UK bishops in Holy Week shoe-shine

Bishops across England are getting on their knees Maundy Thursday to shine the shoes of office workers and shoppers in towns and cities across the country, inspired by the Last Supper when Jesus washed his disciples' feet. Bishop of Birmingham the Rt. Rev. David Urquhart said it showed the clergy were prepared to serve their communities, and bishops in Northampton, Coventry and Leicester also took part, BBC News online reported Thursday.

Urquhart has been polishing shoes of passers-by outside Birmingham cathedral. "The shoeshine is just a small demonstration that people who follow Jesus are prepared to roll up their sleeves and serve their communities. During my Lent visits around the diocese, I have been very pleased to meet many wonderful people whose faith inspires them to serve those around them in that which transform both communities and individual lives."

Rev. Roger Morris from Coventry set up a shoe-shining stall for three days over the Easter period. "We want to bless the people of Coventry by offering them something for nothing. We're not after money. We are not on a recruitment drive. We simply want people to associate the Church with the idea of good things, freely given - after all, that is at the heart of the Easter message," he said.