On Maundy Thursday, Bishop Nicholas Hudson visited HMP Channings Wood, a men’s prison near Newton Abbot in Devon. He was accompanied by lead Prison Chaplain, Fr Anthony Onuoha. At the prison, Bishop Nicholas celebrated a Liturgy of the Word, during which he washed the feet of twelve prisoners.
“We wash each other’s feet because Jesus told us to; and because it reminds us we are servants,” Bishop Nicholas told them.
“Did you know that Jesus spent his last night on earth in prison?” he asked the prisoners. “I’ve seen the kind of place: it’s a hole in the ground; and it’s awful. He comes to be with you today to wash your feet as a way of saying, ‘Know that I am with you; I suffer with you’. And he calls us to treat our neighbour, even our fellow-prisoner, with respect.”
“Maundy” comes from the Latin mandatum, or commandment, reflecting Jesus’ words “A new commandment I give you, that you love one another as I have loved you.” [John 13:34]. Maundy Thursday begins the Easter Triduum, the period which commemorates the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus; this period includes Good Friday and Holy Saturday, and ends on the evening of Easter. The liturgy commemorates the Washing of the Feet and Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles.
You can read more about Maundy Thursday on the Catholic Bishop’s Conference website.
