Lenten Station Church
Holy Thursday
St. John Lateran
(San Giovanni in Laterano)

This is our 3rd visit to the Archbasilica of St John Lateran during the Lenten Calendar. On the first two occasions, the First Sunday in Lent and on Palm Sunday, we discussed the historical background and the grandeur of this magnificent structure. Today, being Holy Thursday, we will focus on the traditional events that occur on this day in the Roman Catholic Church. Archbasilica of St John Lateran Jesus Washing the Feet of the Apostles The Foot-Washing Ritual is Still Practiced Today Holy Thursday is the feast that marks the end of Lent and the beginning of the Holy Triduum, which also includes Good Friday, Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday. At the Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper, Catholics remember the Passover meal when Jesus instituted the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist by sharing bread and wine with his disciples. In accordance with Christian tradition, the foot-washing ceremony takes place at this time. The purpose of the event is to recreate the act of Jesus Christ washing the feet of the 12 disciples, thus showing his humility and love for all people. Following the Mass of the Lord's Supper, the Blessed Sacrament is placed on the Altar of Repose in the church for Adoration. The faithful then visit seven churches to pray before the Blessed Sacrament in each church. The origin of the Seven Churches Visitation is typically credited to St Philip Neri. It is practiced by Catholics around the world and is a powerful way to spend time in adoration, meditating on Christ’s sacrifice of love for the salvation of souls in preparation for the joy of Easter. The visit to the seven churches is said to correspond to each of the stations that were made by Jesus between the Last Supper to His crucifixion on the cross. The seven stations consist 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. St John Lateran will be visited 2 more times during the Lenten Calendar - Holy Saturday and the Saturday Within the Octave of Easter. Reference: 'A Holy Thursday Tradition: Pilgrimage to Seven Churches' on TodaysCatholic.org 'Washing Feet on Holy Thursday' on ElrenoSacredHeart.com All Photographs are from Commons.WikiMedia.org Roman Basilicas - St. John Lateran E12 (1949) 46th Eucharistic Congress; Wroclaw Poland - Last Supper 1047 (1997) Towards Holy Year 2000 - The Last Supper 1083 (1998) Travels of Pope John Paul II (2000) - The Last Supper 1187 (2001) Restoration of Sistine Chapel - The Last Supper 1216 (2002) 49th Eucharistic Congress; Quebec City Wedding at Cana, Washing of the Feet, Last Supper 1386 (2008) Three Notable Saints - St Philip of Neri 995 (1995)