A Palm Sunday Liturgy

A Palm Sunday service was held in Washington Square Park with New York City churches, community leaders, leaders from the NYC Poor People’s Campaign, and the Kairos Center. Together, they gathered to remember that Jesus’ Palm Sunday procession was a bold act of resistance—an anti-imperial march led by a movement of the poor and oppressed demanding freedom and justice. The service served as a powerful reminder that our faith calls us to confront empire and organize for life.

Fact Sheets

Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival

This series of fact sheets highlights conditions facing the 140 million poor and low-income people in the United States.

Included is a national fact sheet as well as state-specific fact sheets for all 50 states and Washington, D.C., because these tens of millions of people live in every region, state and county of the country, confronting the unnecessary injustices of poverty and economic insecurity, systemic racism, the denial of health care, ecological devastation, wealth inequality and rampant militarism every day.

Up Over My Head

Shared by Charon Hribar

Tips for Impact

This video can be shared with faith communities to spark inspiration and reflection on how we reimagine traditional rituals in non-traditional spaces—like this Palm Sunday service held in a public park. By bringing our message of faith and justice beyond church walls and building partnerships across faith traditions, we reclaim the radical roots of Palm Sunday. The original procession was an anti-imperial act led by Jesus, marching through the streets with cries of “Hosanna”—a call for liberation.

“Up Over My Head” was offered by Dr. Charon Hribar during the Palm Sunday service in Washington Square Park, NY, alongside New York City churches, community leaders, NYC Poor People’s Campaign leaders, and leaders from the Kairos Center. The song serves as a powerful reminder that Jesus’ Palm Sunday procession was an anti-imperial act—led by a movement of people organizing for freedom and justice in the face of a death-dealing empire.

Palm Sunday – Washington Square Park, NYC

Images from the Palm Sunday Service in Washington Square Park, NYC. Notice the powerful signs created by local congregations during an art build held a week before the service. Messages like Hosanna! We Cry Justice, End Student Debt, End Medical Debt, Black Lives Matter, Trans Lives Matter, and End Medicaid Cuts reflected the urgent moral calls of our time.

Consider the history and symbols of empire present in this gathering space. What does it mean to hold a Palm Sunday service in such a place? Imagine hosting an art build with your own community—what messages would resonate most deeply where you are?