The Office of Tenebrae

One of the interesting things about having a blog that spans back a few years is that one can check back to answer the question, "What DID we do [when]?" This evening Fr. Daniel led us in the Office of Tenebrae ("Shadows"). An appropriately somber service, opening with an "Address" by Fr. McGrath, followed by Hymn 75, then sets of Psalm readings, Lessons and more, with the church lights being dimmed in stages through the service, concluding in the somewhat gloom with no lighting. (I say "somewhat" because it was unusually sunny outside -- maybe if we'd started later, say at 7 PM when rush hour is slackening, it would have been more so.)

I had a memory of us having conducted "The Office of Tenebrae" before, and sure enough we had, as noted in two years ago in a posting with the same title as here. Although the order of the service was quite difference, the dimming of the church was the same -- and as I was handling the lights again this year, I had the same annoyances reported two years ago.

Interestingly, during last year's Good Friday Vigil 3-year-old Pru was trying to say the Lord's Prayer along with the rest of us. This year 4-year-old Pru was trying the Benedictus Es. Amazing.

I will note the church was appropriately spare for the service. I only have this picture, taken well before the service, because I'd brought my camera, tripod and slave flash for some experimental test shots in advance of tomorrow evening's baptisms, in case the parents still wanted pictures. (Sadly my digital SLR is out of commission until the budget has room for repairs but the backup faux-SLR, purchased when the dSLR died the first time on the way to our first Anglican Camp, takes great photos too.)