Posted March 31, 2022

St. Katherine of Siena Church at 9700 Frankford Avenue in Philadelphia will hold a Tenebrae service on Palm Sunday, April 10 at 7 p.m. as the church enters into Holy Week to walk solemnly with Christ to his passion, death and resurrection.

Tenebrae, a Latin word meaning “darkness,” is an ancient Christian Holy Week service dating back to the seventh century in which the faithful accompany Jesus in his last hours.

The service is characterized by readings, the gradual extinguishing of candles and the “strepitus,” meaning “great noise,” representing the earthquake and the confusion that accompanied Christ’s death and burial. As the church grows darker we begin our wait, in patient hope, for his resurrection.