‘He is offering us nourishment, strength, eternal life, and full union in divine love,’ Cardinal Tobin on Holy Thursday
Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., Archbishop of Newark, celebrated a bilingual Holy Thursday liturgy at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark on April 6.
Holy Thursday, also known as Maundy Thursday, is the first day of the Triduum and one of the liturgies during Holy Week in which the Lord’s Supper is celebrated. Holy Thursday also recounts Jesus Christ’s washing of his disciples’ feet and the importance of the ritual of the Eucharist.
The crucifix, which hangs at the Cathedral’s altar, was covered in a purple cloth in preparation for the Good Friday liturgy. At the end of the Mass, the consecrated Eucharist is placed on the Altar of Repose rather than the tabernacle so that the focus is on the cross, not the Eucharist.
Olfary Gutierrez, director of the Hispanic Music Ministry, led the Cathedral choir, singing in both English and Spanish. Father Bismarck Chau, the rector of the Cathedral Basilica, and Father John Barno, the parochial vicar of the Cathedral Basilica concelebrated the liturgy.
Article continues after video
The first reading read in English was from Exodus 12, which explains the significance of the ritual of Passover. The second reading read in Spanish was the first book of Corinthians 11, which is a letter from Saint Paul discussing the Eucharist. The Gospel reading read in English and Spanish was from John 13 which tells of Jesus washing his disciples’ feet and helping prepare them for what is to come.
In his homily, Cardinal Tobin reminded liturgical participants that one of the greatest signs of the merciful presence of the Lord is present in the Eucharistic.
“He is offering us nourishment, strength, eternal life, and full union in divine love,” Cardinal Tobin said. The ritual washing of the feet awakens a desire to serve others because the Lord has given it to us as a mark of discipleship, he said.
After completing the homily, Cardinal Tobin washed the right foot of 12 people. Each person hovered their foot over a basin as a kneeling Cardinal Tobin poured water, rubbed their feet, and dried them with a white towel.
After the Prayer after Communion, Cardinal Tobin knelt at the altar, incensed the Eucharist, and covered the ciborium with the ends of a humeral veil. The conclusion of Holy Thursday was a procession from the altar, circling behind the main altar. The Cathedral choir led the procession, singing Pange Lingua Gloriosi and holding candles. Parishioners followed the procession into the Lady Chapel, where Cardinal Tobin transferred the Eucharist to the Altar of Repose. People gathered in the Chapel for silent adoration.
To watch the full liturgy, watch it here: Holy Thursday (Mass of the Lord’s Supper) / Jueves Santo (Misa de la Cena del Señor)
Photos and video by Julio Eduardo Herrera
