“Ye call Me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then wash your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.”
— Jesus in John 13: 13-15

It is a ritual that epitomizes humility.

As priests and other clergy in the metro area wash the feet of their parishioners during Holy Week, they harken back to another time and place.

The Gospel of John shares that Jesus washed the feet of His disciples who met with Him for the last supper, before He was betrayed and arrested.

It was an act of profound humbleness, so much so that the apostle Peter initially balked that His Lord would deign to take on such a task.

Foot-washing was a sign of hospitality and welcome in Jesus’ time. Visitors to a person’s home would extend their feet, often dirty from walking in dusty streets, toiling in fields or sand-covered areas near water.

That Jesus sought to wash His follower’s feet was His way of showing servant leadership but also evoking the spiritual reality of His cleansing of their souls.

“He is the Master. He is the leader, yet He has not come to lord it over. He has come to service,” the Rev. Stephen Hamilton, pastor of Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Kingfisher, said of Jesus’ action chronicled in John 13.

The priest said he will wash the feet of 12 of his parishioners during a Maundy Thursday Mass, just as Catholic priests the world over — and the pope — will do, as well.

He said the ritual has remained a part of Holy Week traditions because it is a symbol of Christ’s humility and each believer’s call to serve others in the same way.

“It is a powerful reminder to us that this act of being humble and being a service to others is to mark the life of every disciple,” Hamilton said.

Others who offer foot-washing ceremonies agree.

The ritual is a standard Holy Week practice in most Catholic churches, while fewer Protestant churches offer the ceremony. In recent years, however, Crossings Community Church, Anointed Acts Ministries and Sooner Road Church of God have held foot-washing ceremonies.

“We are praying for the person while we are washing their feet,” said the Rev. Art Bostick, pastor of Sooner Road Church of God, 1724 S Sooner Road.

“I have seen situations where hard feelings are resolved. When it’s done in humility, God blesses it.”

Bostick said people have responded well to the ceremony, with many participating or observing because the ritual isn’t commonplace anymore.

“This is one way to say, ‘I am submitted to you. I am a friend to you. I want to be a blessing to you,’” he said.

“Jesus said if you want to be great in God’s kingdom, be the servant of all.”

The Most Rev. Edward Slattery, bishop of the Diocese of Tulsa, has embraced this premise with his annual foot-washing ceremony at prisons across Oklahoma. Slattery said he travels to a prison each year to wash the feet of 12 inmates (12 is the number of Jesus’ disciples) on Maundy Thursday.

Slattery said it is a dramatic way of conveying the principle of Godly servanthood without saying a word.

As he cleanses the feet of inmates at the Dick Conner Correctional Center in Hominy on Thursday, the bishop said he will be putting the Gospel message into action.

“Where God bends down in a humble gesture and gives Himself to us — that’s the point. That’s the heart of the Christian message.”

 NewsOK.com link

Don’t allow yourself to simply observe these practices in an absentminded fashion. Rather, recall that their real purpose is to drive us to give more attention to our souls and our spiritual hunger. Each of us can observe these practices. Whether we are in the break room at work, whether we are at home, or whether we are at the cafeteria at the high school, we have precious opportunities to recall our hunger for God and that our true fulfillment is found only in Him.

Recall the venerable practice of Stations of the Cross on Fridays. We will have simple Lenten meals in Ross Hall beforehand. I would like to see parishioners of all ages, especially parents and children participate more regularly in Friday Stations. Also, don’t forget the CD and brochure titles in our display case in the foyer of the church. Those titles provide some good opportunities for you this Lent. We have many titles back there for teens, families, and married couples. Make good use of them. In the bulletin we have printed Lenten regulations, which should be observed as printed.

Our friends in RCIA now enter a more intense period of preparation before they enter the Church at Easter. You will see them at the various ceremonies during Lent at the 10 a.m. Mass. I ask you to pray for them, that their hard work will come to fulfillment and that the Lord will continue to shine his light of faith upon them. Please introduce yourselves to them and make them feel at home in our parish.

Fr. Hamilton

Father Ross was born on February 9, 1922 in Chickasha, Oklahoma. All of those touched by his life will remember his ready smile and devotion to God.

Father Ross was ordained a Roman Catholic Priest on December 21, 1946 at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Oklahoma City. He offered his first solemn Mass in Holy Name Church, Chickasha on December 27, 1946. Father Ross attended grade school and high school at St. Joseph Academy, Chickasha, Oklahoma. He completed his freshman year of college at Oklahoma A&M (now Oklahoma State University), Stillwater in 1940, and then transferred to St. Benedict’s College, Atchison, Kansas, graduating Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy in April 1943. In 1943, Father Ross entered Kendrick Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri and completed an accelerated four-year program in December 1946.

Following his ordination, Father Ross served the parish of Saint Peter Church, Woodward and its missions until he was assigned to the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help where he also taught classes at John Carroll Grade School and High School from 1947 – 1950.

In 1950, Catholic High School (now Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School) was opened where Father Ross taught religion classes and was the first athletic director. During his teaching service, he also assisted at Christ the King Church, Oklahoma City. Father Ross always had a warm greeting for his many students and always called them by name.

During 1953, Father Ross served Saints Peter and Paul Parish, Cushing and Saint Mary Parish, Drumright. Both parishes are now in the Diocese of Tulsa.

Father Ross also served Saint Patrick Church, Walters and Saint Thomas Aquinas Chapel, Waurika (1953 – 1955); Saint John Nepomuk Church, Yukon (1955 – 1958). In 1958, Father Ross was called to help establish the new parish of Saint Eugene, Oklahoma City where he served as pastor until 1967. Father Ross was pastor of Saint Barbara Church, Lawton (now Holy Family Church) from 1967 – 1975 and Saints Peter and Paul, Kingfisher from 1975 until his retirement in June 1997.

During his tenure at Saints Peter and Paul, Father Ross poured his energy into support of the parish school, many times returning much of his paycheck to the church for use at the school. He often utilized his hobby of photography at the parish, recording events such as First Communions, recitals and 8th grade graduations. Father Ross loved the children of the parish, and was greeted enthusiastically by the students every time he visited the playground, always ready to share a hug or word of encouragement.

Father Ross also served as Diocesan Moderator of the National Council of Catholic Women for many years (1955 – 1973).

Father Ross was one of four sons and three daughters of Henry Clay and Marie Angela Decker Ross, both of whom pre-deceased him. Brother, Joseph Roy and his wife Mary; sister, Mary Ann Doak and her husband John Doak; sister-in-law, JoAnn Ross; and brother-in-law, Elmer Volzer also pre-deceased Father Ross. Father Ross is survived by brothers, Walter L. Ross; Father William Ross, El Reno; sisters, Janet Marie Ross Volzer, Albuquerque, N.M. and Helen J. Ross Von Feldt; and brother-in-law, Wayne, Philadelphia, PA. Father Ross is also survived by many nieces and nephews. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at the Catholic Pastoral Center Chapel on Fri., Sept. 28, 2007, at 11:00 a.m. with interment at Rose Hill Cemetery (formerly known as the Catholic Cemetery), 10th Street and Alabama Avenue, Chickasha, Oklahoma. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Smith & Kernke Funeral Home, 14624 N. May, Okla. City. In lieu of flowers, the family and friends of Father Ross request that memorials be made to the Catholic Foundation of Okla., Inc. for the benefit of Saints Peter and Paul School, Kingfisher or Saint Katharine Drexel Retirement Center, El Reno.

(The comments section will be left open for those wishing to leave messages or share memories of Father Ross)