<P> Ubi caritas is a hymn of the Western Church, long used as one of the antiphons for the washing of feet on Maundy Thursday . The Gregorian melody was composed sometime between the fourth and tenth centuries, though some scholars believe the text dates from early Christian gatherings before the formalization of the Mass . It is usually sung at Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament and on Holy Thursday evening at the Mass of the Lord's Supper . The current Roman Catholic Missal (1970, 3rd typical edition 2000) reassigned it from the foot - washing mandatum to the offertory procession at the Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord's Supper, and it also is found in current Anglican and Lutheran hymnals . </P> <P> In the second typical edition (1975) of the current Roman Missal, the antiphonal response was altered to read "Ubi caritas est vera, Deus ibi est," after certain very early manuscripts . This translates as: "Where charity is true, God is there ." </P> <P> In 1960, a translation, "Where Charity and Love Prevail", was copyrighted, set to the hymn tune CHRISTIAN LOVE in common metre; Dom Paul Benoit, OSB adapted this tune from the chant tune for Veni redemptor gentium . The Taizé chant by Jacques Berthier (1978) uses only the words of the refrain, with verses taken from I Corinthians 13: 2 - 8 . Maurice Duruflé's choral setting makes use of the Gregorian melody, using only the words of the refrain and the first stanza . Paul Halley combined phrases of the original chant melody sung in Latin with other songs in the track Ubi caritas on his 1991 album Angel on a Stone Wall . </P>

Ubi caritas est vera deus ibi est meaning