Holy Family Catholic Church holds special service in the dark

A special event at Holy Family Catholic Church will keep people in the dark.

“It is a very moving, somber experience,” Dr. Tom Bernard said of a Tenebrae service that will be held Thursday at the Columbus church on 12th Street.

Tenebrae is Latin for shadows or darkness and much of this service is conducted with little or no light.

The service, running no more than 45 minutes, begins at 7:30 p.m. The public is invited.

Deacon Arnold Goodman will lead the service in the role of moderator.

A member of the church’s choir, Bernard said the service is a tradition dating back to the fifth century. It is not an annual event at the church.

Tenebrae services are done at Protestant, as well as Catholic churches.

“It is held in the remembrance of the passion of Jesus Christ,” Bernard said. “The tone is very mournful and it is very unlike any other service.”

Originally held on Maundy Thursday or Good Friday, Bernard said it is now conducted anytime during Lent.

The structure and style of the service has been modified over the years but the gradual extinguishing of candles during the service, symbolizing light to darkness, remains the hallmark of Tenebrae.

At the beginning of the service, the sanctuary lights are dimmed.

Following a procession, candles in a Tenebrae Hearse, a freestanding triangular candelabra, are lit on the altar providing light in the sanctuary. The choir sings a processional hymn, the theme of which is centered around light.

There are six purple candles and one large white one in the center of the hearse.

Seven scripture readings are done during the service.

They are: The Shadow of Betrayal, The Shadow of Denial, The Shadow of Aloneness, The Shadow of Accusation, The Shadow of Suffering, The shadow of Crucifixion and The Shadow of Death.

After the first reading, a chime sounds from the organ and the first candle is extinguished.

After each other reading, the choir sings and another candle is extinguished.

When it comes time for the final reading, the moderator approaches the hearse and removes the final center candle. The moderator and other readers stand in front of the altar. One reader holds the last lighted candle while another holds the book of readings. The moderator reads the final scripture by the light of the one lit candle known as the “Christ Candle.”

There is a drum roll before the final reading, which signifies the seriousness of the moment before the death of Christ.

After the reading, the organ sounds seven chimes and then as the final candle is extinguished, the church becomes completely dark and a loud cymbal crashing sound comes from the choir loft.

“That is the strepitus, which is Latin for great noise. It can really make you jump,” Bernard said. “This symbolizes the earthquake and convulsion of nature at the moment of the death of Christ.”

The choir then sings and the candles are re-lighted. The houselights come up.

Bernard said that “signifies the return of Christ.”

He added, “I think many people will find it powerful.”

This story was originally published March 23, 2017 at 8:30 PM with the headline "Holy Family Catholic Church holds special service in the dark."