MG Kids follows a donkey through Palm Sunday in Morristown

Dixie the donkey returned to St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Morristown on Palm Sunday to lead parishioners at two services on a ceremonial reenactment of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. Dixie balked temporarily on her first stroll through the graveyard but otherwise took most of the walk in stride, including her journey between the pews through the interior of the church.

MG Kids correspondent Carl Hausman, 11, a parishioner at St. Peter’s, provides a kids-eye view of the day’s proceedings.

By Carl Hausman

MG Kids correspondent

On Palm Sunday, there were a lot of interesting things: a donkey, palms, interesting sermons and yummy food.

It was not a usual church service. The time at church started out fairly normal. I went to church school and paid 75 percent attention to the class and 25 percent to the picture I was drawing. The only difference was that it started late because the 9 a.m. service went on longer than usual.

Then, things took a turn for the unusual. We all gathered in front of the church with a donkey. Palms were handed out and twisted into crosses. Then, we went marching in a parade one and a half times around the church before we went in. The donkey led the entire procession into the church.

I petted the donkey and got my picture taken with it. It was meant to represent the colt that Jesus rode into Jerusalem. The palms represented the palms people spread over the street to keep the mud from getting on the colt’s hooves.

Then we had a long service with nice music and a sermon about how suffering makes people happy (it makes a lot more sense if you actually hear it). Also, there was a Passion reading in which people acted out the crucifixion of Jesus and played all the parts. My dad was Jesus. He was a very good actor.

Then, once the service was over, we went out to the parish hall and ate all the pastries on the table. I had two cinnamon crisps and a blueberry doughnut.

Finally, I went to Smartworld with my mom and got a hot chocolate with whipped cream. And then, I went home and played on the computer. So, all and all, it was a good day.

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Stay tuned to Morristown Green for details of the Spring Arts Festival at St. Peter’s, including the second annual MG Kids Art Show opening April 27, Wordplay II on May 1 and a full day of arts workshops for kids 6 to 13 on May 12.