For the first time ever, the parishes of Sts. Peter and Paul and Holy Family hosted a public washing of the feet event on the morning of Holy Thursday at Wilmington Town Square Park.

Nearly 100 people attended the public event, where some 20 people had their feet washed by Father Claude Williams and Father Jacob Hsieh from Sts. Peter and Paul, and Pastor Ruben Rocha and Father Carlos Mesa from Holy Family….

“Having the foot-washing outside in a public space and on one of the busiest streets in Wilmington helps us to make visible a loving Savior who came not to be served but to serve,” said Williams, a Norbertine priest and pastor of Sts. Peter and Paul since 2021….

Organizers sought to include people from all walks of life and in different situations. They included two women religious, Sister Nancy Kuria, principal of Sts. Peter and Paul School and Sister Ena Maguire of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Cluny; elderly people; and children and families who recently lost loved ones. Sister Maguire was the first to have her feet washed as a symbolic way of repaying the decades of ministry and service….

Preparations for the event were largely handled by laypeople from both parishes, including the Knights of Columbus, Knights of St. Peter Claver, students, and volunteers from both Holy Family and Sts. Peter and Paul. Volunteers brought pitchers from their homes to use in the foot-washing, towels, baked bread, and more, Williams said. At the event, the bread was blessed and distributed to those in attendance.

“I was struck by the fact that we had parishioners from both parishes in Wilmington come together. It was a good point of unity,” he said. “It was a way for Sts. Peter and Paul community to reach out to the whole Wilmington community, but especially to our Catholic neighbors who are so close that we don’t always see.”

Full story in Angelus News.