Maundy Thursday

The Merriam-Webster online dictionary has an entry for Maundy Thursday. Its origins are traced to the Middle English maunde ceremony of washing the feet of the poor on the Thursday before Good Friday. The word "maundy" is supposedly taken from the Anglo-French mandet, from the Latin mandatum command. 

 

The Mass celebrating the Last Supper and the washing of the feet of the Apostles is held on Maundy Thursday. My memories of these Masses are mostly of those in Cabatuan, Iloilo, the hometown of my father, which I also consider my own hometown. It is usually a High Mass and in the province I appreciate that it is celebrated in a grand but still solemn fashion. A former mayor friend of my father's used to refer to these Masses as "misang Batman," a humorous allusion to the comic book superhero for the cape used by the parish priest during the Mass. 

 

I have good memories of many parts of the Mass being sung by the celebrant (back in the 80's and the 90's, that was Rev. Fr. Amado Escanan) who had an excellent baritone. The choir was also usually good but I remember a couple of soloists who had operatic voices (and clearly showed they had professional training to hone their talents), whom I was told were music teachers or professors from one of the older families of the town. One can really feel the essence of the Mass when it is sung and sung well. And I get it from the comments of the churchgoers that they too are appreciative of the efforts of the Parish Priest, the choir and the musicians to make this and other Masses a wonderful experience of faith. 

 

The Mass in Cabatuan usually started from 5:00 PM and ended around 7:00 PM depending on the length of the sermon, the ceremony of the washing of the feet, and the rites and procession for the Holy Sacrament after the Mass. The sermon may drag on depending on the message the priest would want to impart on the parishioners. There was one Maundy Thursday during an election period when the priest delivered a scathing sermon over 30 minutes (it felt even longer than that) admonishing politicians and candidates about their shortcomings and controversies they were involved in, and reminding everyone about responsibilities in the context of the season and mentioning the ceremony of the washing of the feet. There were even ceremonies of the washing when those whose feet were washed were not only those of the "Apostoles" but included candidates for local elections. 

 

I usually went with my Nanay Nene (Enriqueta Regidor), an elder sister of my father, and Manang Maya (Rebecca Brey) to the Mass and we usually entered the church by the side entrance near the altar. From there, we had a good vantage of the altar and the choir during the Mass and I can remember the strong smell of incense used throughout various stages of the celebration. This scent is embedded in my memory and I associate it with the High Masses in Cabatuan. After the Mass and the procession for the Holy Sacrament, we always walked back together with other relatives and friends (neighbors) to our house along Serrano Street. 

 

Passing through the plaza and other streets before reaching home, we see the preparations for Good Friday activities including the many still unfinished chapels for the stations of the cross that were set up at the intersections of streets surrounding the plaza. These chapels will be competing the following day when they will be all lighted up and choirs singing the pabasa beside them. It is a recent tradition (from the late 1980's) that has become an attraction not just for those who resided in Cabatuan but also from neighboring towns and even tourists from abroad. Once back at home, we usually shared a simple dinner and exchange stories well until late at night. Eventually, we go to our respective rooms to get some sleep in preparation for waking up early the following day for activities for Good Friday. 

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