Following Pope Francis’s example of humility and forgiveness, Saint Patrick Catholic Church wants to give everyone the opportunity to experience the grace and humility of having one’s feet washed.
Serving One Another
The foot washing ceremony represents how all disciples should serve one another based on the example of Jesus. Join us on April 13, 2017 at Holy Thursday Mass at Saint Patrick Catholic Church.
All Are Welcome
Six chairs will be lined up in front of the altar with 6 designated foot washers. Six participants from the assembly will have their feet washed and return to their seats. While the six individuals have their feet washed the ushers will invite anyone who wishes to have their feet washed to come forward. Persons on the side pews will walk to the back of the Church and up the front aisles to get their feet washed and then return to their side pews.
All persons participating in the foot washing are asked to remove their shoes and socks while still in their pews before proceeding to the altar. Participants will return to their pews barefoot and put their shoes and socks back on in the pew.
Act of Love & A Concern for Humanity
Pope Francis said that in the “washing the apostles’ feet, Jesus wanted to reveal the way God acts toward us and give an example of his new commandment of loving one another as he loved us, that is, by giving his life for us.” He continued to say, “when you forget yourself and think of others, that’s love. And with the washing of feet, the Lord teaches us to be servants.”
Last year, Pope Francis will washed the feet of refugees on Holy Thursday in Rome. “His symbolic gestures this year [2016], as in the past, come from the depth of his heart and are aimed at highlighting particular areas of great concern for humanity, in the hope of awakening consciences,” notes Gerard O’Connell, Associate Editor/Vatican Correspondent in an article for the America— the National Catholic Review.
The Three Pillars of the Catholic Faith
Holy Thursday is the oldest of the celebrations of Holy Week. It is the day on which Catholics commemorate the institution of three pillars of the Catholic Faith— the Sacrament of Holy Communion, the priesthood, and the Mass.
During the Last Supper, Christ blessed the bread and wine with the very words that Catholic and Orthodox priests use today to consecrate the Body and Blood of Christ during the Mass and the Divine Liturgy. In telling His disciples to “Do this in remembrance of Me,” He instituted the Mass, the Sacrament of Holy Communion and the priesthood.
Where Does the Name Maundy Thursday Come From?
Near the end of the Last Supper, after Judas had departed, Christ said to His disciples, “A new commandment I give unto you: That you love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” The Latin word for “commandment,” mandatum became the source for another name for Holy Thursday, Maundy Thursday. “Amore,” or love, “is the concrete service we render to one another,” said Pope Francis on March 12, 2016 during a special general audience for the Year of Mercy.
Chrism Mass
Typically on Holy Thursday or on a day shortly preceeding Holy Thursday if it works better for the diocese, the priests of each diocese or archdiocese gather with their bishop to consecrate holy oils, which are used throughout the year for the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Orders, and the Anointing of the Sick. This ancient practice, which goes back to the fifth century, is known as the Chrism Mass. Chrism is a mixture of oil and balsam used for the holy oils and stresses the role of the bishop as a successor to the apostles. Saint Patrick Catholic Church obtained its consecrated oils at the Chrism Mass at St. James Cathedral in Seattle on April 6, 2017.
Let’s Pray Together
Learn more about Holy Thursday. Let’s pray together at the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Thursday, April 13, 2017 at 7 P.M. at Saint Patrick Catholic Church.
Update
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