On Thursday 9th April, Fr John Moore organised a ‘Maundy Thursday Watch’ via the church’s website.
In normal circumstances, the Watch would occur in the Lady Chapel of St Stephen’s Church (which has been converted into an ‘Altar of Repose’), following the Sung Mass of Maundy Thursday.
At the end of the Mass, the ablutions are completed at the High Altar, but the priest leaves some consecrated Host and places the pyx in the ciborium.
The freshly-consecrated Host is censed, and a veil is placed on the ciborium.
The priest takes the ciborium to the Lady Chapel, accompanied by selected members of the congregation.
The Host is placed in the Tabernacle on the Altar of the Lady Chapel.
The priest then returns to the sanctuary as the High Altar is stripped bare. He leads the congregation in an antiphonal reading of Psalm 22.
After this, various members of the congregation stay behind to take turns in the Watch, which lasts throughout the evening.
As they participate in the Watch, worshippers are in the presence of the Host which has been laid in the Altar of Repose, and read selected gospel passages and psalms, provided in a booklet.
Those who would like to participate in the Watch this evening are invited to use the booklet given here:
Maundy Thursday Watch – Year A
The sermon for the Maundy Thursday Sung Mass may be found in the ‘Sermons’ section of the website, along with the other homilies that have been given during Holy Week.
