The Watch of the Passion in St Paul's Pro Cathedral, Valletta


The Altar of Repose in the Pro Cathedral of St Paul, Valletta
Maundy Thursday is the day in Holy Week when we commemoration the Last Supper of Jesus Christ, when he established the sacrament of Holy Communion prior to his arrest and crucifixion. So within the solemn rites of the sacred three days (Triduum) a central observance of the Holy Thursday liturgy is the commemoration of the institution of the Eucharist.

At the conclusion of the mass there is a procession with the Blessed Sacrament to the Chapel of Repose, where the Sacrament is present to remind us of our Lord's time in the Garden of Gethsemane where he prayed before his arrest and crucifixion. In the Christian tradition the faithful join in silent prayer, watching and waiting with Christ. 

In the Pro Cathedral of St Paul in Valletta, Malta, members of the congregation kept watch, and many others who may have entered the Church out of curiosity or simply out of a sense that Christians were observing something holy this week, joined with them, in quietness, in the presence of Our Lord. 


The quiet, prayerful tradition of the Church continues to be truly converting. 

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