Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1905-04-19
CHANTING OF THE TENEBRAE.
SOLEMN SERVICES AT ST.
MARY'S CHURCH.
The Priests And The Students of
The Novitiate Will Sing,
Assisted BY Prof.
Zimmerman.

Mary's Church this evening as also
on Thursday and Friday evenings by
the priests, and the students of the
Novitiate, within the sanctuary.
They will be assisted by Prof. Zim.
norman and Messrs. Joseph Naugh-
ton, David Woollie and William Rior-
dan.
The services of Holy Week are un-
der the charge of Rev. Charles Bar
ron, @. IS. r. The Tenebrae is the
office of the church for these days,
and consists of prayers and chants
sung by the choir, with ceremonies
all tending to riyet the mind on the
dominant idea of the church during
this time-sorrow for the sufferings
of her Master and contrition for sin
that is their cause. The lamenta-
tions of jeremiah form part of the
office. The touching pathos in the
ever recurring Jerusalem, Jerusalem,
be converted to God thy Lord and
by Jerusalem here is meant sinners, F"
would seem To have power TO move
the hardest heart.
The office is called Tenebrae because
it is usually said in the evening One
light after another is extinguished on
the triangular candlestick and then
all the others. Twelve of the candles
represent the twelve apostles. The
topmost candle, which represents Our
Lord, is not extinguished, but is hid
den for time, to signify that Christ,
whose divinity was hidden during His
passion and death, emerged by his
own power from the tomb and is the
everlasting Light of the world. The
noise made at the close OF the Tene
brae while the last candle is hidden
signifies the earthquake. the shoutings
aud mockings and triumph of the
Jews at the death Of Jesus. This cere-
mony gave rise to the name 'clapper
mathis, applied to this. office.
Maundy Thursday, so called, some
say from the maunds or handbaskets
in which certain offerings of fruits
were once brought, others are of opin-
ion that the name is derived from the
dies mundati, by which the day is
described as being that upon which
the holy eucharist was instituted,
The former part of the day is given
up to the oommemoration OF the last
supper, at which Our Lord partook
with His disciples of the paschal lamb,
washed the feet of His disciples, in
stituted the holy sacrifice of the mass,
uuO AANC DnOA4 uAcb AAOAy
to the apostles, after which He prayed
for His disciples, went to Mount
Oliyet. where he suffered His bloody
sweat, was betrayed by Judas, dragged
before Annas and Caiphas, denied by
st. Peter and condemned to death.
Therefore the ceremonies of the church
betoken both joy and sorrow-joy at
His last most wonderful gift and sor-
rowful compassion for all His awful
sufferings.
Only one priest offers the mass on
this day, the others all receiving COM
munion in the same manner, as do the
congregation, each one of which is
supposed to approach the sacraments
on that day. The Most Blessed Sac
rament consecrated on Holy Thursday
is removed in procession to a place
prepared and made beautiful with
flowers and lights, called repository,
to be kept for the Mass of the Pre-
sanctified' on Good Friday, for ON
that one day of all the year there is
no conservation. During the process.
sion that grand old hymn 'Pange
Lingua' is chanted, the solemn strains
of which stir the soul to its depths.
On this day the Bishop in his cathe-
uTdl tOuSCCIdbcb blc AiO4y OAAo ubCu III
many ceremonies, and washes the feet
of twelve poor persons. in imitation
of Our Saviour washing the feet OF
His apostles, and this custom not
only prevails in many churches, but
Emperors and Kings and Queens per-
form this act of humility. After the
Gloria in Excelsis in the mornings
mass. no bells are rung nor does the
organ sound until the same chant is
begun on Holy Saturday. While the
affairs are denuded of all their linens
and ornaments the Twenty first Psalm
is recited which begins: 30 God my
God, look upon me; why hast Thou
forsaken me, y and further on "They
parted my garments and upon my vest
ure they cast lots, and which is
throughout prediction of the passion
and death of the Messiah. The ser.
vices begin tomorrow at a. M