We are a small Episcopal Church on the banks of the Rappahannock in Port Royal, Virginia. We acknowledge that we gather on the traditional land of the first people of Port Royal, the Nandtaughtacund, and we respect and honor with gratitude the land itself, the legacy of the ancestors, and the life of the Rappahannock Tribe. Our mission statement is to do God’s Will in all that we do.
Sunday, March 24, Palm Sunday, 10:50AM, Liturgy of the Palms, 11AM Eucharist
The St Peter’s congregation commemorates this triumphal entry into Jerusalem by gathering behind the church for the blessing of the palms and then processing to the front of the church, all the while shouting, ”Hosanna, Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” and making a celebratory racket with various noise makers.
The service that follows carries the congregation on a whirlwind trip through the events of Holy Week, a summary of Jesus’ last days before being crucified. The gospel ends with Jesus having been crucified and placed in a tomb which Pilate’s soldiers seal with a stone.
Holy Week between Palm Sunday and Easter is the most sacred time of year.. The purpose of Holy Week is to reenact, relive, and participate in the passion of Jesus Christ, his triumph, suffering and resurrection. Ultimately it’s about ours. From our Baptism liturgy- “We thank you, Father, for the water of Baptism. In it we are buried with Christ in his death. By it we share in his resurrection. Through it we are reborn by the Holy Spirit.” Every Sunday is an Easter.
From early times, Christians have observed the week before Easter as a time of special prayer and devotion. As the pilgrim Egeria recorded in the late fourth century, numerous pilgrims to the holy city of Jerusalem followed the path of Jesus in his last days. They formed processions, worshipped where Christ suffered and died, and venerated sacred sites and relics. The pilgrims took the customs home with them. Holy week observances spread to Spain by the fifth century, to Gaul and England by the early seventh century. They didn’t spread to Rome until the twelfth century. From this beginning evolved the practices we observe today on Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday.
This article is based on St. Peter’s Tenebrae service which is here. It is taken from the Episcopal Book of Occasional Services. Tenebrae is an ancient service the goes back to the medieval service (9th century).
Tenebrae is divided into 3 nocturns or sections and 9 lessons within them. Antiphons are excerpts from psalms said before the lesson. Responsory are responses said after a lesson.
Tenebrae is the opening of the Holy Week services for the church.
Links: 1. The bulletin is here. 2. The description of this day in Holy Week with the Bible readings and commentaries is here. 3. The background of the service is here.
4. Digging into Tenebrae 5. A photo gallery of the day from 2019 can be found here.
6. A photo gallery from 2024 can be found here.
7. The video stream of the service in 2024 is here
This was our introduction to the service in 2019:
The service requires both a good acolyte and reader. There are 15 candles to extinguish and creating a sense of drama as the service progress. The service is 100% scripture so the reader has a challenge.
Selective extinguishing the candles in 2024:
Unlike the other Easter services, Tenebrae doesn’t relate to a specific Holy Week event as Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter.
“Tenebrae” is Latin for shadows. The purpose of the service is to recreate the emotional aspects of the passion story. This is an unusual service with its own Liturgy. There is no music – the readings carry the service. And it’s not from the traditional Gospel readings.
It sets a mood and brings you through the Holy Week story through a set of “shadows”. The shadows move through the agony of last week- Betrayal, Agony of the Spirit, Denial, Accusation, Crucifixion, Death and Burial – symbolized by the lighted candles.
Services online
