From the Archives – Spy Wednesday & Maundy Thursday

Years ago, the Wednesday in Holy Week was often called “Spy Wednesday.” It marked the day Judas betrayed Jesus, going to the high priest and offering to hand Him over for 30 pieces of silver. From then on, Judas “spied” on Jesus, looking for an opportune time to deliver Him to the Sanhedrin. The name seems to have originated in Ireland in the early 1800s and appears in newspaper accounts of Holy Week. “Spy Wednesday” is still used occasionally; Pope Francis used it in a homily at Mass in 2020.

We may also hear Holy Thursday referred to as “Maundy Thursday,” a term generally used now by Episcopalians but for many years also used by Catholics. “Maundy” comes from the Latin mandatum, referring to the mandate Jesus gave His disciples at the Last Supper: “I give you a new commandment…Love one another as I have loved you.…” (John 13). Since the Catholic Church returned the ritual of washing the feet of 12 parishioners representing the Twelve Disciples – usually altar servers here at Saint Mary – the name “Maundy Thursday” is quite appropriate.

Before the 1960s, our parish celebrated Holy Thursday Mass in the morning so many people could receive Communion before breakfast, “breaking the fast.” At the conclusion of Mass, a procession of school children dressed in white joined the altar boys in procession to place, or “reserve,” the Eucharist in a special tabernacle set up in the south transept, designated the “altar of repose.” This space is now the Basilica’s Sacred Heart shrine.

— Kitty Guy, Parish Historian

In 2020, to commemorate the 225th anniversary of our parish, we started “From the Archives” as a weekly feature online and in our bulletin to spotlight the history of Saint Mary’s. Due to its popularity, we are continuing the series. An archive of the features is located here.