Holy Thursday 2016

On Holy Thursday, the Church "lays special stress on the institution of the Holy Eucharist and of the priesthood. This Mass carries out more than any other the command of Christ to His priests to renew the Last Supper, during which He instituted His immortal presence among us at the very moment His death was being plotted. The Church, setting aside her mourning today, celebrates the Holy Sacrifice with joy. The crucifix is covered with a white veil, her ministers are vested in white, and the bells are rung during the Gloria in excelsis.
After the Mass the altar is stripped in order to show that the Holy Sacrifice is interrupted and will not be offered up again to God until Holy Saturday"
(The Saint Andrew Daily Missal)