St. Joseph Chaldean Cathedral in Ankawa Celebrates Holy Thursday
St. Joseph Chaldean Cathedral in Ankawa Celebrates Holy Thursday (Mass of the Lord’s Supper) Presided Over by Bishop Bashar Warda
On the evening of Thursday, April 2, St. Joseph Chaldean Cathedral celebrated the Mass of Holy Thursday, marking the beginning of the Paschal Triduum, with a large gathering of faithful who came together in prayer and reflection on the mystery of the Eucharist and the gift of love and service.
The celebration was presided over by His Excellency Bishop Bashar Warda, head of the Archdiocese, assisted by Fr. Savo Handola. The Mass included the rite of the washing of the disciples’ feet, recalling Christ the servant who humbled Himself to wash the feet of His disciples, giving a living example of humble love.
In his homily, His Excellency offered prayers for the Archdiocese and its priests, congratulating them on their feast and emphasizing the importance of faithfulness to vocation and service in the life of the Church. He also reflected on the first reading from the Book of Exodus, where God Himself established the Passover for His people to live the memory of salvation and passage. He noted that the Lord Jesus, in the fullness of time, prepared a new Passover and asked His disciples to prepare it according to His word, for He Himself is the true Passover.
His Excellency added that God, who created man from the dust of the earth and breathed into him the breath of life by His word, is the same who took bread, blessed it, and made it His Body, granting us new life in the Eucharist. He affirmed that this sacrament is the heart of the Christian faith and the source of its strength.
At the conclusion of the Mass, His Excellency led the Eucharistic procession, preceded by the servers and deacons, in a faith-filled procession expressing the living presence of Christ among His people. In an atmosphere of reverence and prayer, the faithful accompanied the procession with their prayers and meditation, preparing to enter into the mystery of the Lord’s Passion and Resurrection.
