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.