burned to make the ashes for Ash Wednesday.