Holy Thursday tradition: What is the washing of the feet?

The washing of the feet during Holy Thursday services in Christian churches is a call for all to be of service to others, religious leaders say.

Holy Thursday kicks off the Easter Tridiuum, the holiest time on the Christian calendar, which includes Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil.

"Even though it's three days, it's kind of one large liturgy," explained Monsignor David Darin, pastor at St. Teresa of the Child Jesus Parish in Belleville and a long-standing member of the Diocesan Liturgical Commission.

Holy Thursday celebrates the Last Supper, or the first Mass, where Jesus offers his body and blood. In preparation for the Last Supper, Jesus washed the feet of his 12 apostles.

It is a symbol of Jesus' call to service, Darin said.

"Basically as Catholics, we say the two sacraments that Jesus instituted on Holy Thursday were both the ministerial priesthood and the Eucharist," Darin explained.

During this Mass, pastors literally wash the feet of parishioners, just as Jesus washed the feet of his disciples.

"The priests are called to be of service to our people," Darin said.

Pope Francis made headlines last year when he washed the feet of those living at a juvenile detention center.

"It was almost a little scandalous that Francis would go to a juvenile center and wash the feet of the residents there," Darin said. "It was almost like Jesus scandalizing his disciples; they didn't want their feet washed because this was something a slave did and not somebody we looked to."

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Holy Thursday tradition: What is the washing of the feet?