Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-12
LAST DAYS OF LENT
SERVICES COMMEMORATIVE OF
sAvIcR's CLOSING WORK.
Local Churches Observe Occasion
With Elaborate Exercises
Catholic Ceremonies.

Three more days and the Lent of 1906 will
be a matter of church history. While 1t has
been observed lin most devout manner III
Washington, the days that are to come Will
be occasions of still greater piety In the
Christian churches. The ceremonies yester-
day, especially in Catholic, Episcopal and
Lutheran churches, had reference to the
betrayal OF the Savior for thirty pieces or
silver
Last night marked the opening of the
more solemn ceremonies, when in the Cath
Ollie churches the chanting of the tenebrae
was begun by choirs usually composed OF
clergy. The tenebrae is chanted Wednes-
day evening and on Holy Thursday and
Good Friday. and the service is one of the
most significant and solemn possible, the
psalms he.ng supposed to voice the woe or
the Christian world at the crucifixion. To-
day Is Holy Thursday. and during the
masses and the subsequent ceremonies at
all cathedral churches the oils will be
blessed.
The Tenebrae.
Tie name of tenebrae has been given to
the mathis and lauds OF the three Inst days
of Holy Week, because this office was for
merly celebrated during he night. and even
when the hour was ANTICIPATED the nlme
of tenebrae was kept up for another rea-
after the sun had set. There is an impress
sive ceremony pecul ar to this Office which
tends 10 perpetuate its name In the sane
tuary there is placed near the altar large
triangular cand estck holding fifteen can
dies AT the end OF .ch psalm or canticle
one of these fifteen c1ndlesticks Is eXtin-
guished. but the one which IS placed at the
top OF the triangle Is left lighted. During
the singing of the Benedictus the lights OF
the six candles on the altar are also ex-
tinguished. Then the master of ceremonies
takes the lighted candles from the triangle,
holds 1t upon the altar while the choir re-
peatS the antiphon from the canticle. after
which he puts it behind the altar during
the recitation of the Miserere and the
prayer which follows the psalm. AS soon
as this prayer Is finished a noise is made
with the books, which continues until the
candle Is brought from behind the altar,
and shows by its light that the office or
the tenebrae Is over.
At st. Patrick's Catholic Church last
evening tenebrae was sung by students or
the Holy Cross College at Brookland and
a sermon was delivered by Rev James A.
Smyth, assistant pastor of the church. This
morning after the o'clock mass there was
procession to the altar on the epistle side
or the main altar, where the eucharist is
deposited In specially prepared sanctuary
Here the faithful are to come and show a
spirit of veneration. A special feature OF
the services at st. Patrick's will be a noe
turnal alteration. The men of the congre-
cation will keep the vigil between midnight
and early morning This is an annual Gus
tom at this church
In all the other Catholic churches elap-
crate repositories have been prepared for
the eucharist. especially at st. Aloysius
Church, where the decorations, always on
an imposing scale. are in this instance par
ticularly striking. There is practice
among commandments Of the Catholic
church to visit the various churches OF
the city, and in order to gain an indul-
gence II Is necessary to make at least three
visits. Those who have the leisure make
as many visits as possible on foot.
In Other Churches.
In the Lutheran churches Holy Thursday
fe celebrated almost entirely by commu-
MON IN the afternoon, generally without
musical accompaniment. Good Friday, from
to 8 pm, special services commemorate
ing the last hours OF the Savior are usually
held, and there Is service In the evening
at which appropriate hymns are rendered,
THE CrucifXion" generally being sung.
In the Episcopal houses of worship during
these few days the music IS generally Sc
lected according to the wishes of the rec
tor. Usually cantatas dealing with the
passion of the Savior and the anthems APP
propriate to the season are rendered, and
make the services particularly impressive.
In some Episcopal churches services are
held each day of the present week, COM
munion being given at different hours of