On Maundy Thursday The King and Queen will be at St Asaph Cathedral in north Wales when 154 people will be given specially-struck silver coins in recognition of their Christian service to their churches and communities.
The Royal Maundy service is an ancient tradition with rich symbolism from the Last Supper.
It is organised by the Bishop of Norwich in his role as Lord High Almoner and he is learning a few words of Welsh so that he can speak the opening sentences: “I give to you a new commandment: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you are to love one another” in Welsh. The word Maundy comes from the Latin mandatum, meaning commandment.
Ahead of the service the Rt Revd Graham Usher spoke to BBC Radio Wales about the meaning and significance of Royal Maundy and its links to the Last Supper, when Jesus washed the feet of his disciples and commanded them to love one another. The programme will be broadcast on Sunday March 29, and available here on BBC Sounds for the following 30 days.
After the service Bishop Graham will talk to Songs of Praise presenter Aled Jones, as part of a programme about the Royal Maundy to be broadcast on BBC1 Songs of Praise on Sunday April 19.
This year 77 men and 77 women will be given Maundy money by The King, the number representing King Charles’s age.
Bishop Graham said: “It is a huge honour to be involved with this deeply meaningful service where The King recognises the decades of Christian service and witness of each of the inspirational recipients.”
Each will receive a pair of purses, one containing 77 pence of the specially-minted Maundy coins and the other with coins commemorating 100 years since Queen Elizabeth II’s birth and 50 years of The King’s Trust – and representing the value of the food and clothing given in medieval times.
St Asaph Cathedral, or Llanelwy in Welsh, is the smallest medieval cathedral in the UK. Christians have worshipped here for almost 1,500 years. The current building dates back to the 14th century.
The service, on Thursday April 2, will be only the second time in 800 years that the Royal Maundy has been hosted in Wales. The procession will be led by the Cross of Wales – given to the Christians of Wales by the King and used at his Coronation. It contains a fragment believed to be from Christ’s cross, a gift from Pope Francis.
