Christ's gift of himself is made really and truly present at every Eucharist
Photos and video from Maundy Thursday 2026 at St George’s Cathedral with Archbishop John
Archbishop John Wilson celebrated the Mass of the Lord's Supper at St George's Cathedral on Maundy Thursday, which commemorates the night on which the Lord Jesus instituted the Eucharist and the priesthood.
He washed the feet of members of the faithful, recalling Our Lord's command that his followers serve one another as he had served them. Following Mass, the Blessed Sacrament was carried in solemn procession to the Altar of Repose, where the faithful were invited to keep watch in prayer.
Preaching at the Mass, Archbishop John said:
"The self-giving of Christ in the Last Supper and his self-offering on the Cross are intimately connected. The Eucharist, the Holy Mass, makes present the once and for all sacrifice of Christ offered on the Cross of Calvary. On the night the Lord Jesus was betrayed, which is the night we are commemorating this evening, Jesus gave himself in a Eucharistic offering, where the bread he took became his Body, and the wine he took became his Blood.
"Why did he do this? My friends, he did this to extend sacramentally through every age the offering of his Body and Blood on the Cross until he comes again. But what does this mean for us? It means this: that every time we come to Mass, we are taken back to what happened that first Maundy Thursday, that first Good Friday.
"Christ's gift of himself is made really and truly present at every Eucharist. Every Mass, says the Catechism, is the memorial of his death and resurrection. As we say in the acclamation: When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup, we proclaim your Death, O Lord, until you come again.
