P.E.I. minister 'amazed, inspired and hopeful' after taking part in Last Supper recreation

Stephen Brun · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 19, 2025 1:49 PM EDT | Last Updated: 31 minutes ago

A Prince Edward Island curate is portion of a reimagining of The Last Supper that aims to seizure the country's diversity. 

To people its 100th anniversary, the United Church of Canada decided to recreate the iconic Leonardo da Vinci painting, which depicts communion betwixt Jesus Christ and his 12 apostles.

Rev. Franklyn James, the curate astatine West River United Church successful Cornwall, P.E.I., was asked to instrumentality portion successful the photograph recreation aft presenting a study connected equity successful the religion astatine its wide assembly gathering past year. 

James said the religion wanted to situation the accepted representation of the Last Supper, and make 1 that's much typical of modern times. 

"Here is an representation of a divers people, a divers mode of being, a divers lived acquisition that tin beryllium astatine a table, and you are invited astatine this array contempt however you contiguous yourself to the world," helium said. 

"I spot it arsenic an invitation to anyone who would privation to beryllium a portion of a assemblage that accepts them genuinely for who they are." 

Called A Place astatine the Table, the photograph by Alan Lai includes 12 members of the United Church from crossed the country, posed likewise to the apostles successful da Vinci's mural. 

The "disciples" travel from assorted walks of life, including members of the Black, Indigenous and 2SLGBTQ+ communities. 

Notably, the photograph doesn't see the depiction of Jesus successful the carnal form. Rather, "Christ's beingness is embodied done the gathered community, underscoring the content that religion is expressed done justice, compassion, and service," the United Church of Canada said successful a quality release. 

"The representation serves arsenic a bold testament to the Church's imaginativeness — a array wherever differences are  honoured, diverseness is celebrated, and religion is lived done shared committedness to equity and belonging." 

'There was this quality to it'

The photograph was unveiled astatine Metropolitan United Church successful Toronto connected Holy Thursday, besides known arsenic Maundy Thursday, which the Christian religion recognizes arsenic the time of the Last Supper. 

The United Church says Holy Thursday was ever astir extremist inclusion — Jesus sharing a repast with his followers, washing their feet and urging them to emotion 1 another.

"When I [looked] astatine it, determination was this quality to it. There's this lukewarm consciousness of being portion of thing greater than I am," James said. "There's a pridefulness that comes from looking astatine the photograph and looking astatine the colour and looking astatine the people, and I conscionable felt amazed, inspired and hopeful."