A pony-led procession celebrates Palm Sunday for Philly’s oldest Black church community
The African Episcopal Church of St Thomas, the oldest Black church in Philadelphia, continued its tradition of a procession on Palm Sunday behind a donkey or pony.
In West Philadelphia, Jesus’ humble donkey was actually a noble steed named Beezus.
The annual procession at the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas in Overbrook Park celebrated Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem, and in past years had included a more traditional donkey, named Pedro. But Pedro had passed on since last Palm Sunday, so Beezus was cast in the role this year.
As ponies often do, Beezus started things off by relieving herself — perhaps owing to some opening-day nerves.
Congregants and church leaders began the Palm Sunday service on St. Thomas’ front lawn and lined up behind Beezus, an 11-year-old chestnut-and-white pony from Quakertown.
The walk was a reenactment of Jesus and his disciples’ journey to Jerusalem shortly before his crucifixion. In the Bible, Matthew 21 describes how upon nearing the city, Jesus sent two disciples to a neighboring village to acquire a donkey and its young offspring. He rode them into Jerusalem to demonstrate to the people that while he was their messiah finally arriving before them, he was doing so humbly.
On Sunday, those walking behind Beezus sang and carried blessed palm fronds, representing the branches that the people of Jerusalem laid in Jesus’ path as he entered the city. This is the sixth year that St. Thomas has processed with a donkey — and now pony — on Palm Sundays, joining other congregations committed to realistic reenactments of Jesus’ journey.
“This year, sadly as bombs strike around the world, we will again recall Jesus Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem and the start of the holiest week of the year,” said the Rev. Canon Martini Shaw, rector of St. Thomas, in a statement.
The church, founded in 1792, is the first Black church in Philadelphia and the first Black Episcopal church in the nation.
For the congregation members following Beezus’ lead, the Palm Sunday procession was a fun but important symbol of their faith and the significance of Easter.
“The tradition means a lot to us,” said Greg Hayes of West Philadelphia, who greets congregants in his role as a monarch at St. Thomas. “It keeps your faith alive.”
”We pass it down from generation to generation,” said Maurice Hayes, Greg’s brother and a monarch from Mount Airy. He explained how the church hopes experiences like this build memories for children and encourage them to form a long-term relationship with the church.
Several children took turns riding Beezus (who was not chosen for the job for having a name rhyming with Jesus, according to her handler) for a couple of minutes at a time, with the procession taking periodic pauses to safely change out riders. While most of the young congregants were excited for their turn, they were also fairly nervous once it was their time to actually play the role of Jesus.
“It felt weird,” said Sarah Jeffers, 6, from Elkins Park. It was her first time riding in the procession, and she said she didn’t love how Beezus’ butt was constantly in motion behind her.
But, she said, the experience was fun and she would probably do it again next year.