Maundy Thursday receives its name from the mandatum (commandment) given by our Lord: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another” (JOHN 13:34). At the Last Supper, Jesus washed his disciples’ feet and commanded them to love and serve one another as he had done. This day commemorates the Lord’s example of servant ministry, the institution of the Eucharist, the agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, and the betrayal leading to the crucifixion.

Maundy Thursday includes a focus on the Last Supper, as the beginning of the Triduum or the Great Three Days; it is also the institution of the Lord’s Supper (Eucharist, Communion). A foot washing service is included, and the service ends with the Stripping of the Altar.