Maundy Thursday

The Mass of the Lord's Supper on Maundy Thursday, when we celebrate the institution of the Eucharist and the Priesthood and the giving of the new commandment, the Mandatum from which the Mass of the day gets its name, was celebrated by 4 priests in my parish. Fr. Marshall our parish priest concelebrated the Mass with Fr. Decroix, MEP, Fr. Paul Cheong, OFM. Cap, and Fr. Ross Naylor, Chaplain to the Royal Australian Air Force in Penang.

As formator for the Confirmation year students, I requested places for my students and the class was represented by 3 students.

Those who came for the rehearsal adhered to the dress code.

Fr. Paul was the main celebrated and performed the Washing of the Feet.

There were so many extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion that one could be excused for thinking that Jesus instituted that ministry today as well.

After the Mass, the Blessed Sacrament was processed out into the Garden Shrine of Our Lady where we kept watch with the Lord.

Keeping watch with the Lord and commemorating Jesus' Agony in the Garden in the Garden Shrine. Fortunately there was no rain as it had been raining the previous few days.

An ancient pious Catholic practice on Holy Thursday is to visit the various Churches to pray before the Lord. Although I remained in the parish (practicing the Lamentations which is a surprisingly difficult piece with tons of melismas on each syllable), my camera made the tour of the Churches.

These were all I managed to salvage. I think the photographer was drunk, or has Alzheimer's.

Church of Our Lady of Sorrows.

Church of the Risen Christ, Air Itam.

Church of St. Francis Xavier.

At midnight, the Blessed Sacrament was taken to the place of reservation in the sacristy.

Ombrellino, baby! The ombrellino is actually used when the Blessed Sacrament is moved within the Church proper, but since the distance was short and only a couple of servers were available, it was used outside in this case as well as using the processional canopy wasn't feasible. As a parish, we're pretty well equipped. It's just that no one bothers to use the stuff available.