Tenebrae

What is Tenebrae?  Tenebrae is a traditional liturgy of the Church where the faithful meditate upon the passion, death, and burial of the Lord. The word Tenebrae means “darkness”, because these services were celebrated after sunset and lit by candlelight. As psalms and scriptures are sung or said, candles on a candelabrum are gradually extinguished until only one remains, symbolizing Christ. That final candle is taken out of sight, and in the darkness there arises a great sound, the strepitus, that represents the confusion and chaos of the death of Christ. Then the candle is returned, and all depart in silence. While this is a beautiful devotional liturgy in our Catholic tradition, its intent is to complete the Liturgy of the Passion of the Lord
held earlier in the day.