K
Kendy
Guest
If I recall, the reason Jesus watched their feet was too show that authority means service. Jesus is not ordaining his apostles, he is showing how to be servants to their flock— men and women.
Kendy
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Kendy
P
paramedicgirl
Guest
The feminists just don’t get it. The act of washing the feet on Holy Thursday has nothing to do with equality. Why do some women have to equate this action with unfairness?
About washing the feet of women on Holy Thursday: Answered by Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy at the Regina Apostolorum Pontifical Athenaeum.
“It is certainly true that in Christ there is neither male nor female and that all disciples are equal before the Lord. But this reality need not be expressed in every rite, especially one that is so tied up to the concrete historical circumstances of the Last Supper.”
Any modification of this rite would require permission from the Holy See.
K
Kendy
Guest
All disciples are equal before the Lord, but… Always with the but, perhaps, some of us are just tired of the BUT.
Kendy
M
MrS
Guest
finally, some one hit the nail (not the toenail) on the head
Women were not there at the Last Supper, because both the Sacrament of the Eucharist, and the Sacrament of Priestly Ordination were given by Christ Himself.
The women who expect to have the humbleness shown to them that Christ showed to His selected male Apostles is just another fruit of the liberal lay movement abusing the Church… after all, they can distribute communion… so many demand to confect the Eucharist too!!!:banghead::bigyikes:
ain’t gonna happen…
D
dympnha
Guest
My parish does but only on two conditions. The lady has to wear pants and she has to remove her sock/stocking herself. Our rector has made it clear that he is not going to be photographed peeling off a stocking and he doesn’t want to deal with a skirt either. Even the more aggressive feminists at church have agreed that this pretty reasonable.
M
Marilena
Guest
This might sound dumb to you who are knowledgeable, but until this thread came out, I had never even heard of the practice of womens
feet being washed in church, nor mens for that matter.
When did it start may I ask? Please, forgive my ignorance!
feet being washed in church, nor mens for that matter.
When did it start may I ask? Please, forgive my ignorance!
P
paramedicgirl
Guest
Not sure when it started, but it is past time for it to end!This might sound dumb to you who are knowledgeable, but until this thread came out, I had never even heard of the practice of womens
feet being washed in church, nor mens for that matter.
K
Kelly
Guest
I just found this response to the question of washing women’s feet, and the permission given to Cardinal O’Malley in Boston. The permission to wash women’s feet was given for a specific bishop, in a specific diocese, not as a universal permission for the rest of the Church.
zenit.org/english/
ZENIT - The World Seen From Rome
Date: 2006-03-28
Washing of the Feet on Holy Thursday
And More on Days of Abstinence
ROME, MARCH 28, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Answered by Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy at the Regina Apostolorum university.
Q: I understand that it is in fact liturgically incorrect to have the main celebrant at the Holy Thursday Mass wash the feet of women. Correct? – J.C., Ballina, Ireland. During the Holy Thursday liturgy at our parish, there are a number of foot-washing stations set up around the Church, and the people in the pews get up and bring someone else to one of the stations and wash their feet. Most of the people in Church take part in this, washing feet and in turn having their feet washed. It takes quite a while. Is this liturgically correct? Are there any norms for foot-washing during the Holy Thursday Mass? – B.S., Naperville, Illinois. On Holy Thursday, at the washing of feet, the people, mostly youth, after having their foot washed, preceded to wash the next person’s foot. Then they placed four bowls of water and four places before the altar, and the congregation was told to come forward and have their hands washed by the same people who just had their foot washed. We didn’t. Everything felt out of order. – E.K., Freehold, New Jersey
A: We already addressed the theme of washing women’s feet in our column of March 23, 2004, and the subsequent follow-up on April 6.
Since then, there has been no change in the universal norm which reserves this rite to men as stated in the circular letter “Paschales Solemnitatis” (Jan. 16, 1988) and the rubrics of the 2002 Latin Roman Missal.
No. 51 of the circular letter states: “The washing of the feet of chosen men which, according to tradition, is performed on this day, represents the service and charity of Christ, who came ‘not to be served, but to serve.’ This tradition should be maintained, and its proper significance explained.”
About a year ago, however, the Holy See, while affirming that the men-only rule remains the norm, did permit a U.S. bishop to also wash women’s feet if he considered it pastorally necessary in specific cases. This permission was for a particular case and from a strictly legal point of view has no value outside the diocese in question.
I believe that the best option, as “Paschales Solemnitatis” states, is to maintain the tradition and explain its proper significance.
This means preparing the rite following liturgical law to the letter, explain its meaning as an evocation of Christ’s gesture of service and charity to his apostles, and avoid getting embroiled in controversies that try to attribute to the rite meanings it was never meant to have.
Regarding the place and number of those whose feet are to be washed, the rubric, which has remained unvaried in the new missal, describes the rite as follows:
"Depending on pastoral circumstances, the washing of feet may follow the homily.
“The men who have been chosen are led by the ministers to chairs prepared in a suitable place. Then the priest (removing his chasuble if necessary) goes to each man. With the help of the ministers he pours water over each one’s feet and dries them.”
The number of men selected for the rite is not fixed. Twelve is the most common option but they may be fewer in order to adjust to the available space.
Likewise the place chosen is usually within or near the presbytery so that the rite is clearly visible to the assembly.
Thus, the logical sense of the rubric requires the priest, representing Christ, washing feet of a group of men taken from the assembly, symbolizing the apostles, in a clearly visible area.
The variations described above – of washing the feet of the entire congregation, of people washing each other’s feet (or hands), or doing so in situations that are not visible to all – tend to undermine the sense of this rite within the concrete context of the Mass of the Lord’s Supper.
Such practices, by greatly extending the time required, tend to convert a meaningful, but optional, rite into the focal point of the celebration. And that detracts attention from the commemoration of the institution of the Eucharist on Holy Thursday, the principal motive of the celebration.
In other circumstances, such as retreats or so called para-liturgical services, it can be perfectly legitimate to perform foot-washing rites inspired by Christ’s example and by the liturgy. In such cases none of the limitations imposed by the concrete liturgical context of the Holy Thursday Mass need apply.
zenit.org/english/
ZENIT - The World Seen From Rome
Date: 2006-03-28
Washing of the Feet on Holy Thursday
And More on Days of Abstinence
ROME, MARCH 28, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Answered by Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy at the Regina Apostolorum university.
Q: I understand that it is in fact liturgically incorrect to have the main celebrant at the Holy Thursday Mass wash the feet of women. Correct? – J.C., Ballina, Ireland. During the Holy Thursday liturgy at our parish, there are a number of foot-washing stations set up around the Church, and the people in the pews get up and bring someone else to one of the stations and wash their feet. Most of the people in Church take part in this, washing feet and in turn having their feet washed. It takes quite a while. Is this liturgically correct? Are there any norms for foot-washing during the Holy Thursday Mass? – B.S., Naperville, Illinois. On Holy Thursday, at the washing of feet, the people, mostly youth, after having their foot washed, preceded to wash the next person’s foot. Then they placed four bowls of water and four places before the altar, and the congregation was told to come forward and have their hands washed by the same people who just had their foot washed. We didn’t. Everything felt out of order. – E.K., Freehold, New Jersey
A: We already addressed the theme of washing women’s feet in our column of March 23, 2004, and the subsequent follow-up on April 6.
Since then, there has been no change in the universal norm which reserves this rite to men as stated in the circular letter “Paschales Solemnitatis” (Jan. 16, 1988) and the rubrics of the 2002 Latin Roman Missal.
No. 51 of the circular letter states: “The washing of the feet of chosen men which, according to tradition, is performed on this day, represents the service and charity of Christ, who came ‘not to be served, but to serve.’ This tradition should be maintained, and its proper significance explained.”
About a year ago, however, the Holy See, while affirming that the men-only rule remains the norm, did permit a U.S. bishop to also wash women’s feet if he considered it pastorally necessary in specific cases. This permission was for a particular case and from a strictly legal point of view has no value outside the diocese in question.
I believe that the best option, as “Paschales Solemnitatis” states, is to maintain the tradition and explain its proper significance.
This means preparing the rite following liturgical law to the letter, explain its meaning as an evocation of Christ’s gesture of service and charity to his apostles, and avoid getting embroiled in controversies that try to attribute to the rite meanings it was never meant to have.
Regarding the place and number of those whose feet are to be washed, the rubric, which has remained unvaried in the new missal, describes the rite as follows:
"Depending on pastoral circumstances, the washing of feet may follow the homily.
“The men who have been chosen are led by the ministers to chairs prepared in a suitable place. Then the priest (removing his chasuble if necessary) goes to each man. With the help of the ministers he pours water over each one’s feet and dries them.”
The number of men selected for the rite is not fixed. Twelve is the most common option but they may be fewer in order to adjust to the available space.
Likewise the place chosen is usually within or near the presbytery so that the rite is clearly visible to the assembly.
Thus, the logical sense of the rubric requires the priest, representing Christ, washing feet of a group of men taken from the assembly, symbolizing the apostles, in a clearly visible area.
The variations described above – of washing the feet of the entire congregation, of people washing each other’s feet (or hands), or doing so in situations that are not visible to all – tend to undermine the sense of this rite within the concrete context of the Mass of the Lord’s Supper.
Such practices, by greatly extending the time required, tend to convert a meaningful, but optional, rite into the focal point of the celebration. And that detracts attention from the commemoration of the institution of the Eucharist on Holy Thursday, the principal motive of the celebration.
In other circumstances, such as retreats or so called para-liturgical services, it can be perfectly legitimate to perform foot-washing rites inspired by Christ’s example and by the liturgy. In such cases none of the limitations imposed by the concrete liturgical context of the Holy Thursday Mass need apply.
J
jmb100
Guest
after reading through these comments, i can not believe that i have come here to seek answers from what i thought were knowledgeable intelligent people…it sickens me to read one comment that said women and children should be seen and not heard, and then another said, except of course to cook meals. wow, i really did not know there are people out there like you…i know alot of people, and i have not seriously run into anyone like this…except maybe a very old asian man who can not speak a lick of english and is still living in the times where women were just chattle…i feel bad for you.
L
LighthouseRon
Guest
What one needs to remember is this is a public forum with all different points of view, not all being in line with catholic teaching. I’ve found attitudes of some folks just plain offensive and have learned this isn’t the best place to find true catholic teaching. It is there, but it is mixed in with so much other questionable information that’s it’s tough to sort through it all.
P
paramedicgirl
Guest
I’m pretty sure those people were being sarcastic. they should have used an icon
rolleyes: ) to relate their intention. If you click on their user name and read their past posts, you will see that they have feminist viewpoints, and were surely being sarcastic.
J
JKirkLVNV
Guest
Not so, Mr. S: I’m not saying we should or should not wash the feet of women on Holy Thursday. We simply cannot definitively say that they were not present in the Cenacle at the Last Supper. We cannot definitively say they WERE present, either. They simply weren’t mentioned. The women weren’t mentioned that often anyway. What we do know of them is that they were among His disciples (as opposed to His Apostles, an important distinction), and that they contributed to the material needs of Our Lord and those who moved about with Him. They may well have been present (as a species, we generally stick women with the cooking and the cleaning up, which is at least an anthropological argument for them having been there) and He may well have washed their feet. The only example as per the washing of the feet that we have is that He washed Saint Peter’s and we are lead to believe that He washed at least the other apostle’s feet as well. We don’t know if the other “disciples” got their feet washed by the Savior as well.
J
JKirkLVNV
Guest
F
frommi
Guest
Perhaps we need to not look at this as a matter of equality or feminism.
Rather, look at the church, which is clear in its teachings that we need men and women to serve in complementary roles in society.
Doesn’t it follow then that we need men and women involved in such important liturgical movements as this?
The celebration of the institution of the priesthood really happens in a much more distinct way at the Chrism mass.
And keep in mind that John’s Gospel never mentions the institution of the Eucharist, so maybe we are getting it right when we put this once a year moment in its proper context.
Rather, look at the church, which is clear in its teachings that we need men and women to serve in complementary roles in society.
Doesn’t it follow then that we need men and women involved in such important liturgical movements as this?
The celebration of the institution of the priesthood really happens in a much more distinct way at the Chrism mass.
And keep in mind that John’s Gospel never mentions the institution of the Eucharist, so maybe we are getting it right when we put this once a year moment in its proper context.
S
Sirach14
Guest
Women are going to be turned off by this. why are they being left out?
charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/news/14228901.htm
charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/news/14228901.htm
C
CatholicCid
Guest
Of course, without men, no priests
I think this is just a small issue that will be blown out of proportion…
“Beyond foot-washing, he said, the issue is the role of women in the church.”
B
Brendan
Guest
The directions from the Vatican use the word *‘viri selecti’ * or ‘selected men’.
The word viri can only mean males in Latin, which differes from the Latin word ‘Homo’ which means mankind or peole of both genders.
C
Corki
Guest
I am a woman and I am not turned off by this. Just the opposite. It makes me want to move to Charlotte. 
Maybe I could just go there from Ash Wednesday until Easter Sunday.
In our diocese, for some reason, Lent and the Tridium seem to bring out all the crazy “creative” liturgists. Washing women’s feet is the least of our problems.
Maybe I could just go there from Ash Wednesday until Easter Sunday.In our diocese, for some reason, Lent and the Tridium seem to bring out all the crazy “creative” liturgists. Washing women’s feet is the least of our problems.
B
baltobetsy
Guest
Me, too. There’s something very attractive about obedience.
Betsy
A
asquared
Guest
if women feel left out because they will not be having thier feet washed on Holy Thursday the person upon whom they should vent their anger is Jesus Christ. He only invited men to be his apostles, so they were the only ones invited to the Last Supper. Only 12 men are selected for Holy Thursday, should the rest of the congregation, men and women, feel left out and offended?
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