The Thursday before Easter
Holy Thursday 2027: what we celebrate and when it is
What do we celebrate on Holy Thursday?
On Holy Thursday we remember the Last Supper: on the night before he died, Jesus washed his apostles’ feet, gave us the Eucharist and the priesthood, and gave us the new commandment of love. With the evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper, Lent ends and the Easter Triduum begins, the three holiest days of the year. It is not a holy day of obligation, but many families go to Mass.
When is it?
- 2027
- Thursday, March 25, 2027
- 2028
- Thursday, April 13, 2028
What happened that night
Jesus was sharing the Passover supper with the Twelve in Jerusalem. During the meal he got up, tied a towel around his waist and, like a servant, washed their feet one by one. Peter didn’t want to let him, and Jesus explained that he was giving them an example: this is how they should serve one another (John 13:1-15). Then he took bread and said it was his body, and took the cup and said it was his blood, given for us, and he asked them to do this in memory of him (Luke 22:19-20).
Three gifts
That night Jesus left us three gifts that every parish still lives. The Eucharist: Jesus himself, truly present in the bread and wine consecrated at every Mass. The priesthood: by asking the apostles to do this in memory of him, he made them priests of the New Covenant. And the commandment of love: to love one another as he loved us (John 13:34). After supper he went to pray in the garden of Gethsemane, and there he was arrested (Matthew 26:36-56).
How it is celebrated in church
On Holy Thursday morning, or on another day shortly before, the bishop celebrates the Chrism Mass with his priests and blesses the holy oils used all year for baptisms, confirmations and the anointing of the sick. In the evening comes the Mass of the Lord’s Supper. The bells ring during the Gloria and then fall silent until the Easter Vigil, and in many parishes the priest washes the feet of some of the faithful, as Jesus did. At the end the Blessed Sacrament is carried in procession to a decorated altar of repose, the main altar is stripped bare, and people stay on to keep Jesus company in prayer.
How it is kept in Mexico and Spain
In Mexico, families love the visita de las siete casas: after the evening Mass they walk to seven churches and pray for a while before the Blessed Sacrament at each altar of repose, keeping Jesus company on the night he was arrested. In Spain people speak of visiting the monumentos, and in many cities the processions of the brotherhoods are already in the streets. Both customs come from the same wish: not to leave Jesus alone that night.
As a family
After dinner, read John 13:1-15 together. Then, with a basin of warm water and a towel, a parent washes the children’s feet (or hands), as Jesus did, and each person says whom they will serve this week, and how. If you can, go to the evening Mass together or visit the altar of repose, even for a few minutes.
To read more, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 610, 611, 1337, 1340.
Rosal has no lesson for Holy Thursday on its own. The Holy Week feast lesson, free for every family, tells it with the rest of the week, taught by Saint John the Apostle.
