What is a tennebrae?

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Treytot99

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Well, my school is holding a tennebrae vigil on Holy Thursday… I would like to know what it is so I can have a little background info Before I attend it.

Thanks in advance,
Trey C.🙂
 
The word comes from the Latin word for darkness.

It involves a series of lit candles being extinguished one by one as the Liturgy of the Hours is read , leaving the Church in darkness. It symbolizes the Passion of Christ.

It will end with a loud noise ( generally a book being slammed shut), afterward all leave in silence
 
I used to attend a lovely little chapel in downtown L.A. where the priest always did Tenebrae, even when there was no one left to serve but himself! He would light the candles and slam the door himself - and got a little winded with all the running around!

But it was really lovely nonetheless! (P.S. thank you Father James Kolling!! 👍)
 
Here’s an explanation from an earlier post on CAF:
patrick457 said:
The Tenebrae service is usually done in Early morning, formerly also at night or Midnight.

It consists of Readings from Scriptures (usually 7, 8, or 15, and even in some churches in ancient times, as many as 12, 24 or 72!). Especially included in the Readings is the Book of Lamentations.

There are as many candles as there are readings plus one ‘Christ Candle’. After each reading, the reader then puts out one of the candles until the service comes to an end.
At the end of the service (After the last reading), the last candle is extinguished and the ‘Christ Candle’ is then either hidden or put out and the whole church is bathed in darkness.

At the end of the Tenebrae either the congregation leaves in silence without speaking or they will beat the pews to make a ‘great noise’ (symbolic of the earthquake after Jesus’ death). The noise-making continues until the Christ Candle is now taken back to the Altar.
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forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=135542

This a traditional Tenebrae service. (There are ten parts. )

youtube.com/watch?v=tesCU_wafbM&list=PLBAE890CD5DC8B98C
 
Even though it’s been answered, just a quick thing: Tenebrae means “Darknesses,” or “Of Darkness.”
 
It’s what comes right after a ninnebrae, and right before an elevennebrae.
 
Christianus_Dei said:
Even though it’s been answered, just a quick thing: Tenebrae means “Darknesses,” . . .
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That’s not exactly correct. While it is a plural form, it is used with singular meaning. The best translation is “darkness,” or perhaps “shadows” (though that does not capture the meaning as well), but not the un-English “darknesses.”
or “Of Darkness.”
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In this case it is nominative plural, not genitive singular.
 
Can. 897 The most venerable sacrament is the blessed Eucharist, in which Christ the Lord himself is contained, offered and received, and by which the Church continually lives and grows. The eucharistic Sacrifice, the memorial of the death and resurrection of the Lord, in which the Sacrifice of the cross is forever perpetuated, is the summit and the source of all worship and christian life. By means of it the unity of God’s people is signified and brought about, and the building up of the body of Christ is perfected. The other sacraments and all the apostolic works of Christ are bound up with, and directed to, the blessed Eucharist.

In nomine Patris, + et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.
Introibo ad altare Dei. R: Ad deum qui laetificat juventutem meam.
 
Brendan said:
The word comes from the Latin word for darkness.

It involves a series of lit candles being extinguished one by one as the Liturgy of the Hours is read , leaving the Church in darkness. It symbolizes the Passion of Christ.

It will end with a loud noise ( generally a book being slammed shut), afterward all leave in silence
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WOW:eek:

I wanna go.🙂
 
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