The celebration of Holy Week evokes a rich symbolism and spiritual meaning to the faith we as Catholics profess. One such service is called Tenebræ, which can be traced back centuries in monasteries throughout Europe when the monks gathered to the Divine Office, also known as the Liturgy of the Hours, during Holy Week.

The word itself means “shadows or darkness” in reference to the final hours of our Lord’s passion, death and resurrection. The order of service for Tenebrae takes its shape from the celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours, the official prayer of the Catholic Church which is offered at specific times throughout a given day. In its traditional form dating as far back as the ninth century and earlier in some regions of Western Europe, Tenebrae was celebrated in the early morning hours on Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday. Historical and liturgical sources indicate that the service of Tenebræ commenced at midnight and was comprised of three separate segments called “nocturns”, each having a collection of specific psalm texts, antiphons and readings, followed by the praying of “lauds” (the morning prayer of the Church).

Rich in symbolism, the service of Tenebræ incorporates the use of light and darkness to evoke the spiritual reality recalled within the prayer. For instance, as the service was celebrated on the morning of Good Friday in its earliest days, the candles used for lighting were successively extinguished so that by the end only one candle was left burning. While the church found itself in darkness, the lone candle, the light of the one who would sacrifice himself for the life of the world, would remain and be seen as the light in darkness. Hope was restored for God’s faithful ones.

While the Office of Tenebræ has been replaced by the celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours today, some parish and cathedral communities offer an adaptation of the service usually during Holy Week as an introduction to the mystery of faith recalled during the Sacred Triduum.