Tenebrae Service

"Tenebrae" literally translates to "darkness" or "shadows" in Latin. The Service was at the start of Holy Week on Monday the 14th April at St Andrews Didling. The service is a time of reflection and meditation on Christ's suffering and death, accompanied by readings, hymns and music. One-by-one the 6 candles are extinguished (along with those lighting the church) leaving only the final ‘Christ’ candle. The darkness symbolizes the absence of God's light, the disciples' abandonment of Christ, and the darkness that enveloped the world with his death. The final act is the removal of the Christ candle representing his death on the cross. Silence prevailed as the congregation departed in the darkness.