WEST COLLINGSWOOD – Bishop Joseph A. Williams celebrated the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on April 2 at Most Precious Blood Parish, gathering the faithful for a bilingual liturgy in English and Vietnamese as the Church entered the sacred days of the Easter Triduum.
Holy Thursday commemorates the institution of the Eucharist and the priesthood, and recalls Christ’s example of humble service through the Washing of the Feet. The liturgy concluded with the solemn procession of the Blessed Sacrament to the altar of repose, inviting prayerful watch with the Lord.
Reflecting on the gift of the priesthood, Bishop Williams shared the powerful witness of Francis-Xavier Nguyễn Văn Thuận. Appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of Sài Gòn on April 24, 1975, Archbishop Thuận was arrested just days later after the fall of the city and imprisoned by the communist government for 13 years, nine of them in solitary confinement.
During his imprisonment, he secretly celebrated Mass using small scraps of bread and drops of wine, later recalling that these were among the most beautiful Masses of his life. Through his faith, hope and charity, even toward his guards, he transformed suffering into witness, saying that some of them eventually “became my disciples.”
His example reminded all that even in the darkest places, Christ remains present in the Eucharist and calls every person to serve with love.
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