Holy Thursday Events a Success

Throughout Lent, the St. Rose of Lima community has been preparing for the celebration of the single-most important event in human history:  the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  With the goal of growing closer to Jesus before this celebration, St. Rose designated Holy Thursday, the first day of the Easter Triduum, to be a day of prayer and reflection.

The day began with a bang as students quickly moved over to the Church for a "Washing of the Feet" prayer service led by St. Rose's student council.  After a reading of John 13: 1-15, the passage where Jesus washes the feet of his apostles, our principal Tracy Alarcon shared a brief reflection.  Mrs. Alarcon's reflection focused on the central theme of the gospel passage.  "In Jesus' lowering of himself to wash His apostles' feet," she stated, "He is giving us a powerful example of service and humility."

At the conclusion of the reflection, the community performed a reenactment of the "washing of the feet" scene from John's gospel.  Representatives were selected from the student body, the faculty, and the parish.  With support from the Student Council, Mrs. Alarcon washed the feet of each one of these representatives.

Middle school students provided the next event in
 the day, a performance of Jesus Christ's passion, death, and resurrection.  Under the direction of Mr. Moo and the musical accompaniment of Jackie Monarez, the students gave an engaging and moving reenactment of the events of the Easter Triduum.  The play featured over fifty middle school students as it utilized both actors and voice-over readers.

After a short break, the student body transitioned to the cafeteria.  Led by the eighth graders under the direction of Mr. Hallahan, students and faculty participated in a traditional Jewish Seder meal.  The community discussed the relationship between the Jewish celebration of Passover and Jesus' sacrifice for us .  As students were grouped with students of other grades and ages, it also provided a unique bonding experience for all involved.

The events were capped off with school-wide adoration and prayer in front of the Blessed Sacrament led by our pastor Fr. Jerry.

The day served as a beautiful blessing for our St. Rose of Lima community.  We're grateful for all of those who participated and made this experience possible.

Photos from the day's events are now available at our new Google photo album page.  You can access this page at:

https://picasaweb.google.com/strosedenver