It is believed that the term "maundy" is derived from the Latin for Jesus' new command to love one another (mandatum novum), or possibly the verb "to wash" (mundo). This is the day we follow the example of Jesus by humbly serving one another in the symbolic foot washing. This is also the day we remember the institution of the Lord's Supper. We gather, as Jesus and his disciples did, for a communal meal (6 p.m., hosted by the Vestry), before our Maundy Thursday liturgy at 7 p.m. Click here to read the Rev. Greg Foraker's reflections on our Maundy Thursday observances.




In the Episcopal church, Good Friday is one of the days in the church calendar set aside for "special acts of discipline and self-denial" (BCP p. 17). Traditionally that has been understood to mean fasting and attendance at church at some time during the day or evening. Click here to read the Rev. Canon John E. Kitagawa's reflections on our Good Friday observances, specifically the three-hour "Seven Last Words" service from noon to 3 p.m. There is also a Children's Way of the Cross at 5:30 p.m. in the Children's Center Courtyard, and a simple Good Friday service at 7 p.m.

Holy Saturday begins as "Holy Sabbath" or the Great Sabbath, an empty day. The Church, at the Lord's tomb, meditates on his suffering and death, awaiting, in faith, his victorious triumph over death. We mark this waiting with a quiet, meditative service at 11 a.m. in the Columbarium Garden.

Then in the evening, at 7 p.m., we transition to the celebration of the resurrection with the Great Vigil of Easter, one of the oldest services in the Christian Church. Click here to read the Rev. Vicki Hesse's reflections on our Holy Saturday observances.