Holy Name Cathedral burns palms, offers prayers for Pope Francis

CHICAGO - At Holy Name Cathedral, the seat of the Chicago Archdiocese, the burning of the palms is a time to recognize the seriousness of the Catholic faith.

The backstory:

It had been raining all morning, right until it was time to light the fire.

The palm leaves are returned by parishioners who kept them after Palm Sunday last year.

Fourth graders from Francis Xavier Warde School gathered to sing, pray and watch as the dried palm leaves were ignited. The flames grew dramatically. The palms were blessed. 

What they're saying:

"Fire is a symbol of the Holy Spirit that God comes. He came down in the tongues of fire above the apostles on Pentecost. But fire is a just a reminder of purification and of new beginnings, also of destruction. In Chicago, the fire of 1871," Fr. Andy Matijevic said.

They prayed for healing for Pope Francis. The 88-year-old Holy Father is in everyone’s heart during this time of reflection.

"For me, he is my first pope of my priesthood. So I was a senior in high school and he was elected. So it’s very moving for me to kind of see him grow in my faith with him as our leader. And we continue to pray for him and pray that the doctors and nurses continue to care for him,"  Matijevic said.

The ashes will be used on Ash Wednesday, when Catholics can have the symbol of the cross placed on their foreheads to start the season of Lent. They’ll be offered numerous times at Holy Name Cathedral and around the archdiocese.