www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Tenebrae Service

Hello All,

I hope everyone who's on the Gregorian is having a blessed Lent!

I'm sorry to post this, since I know some people are a little touchy about topics which deal primarily with the Latin Rite. For this reason, I posted this topic in Town Hall, so I hope that's okay!

Anyway, the Service of Tenebrae in the Latin Rite is very intriguing and obviously very ancient. My Novus Ordo parish doesn't offer it, and (surprisingly), neither does the local FSSP Traditional parish.

However, I've read that this service is making somewhat of a "comeback," if you will, in the Latin Rite, so I was wondering if any of y'all have attended a Tenebrae Service before and/or know of parishes that offer it.

Any and all positive input is welcome concerning Tenebrae as it exists today or concerning it's history.

In Christ,
Logos Teen

Count me dumb, I have no idea of what that is

Garrett, the only Tenebrae services I have attended in recent years, were when I was organist in a Protestant Church. Every year, the choir would sing a Tenebrae service. It was simply a Holy Thursday sung service, based on scriptural settings of the Last Supper. Once, in the Latin Church, it was applied to the public chanting of Matins and Lauds on the evenings of Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of Holy Week, each being the anticipated office of the next day. It is a simple service consisting of the extinguishing of 14 candles on a triangular candelholder called the "hearse." A 15th white candle is left burning at the apex of the hearse as a symbol of the risen savior. It is a biblical, paraliturgical service - or was, in the Latin Church. Tenebrae is from the Latin for darkness, and if memory serves me right, everyone left the Church in darkness after the service. That's all I know about it.

Charles

A Catholic parish in my area has had Tenebrae services in the past, I haven't found out if they'll have them again this year.

There's a history of Tenebrae from the 1917 Catholic Encyclopedia here:

Tenebrae [newadvent.org]

Here's a part:
There's another article that goes into more detail at the following link:

The Tenabrae According to Charpentier [goldbergweb.com]

Click 'next' below the paragraph because the article is a few pages long, but it's very interesting.

Maybe I'm wrong but I think Tenbrae can be considered liturgy and not para-liturgy since it's a part of the Divine Office (Liturgy of the Hours).

Pani Rose,

I'm sorry I was so nebulous about the service. Charles and the Catholic Encyclopedia describe it.

Charles,

It is true that some Protestant churches have taken up the Tenebrae Service, though not exactly in the Catholic form, naturally. I know that Tenebrae is still offered at some few and far between Catholic parishes and, as mentioned, read that it is growing in popularity.

I think what the modern-day Latin Rite is missing (apart from my issues with the Pauline Mass) is a full liturgical cycle. While it exists and can be implemented, it seems that it's only utilized to its full(er) extent in monasteries, TradLat churches, etc. The Orthodox and Eastern Catholics have done a much better job of preserving a full liturgical cycle as part of a parish life norm. I'm not so naive as to think that this is all the result of Vatican II; 100 years ago, it was the exception for a Catholic church not to have weekly Vespers, etc. Fifty years ago, even before Vatican II, this wasn't the case at all.

If the Eastern Catholics can reclaim their full cycles and implement them in parishes, why can't we?

Logos Teen

I agree. I am getting into an area of opinion, but it seems to me that at one time the liturgical cycle was the calendar around which the rhythm of life flowed. In more rural times, there were rogation days, etc. Eveything relating to the flow of life was built around the Church. Today, about the only conformance to any liturgical cycle is to drop in for an hour on Sunday. It's about like going to Wal-Mart.

My family and I have been attending SSPX masses for the past 20 years, and two years ago we attended our first tenebrae service. It was held on Holy Thursday morning, I believe, and lasted about 2 full hours. The Roman Catholic Daily Missal says "On the Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of Holy Week, the Offices of Tenebrae or Afternoon Offices used to be said until recently. Formerly this Office was said in darkness-that is, during the night with extinguised candles. Hence the name, Tenebrae (i.e. darkness). Now this Office is no longer sung at night but in the morning of the appropriate day.
In this Office, the Church mourns for the Sufferings and the Death on the cross of the Divine Redeemer of the world, in supplications and dirges, in Psalms full of sorrow. No Alleluia is heard, no Gloria Patri. Sorrow and mourning alone are set forth. The Office begins immediately with the Antiphon of the first Psalm."
Our pastor is trying to recruit male voices for the responsories for Tenebrae...I need to encourage my son to participate in this! Tenebrae this year is scheduled for Good Friday morning. Thank you for this thread. A blessed Lent and Easter to all of you!!
simplicity

Many years ago, I led the singing for Tenebrae services in a university (Latin) parish in West Virginia - the post-Vatican II hours in English, but with responsories and Magnificat in Latin and Gregorian chant (according to the Dominican usage, actually, since a friendly Dominican in England sent me music...), and the Lamentations of Jeremiah sung to the old melody for them. It was well-attended and very moving.

Yours in Christ,

Jeff Mierzejewski

P.S. Music for Bridegroom Matins will _probably_ be appearing on metropolitancantorinstitute.org sometime soon.

Dear Teen,

Sacred Heart Church [sacredheartatlanta.org] did as recently as the 80s, I went at least once in the 80s and clearly recall the stripping of the altar and the procession with the Blessed Sacrament with priest in cope, etc. Apparently they don't do it now, at last according to what is on their website. For as long as I can remember they also had a live donkey on Palm Sunday (I haven't kept up since I left in '90). Do they at least still have a donkey?

Tony

Simplicity,

From what I can gather from the links Manuel so graciously provided as well as other sundry sources, it seems that most Tenebrae services are chanted on the afternoon (appx. 4:oo PM) of Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of Holy Week. Originally they were said soon after midnight on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, but this was changed to the afternoon of the preceding day so as to meet the needs of the faithful. I find it pretty interesting that your SSPX celebrates it in the morning.

Tony,

I don't know about the donkey, sorry!

Logos Teen

Garrett, you must have a gift of prophecy or something. In this morning's bulletin of the RC Church where I am organist, it lists an upcoming Tenebrae service. It's the first since I have been organist there. This one will be held at 7:30 p.m. The note says the devotion dates back to the 7th or 8th century. "No service during the entire church year is more biblical; almost every word of Tenebrae is taken verbatim from the Scriptures." Are you also good with lottery numbers?

Charles

Neh neh neh neh neh neh! I told y'all it was growing in popularity! Case in point.

Incidentally, Charles, when I turned 18 a couple months ago, I bought my first lottery ticket just for fun, and won $20. Hmmmm, and I'm named after the Prophet Samuel.

Logos Teen

Logos Teen-

Thanks for reminding us on this topic. For those in the Washington, DC area, the Cathedral will have a (probably very nice) Gregorian chanted Tennebrae service with the Cardinal presiding.

As for:

Some priests would like to reclaim the Roman traditions; a fair number are at least amenable to the idea. However, none of this will go anywhere without laity asking for and volunteering to implement (e.g. sing) it.

So, my [decidedly unsolicited ]recommendationt to you would be to go to a decent Catholic college (or other college nearby a strong Catholic community is nearby) where you can learn to serve/sing these things. Afterwards, you could help improve the spiritual life of whatever parish you may move into.

Marc

Marc,

Thank you for the good advice!

Logos Teen