HOLY THURSDAY - April 21, 7:30 pm

HOLY THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 7:30 pm
Mass of the Lord’s Supper

HOLY THURSDAY is the most complex and profound of all religious observances, saving only the Easter Vigil. It celebrates the institution of the EUCHARIST, the institution of the PRIESTHOOD and provides a visible reminder of our mission to serve one another in imitation of Christ.

The evening of Holy Thursday Liturgy, marks the end of Lent and the beginning of the “SACRED TRIDUUM" of Holy Week, which culminates in the Easter Vigil, and concludes with the celebration of Easter day.

This is the MASS OF THE LORD’S SUPPER, the meal shared by Jesus and his disciples on the night before he was crucified. It was the occasion of his institution of the Eucharist, when he identified the broken bread with his body and the cup of wine with his blood of the new Covenant.

Included in the liturgy is the Washing of the Feet. The Lord Jesus washed the feet of his disciples at the Last Supper as a sign of the new commandment that Christians should love one another. This is to show the Lord's commandment about fraternal charity.

The action of the Church on this night also witnesses to the Church's esteem for Christ's Body present in the consecrated Host in the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, carried in solemn procession to the Altar of Repose, where it will remain "entombed" until the communion service on Good Friday. No Mass will be celebrated again in the Church until the Easter Vigil proclaims the Resurrection.

And finally, there is the continued Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament by the people during the night. In some church traditions all of the altar coverings and decorations are removed after the Eucharist is served on Holy Thursday. Since the altar in these traditions symbolize the Christ, the "stripping of the altar" symbolizes the abandonment of Jesus by his disciples and the stripping of Jesus by the soldiers prior to his crucifixion.