Over 50 Residents Perform Maundy Thursday Drama at Greenspring

Resident Rev. Kalkwarf wrote script and produced Last Supper dramatization with full resident cast

(Springfield, Va.) – For the 7th consecutive year, Greenspring residents were treated to a Maundy Thursday drama, written and produced by resident Rev. Len Kalkwarf.  More than 50 residents coordinated the production, which focused on the portrayal of figures based on the Leonardo da Vinci painting, “The Last Supper,” including Jesus, the disciples, Pontius Pilate and his wife, Claudia, and temple guards, among others. 

Maundy Thursday, also known as Holy Thursday, commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus Christ during Holy Week.  The word “Maundy” comes from a Latin word meaning Mandate and is used because that night Jesus said: “A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you.”  The drama was a highly visual reminder of Maundy Thursday as the presentation alternated between the past and the present. 

Born and raised in Iowa, Rev. Leonard Kalkwarf spent 50 years in parish ministry as an ordained minister of the Word and Sacrament in the Reformed Church in America.  With a desire to be closer to their grandchildren, Kalkwarf and his wife moved from Pennsylvania to Greenspring retirement community in Springfield, Va. in 2003. 

Following the drama, an offering was taken for the Greenspring Scholars’ Fund, which provides scholarships to student employees at the community.

ABOUT GREENSPRING:
Greenspring is situated on a scenic 108-acre campus in Springfield, Virginia.  The community is home to nearly 2000 residents, many of whom reside in the over 1400 independent living apartment homes.  At Greenspring, over 200 resident-run and resident-driven programs promote an engaged, fulfilling lifestyle that is reflected in resident satisfaction levels that exceed the industry average.  Additional information about Greenspring can be found at www.ericksonliving.com.