Since the reform of the Roman Breviary in the 1960s, one curious attachment has remained among many Catholics, and that is attachment to the office informally known as “Tenebrae.” In the traditional breviary, the offices of Matins and Lauds for Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday were celebrated in a unique and reduced form which, through the course of time and custom, came to take on its own ceremonial.
Between the two offices of Matins and Lauds, which were commonly celebrated back-to-back, there are 13 psalms, two canticles, and nine longer lessons. These parts of the office were grouped into “nocturns”—a grouping of three psalms followed by three lessons (readings). During the Triduum, many aspects of the office such as the dialogues and hymns were omitted, as well as the doxology at the conclusion of psalms.
Distinguished Extinguishing
When the office was celebrated solemnly, a 15-branch triangular candelabra was erected in the sanctuary, known as the “Tenebrae hearse.” These candles would be gradually extinguished through the course of the office until the final central candle remained. Then, during the chanting of the Benedictus, this candle would be removed (not extinguished) and hidden from the sanctuary. A collect is prayed, and then a loud noise known as the strepitus is made, signifying the earthquake upon Christ’s death atop Calvary or even when the stone was rolled away from the tomb on Easter morning. The lit candle is returned to its place and all depart in silence with the church illumined by the light of this single candle. The office became to be known as “Tenebrae,” which is the Latin word for “darkness,” and is taken from one of the responsories chanted during the celebration: Tenebrae factae sunt, dum crucifixissent Jesum—“Darkness covered the earth when Jesus was crucified.”
Image Source: AB/Society of St. Dominic on Flickr
Practically speaking, the office of Tenebrae as known in its traditional form did not survive the reform of the Roman Breviary following the Second Vatican Council. However, in many places, devotional attachment to Tenebrae still exists. Several cathedral churches and indeed smaller parishes still offer the Office of Tenebrae either in its traditional form, or in a modified form to reflect the modern breviary, or even as a sort of para-liturgical service utilizing elements both old and new. In any case, it seems worthwhile to consider various ways this practice can be continued in parishes today.
The most common experience of this office in the modern world actually occurs on the evening of the Wednesday of Holy Week. This is likely due to two converging dynamics. On one hand, celebrating the office at night when the Church windows are darkened enhances the elements of light and darkness that play out as the office progresses. Also, prior to the reform of the Roman Breviary, it was very common that the offices of Matins and Lauds be anticipated the night before. In fact, it is arguable that with the exception of monastic communities, when the Office of Tenebrae was carried out publicly prior to the reform, it likely took place in the evening. Celebrating the office or a similar service on the Wednesday evening of Holy Week also avoids conflicting with Mass times during the Triduum.
In this case, it seems preferable that unless the office is being celebrated fully according to the traditional rite and in Latin, an abbreviated para-liturgical service be utilized instead of the actual texts of the Liturgy of the Hours, so as to not displace the proper celebration of the office.
Several cathedral churches and indeed smaller parishes still offer the Office of Tenebrae either in its traditional form, or in a modified form to reflect the modern breviary, or even as a sort of para-liturgical service utilizing elements both old and new.
Tenebrae Rehearsal
While some parishes still have a traditional Tenebrae hearse, many parishes do not (if they ever owned one to begin with). Purchasing a new hearse is often very costly. So, an alternative could be to utilize any dignified candelabra the parish owns and place it either on a pedestal or the communion railing, if possible. Placing it on the altar itself should be avoided.
An office could be arranged with the singing of hymns, the recitation or chanting of psalms, and the reading of lessons. Since most traditional candelabra are equipped with seven candle sockets, one possible arrangement of this service is as follows. The office is divided into three nocturns, each consisting of a psalm, a lesson, and a hymn or motet sung by the choir as a responsory. The psalms could be selected from the more penitential psalmody or from the offices used during Holy Week. The readings of Tenebrae were famously taken from the Book of Lamentations.
A candle could be extinguished after each psalm and each responsory, leaving one single candle lit after all three nocturns are finished. At this point, the congregation kneels, and everyone recites the Lord’s Prayer as the final candle is removed from the sanctuary. The strepitus is sounded, then the candle is returned followed by a final collect (which could be the collect of the day). There is no directive on how to make the strepitus, but some common practices are to drop an object, slam a door, or have the faithful remove their hymnals and bang them on the back of the pews. This last recommendation seems to be more common since the sound more easily emulates an earthquake.
Of course, a sermon or reflection could also be inserted after the final nocturn but before the office concludes. Though, in practice, I have found the office is very impactful without a sermon and allows the faithful to slip into prayer as the church fades into darkness.
There is no directive on how to make the strepitus, but some common practices are to drop an object, slam a door, or have the faithful remove their hymnals and bang them on the back of the pews.
Tenebrae x Three
Perhaps a more preferable approach to Tenebrae today would be to utilize the Liturgy of the Hours. This is the practice of my own parish, the Basilica of Saint Mary in Natchez, MS. In our parish, Tenebrae is celebrated on all three mornings of the Sacred Triduum. We use the text of the Liturgy of the Hours for the Office of Readings and Lauds, and the choir chants the Latin responsories which correspond to the responsories given in the breviary for the appropriate day.
For all three of these days, we place a large seven-branched candelabra on the communion railing on the epistle side (or right side of the sanctuary). The two hours of Office of Readings and Lauds are celebrated continuously, beginning with the invitatory and the office hymn. Three psalms are chanted and then the first candle is extinguished. The second and third candles are extinguished after the first and second responsory to the office lessons. We omit the Lauds hymn, and then chant the psalmody, with the fourth, fifth and sixth candles being extinguished after each psalm and canticle.
Image Source: AB/Archdiocese of Boston on Flickr
During the responsory at lauds, the altar candles are extinguished, leaving only the 7th candle remaining lit in the church. This candle is removed by a server during the Benedictus and taken to the sacristy. The petitions and the Lord’s Prayer are chanted, and then all kneel in silence before the strepitus is sounded (we opt to slam the door to the sacristy). Finally, the seventh candle is returned to its place and the prayer to conclude the office is chanted, followed by the blessing and dismissal. To keep with tradition, the officiant only wears surplice and stole (omitting the cope).
When we first started offering these offices during the Triduum, I wondered if many people would come to more than one service a day (i.e., the Tenebrae service and the Mass of the day). But, our attendance has increased every year to about 50 people. Celebrating these offices each day of the Triduum has had a great spiritual impact on those who attend, and on me personally, since it allows the days of the Triduum to receive an even greater attention and significance, which really was the intention behind this service in the traditional sense.
Practical Simplicity
The difficulty parishes will have in preparing these services is the limited resources available, particularly for the chanted office. The settings we use are composed and printed in-house, but not all parishes will have the ability to make their own settings. The Mundelein Psalter provides simple settings which can be used for Lauds, but this text does not provide settings for Office of Readings.
One approach that could be taken would be for the office hymn to be taken from the newly-published Divine Office Hymnal (GIA). The psalmody at the Office of Readings can easily be sung to a straight-tone. In fact, this is already the custom in many monasteries that regularly chant the office commonly. If parishes do not have the resources to find or chant the more difficult settings of the responsories, these could also be sung to a straight-tone. Alternatively, the General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours provides leeway for these texts to be replaced. It could be possible for a parish choir to sing some motet or hymn instead, provided the text is appropriate.
What should be avoided is turning this service into an entirely choral event, like a concert, which would divorce the service from its real purpose as an office of the Liturgy of the Hours.
Then, the Mundelein Psalter could be utilized for the remainder of the office, which could emphasize the role of Lauds as one of the two hinges of the day, giving it a greater dignity by using more elaborate psalm tones, while still remaining approachable to non-musicians who will attend. What should be avoided is turning this service into an entirely choral event, like a concert, which would divorce the service from its real purpose as an office of the Liturgy of the Hours. If a choral service is preferred, it would be better for parishes to plan a more para-liturgical service, perhaps utilizing the structure given above.
It should also be noted that the Congregation for Divine Worship published a schema several years ago which provides a two-year cycle for the lessons at Office of Readings.1 In this schema, the alternative scripture passages given for the Triduum are taken from the Lamentations of Jeremiah, thus preserving the custom of hearing from this unique scriptural text during Holy Week. We make use of these alternative readings in our celebration of Tenebrae in the parish.
Though the office of Tenebrae has a certain dramatic character, I would caution against the temptation to make this service into a light-show, using electronic spotlights or other novel ideas. We should remember that this is an ancient service of the Church, and in many ways it is the simplicity of the service that gives Tenebrae its appeal. Celebrating the office deliberately and with simplicity gives it a noble character, and corresponds to the solemn nature of all the Triduum liturgies.
Shadows and Light
Just as our churches are stripped more and more of external decoration during the Triduum liturgies, the simplicity of Tenebrae and the continual plunging into darkness is another way we can shed off the more elaborate and decorative forms of worship used during the year, so we can better enter into the mystery of the Lord’s Passion.
In many ways, by attending this ancient service, the faithful can take their own part in following Our Lord to Calvary and to the tomb. We can imagine ourselves in Gethsemane, in the house of Caiaphas, and in the tomb—stripped of everything he had. Our Lord’s Passion was underscored by his loneliness—but also by his constant connection to the Father. In the same way, by celebrating this service reverently, we can also participate in the last moments of Our Lord’s earthly life and focus on what is most important—the Lord’s work of redemption, his sacrifice, and the love of the Father.
