Bishop washes feet of Norwich cathedral congregation

The Bishop of East Anglia washed the feet of 12 members of the congregation at the Cathedral of St John the Baptist in Norwich last night (April 13), in the traditional Maundy Thursday Mass of the Lord's Supper.

Bishop Alan Hopesknelt to wash, dry and kiss their feet following the example of Jesus, who did the same to his 12 disciples at the Last Supper, the day before he was crucified.

In his homily, Bishop Alan said: "During the Last Supper, in Jesus Christ, God the creator kneels down in front of his creature to serve him. He stoops to perform the work of a slave and washes the feet of his disciples.

"The Eucharist and the washing of the disciples' feet cannot be understood without the other. When we eat the Lord's body and drink his blood, we are united with the one who emptied himself of his divinity in order to accept the condition of a slave. From the Eucharist, Jesus sends us out to follow his example ' to spend our lives in showing unconditional love and humble service to all our fellow brothers and sisters."

Holy Communion was followed by a procession and the transfer of the most blessed sacrament.

Pictured above is Bishop Alan Hopes washing the feet of 12 congregation members at St John's Cathedral in Norwich. Below is a picture gallery of the Mass, or click here to view.

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