The “Maundy” of Maundy Thursday comes from the Mandatum, the new commandment Jesus gave his Apostles after washing their feet at the Last Supper–love one another as I have loved you. The ceremonial re-enactment of Jesus’ humility was not part of the parish celebration of Holy Thursday in Pre-Reformation England. It was performed...
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The Catholic Church in England before the Reformation used some adaptations of the Latin or Roman Rite called the Sarum Use. These adaptations had developed at Salisbury Cathedral and took their name from the Latin for Salisbury. During Holy Week, these Sarum Use adaptations of the ritual demonstrated the great devotion of the...
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And what of the Catholic laity of England? Their dedication to the Mass and the Catholic Church meant that they would be fined for not attending Church of England services, and as the fines increased, they could also be imprisoned and their property confiscated. There were some who did offer an outward compliance by...
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Now there are several plotlines to follow in the story of Catholics as they went underground during the reign of Elizabeth I, all of them connected to the celebration of the Mass (and the other sacraments). The first plotline concerns Catholic rebellion against the Elizabethan religious settlement—and government reaction to that rebellion once it...
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