On Holy Thursday the Church celebrates the solemn Mass of the Lord’s Supper as the beginning of the three day celebration of the Easter Triuduum. This Mass is one of the most solemn of the year and includes the washing of feet, called the Mandatum, imitating what Jesus did at the Last Supper.

The Mass ends with the stripping of the altar and sanctuary of all decorative furniture and the procession of the Eucharist out of the main tabernacle, where it will remain until it is brought back during the Easter Vigil.