Wow did the pace of things pick up on Maundy Thursday! We started out the morning by heading to the Holy Sepulcher for an Orthodox Foot Washing ceremony. The ceremony is held to remember and re-enact Jesus's washing of the disciple's feet on the night of the last supper. The ceremony in held on the Parva, the large court yard outside the entrance to the church. We never made it into the court yard because, an hour before the scheduled start of the ceremony, it was already full. So we turned right, went up a few stairs, and attended a Coptic ceremony instead. There was room for us to sit, lots of chanting, lots of changes of vestments, but I had to leave 75 minutes into the ceremony (because of the Chrism Mass at Saint George's Cathedral) without seeing any feet being washed. In the afternoon we attended another Foot Washing ceremony at the Armenian Cathedral. There were places to sit for (only) the clergy, there was lots of very good chanting, lots of incense, and the Armenian Patriarch washed the feet of his bishops. Then in the evening we attended the Foot Washing Mass at Saint George's Cathedral--our pilgrims and course leader were among the 12 representatives of the people who had their feet washed by our Diocesan Bishop, Suhiel Dawani. By the time we made it to bed, we had been into the Old City twice, and attended 3 (some of us 4) substantial liturgies.
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