Celebrating Maundy Thursday

The altar of repose at Holy Innocents Church

After Holy Confession, Eucharistic Adoration, Stations of the Cross, Holy Rosary, and the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass Thursday afternoon at the Shrine Church of the Holy Innocents (128 West 37th St.) in Manhattan, members of the Fratelli della Santa Fede visited nearby St. Francis of Assisi Church (135 W 31st St.) and St. John the Baptist Church (213 W 30th St.), where we spent time in quiet prayer and meditation.

Exposition of the Holy Eucharist at Holy Innocents Church

Traditionally the faithful are suppose to make a pilgrimage to seven different churches on Holy Thursday in remembrance of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane; Jesus bound and taken before Annas; Jesus taken before the High Priest, Caiaphas; Jesus taken before Pilate; Jesus taken before Herod; Jesus taken before Pilate again; and Jesus given the crown of thorns and led to His Crucifixion at Golgotha.

Veiled statue of the Dead Christ with flowers at Holy Innocents Church

Sometimes I take for granted how good we have it at Holy Innocents and how devout our parish priests are. The neighboring churches we visited did not veil the Crucifixes, statues or images of the saints. While it made for “good” pictures, I would rather that they kept the pious traditions of Passiontide and return another time to see the sacred art.

(Above & below) Chapel of the Pietà near the
entrance of St. Francis of Assisi Church

(Above & below) Beautiful mosaics depicting
the Paschal Mystery adorn the chapel

(Above & below) The St. Anthony Chapel near
the entrance of St. Francis of Assisi Church

(Above & below) Beautiful mosaics depicting
the life of St. Anthony adorn the chapel

(L-R) Holy Face of Jesus and St. Francis of Assisi
in the basement of St. Francis of Assisi Church

(L-R) Infant of Prague and St. Anthony of Padua
in the basement of St. Francis of Assisi Church

Near the entrance of St. John the Baptist church stands statues
of St. Michael the Archangel and St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina

Padre Pio reliquary

Reliquaries containing (L) Padre Pio's glove and (R) sock

A close-up of Padre Pio's glove