Several St. Joseph Middle School students had their feet washed by St. Joseph Parish Administrator Father Belaraju Desam on April 6 as part of the Holy Thursday observance in this Easter season.
The washing of feet, sometimes called mandatum, is very significant for Christians. It ritualizes Christ's action on the night before He died when He showed His disciples an example of how they are to love one another in imitation of His love for them. When Peter protested that Jesus was about to wash his feet, Christ admonished "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me. I have set an example that you should do as I have done for you."
Before the service began, Father Desam explained that in Christ's time people only wore sandals and their feet got very dirty from walking through dusty or muddy streets. "No one wanted to do this for anyone else," Father Desam said. "Not even lowly servants." Yet Jesus did it as an act of service and a model for His followers.
(left to right) 6th grader Brooke Dumboski, 5th grader Zoe Zopolos, 5th grader William Sherman and 6th grader Cohen Harrower