March 28th - Good Friday Evening - Tenebrae for Holy Saturday

Tenebrae for Holy Saturday takes place in the late afternoon or evening of Good Friday. The choir altar remains as it was after Vespers this morning with six candlesticks and altar Cross now unveiled. Choir reverences are omitted until after None tomorrow morning. All reverence the Cross with a genuflection.

At the usual time Compline is recited on a monotone, as the Little Hours were in the morning and yesterday. Its structure is exactly the same as yesterday. After the Canticle Christus factus est...Mortem autem crucis (only) is said, the Miserere and Respice follow as before. The altar candles remain unlit until Mattins.

At Mattins the first antiphon is In pace in idipsum. The psalms are strictly proper, in the first nocturn Pss. 4, 14 & 15. After the last verse of each psalm a candle is exstinguished on the hearse as on the previous evenings. These are longer than those found the more modern books. Three verses of Caph are added to the first lesson, vv 31-33 of the third chapter. The second lesson has the addition of Zain, v. 7 from the fourth chapter. The third lesson, the Prayer of Jeremy, has the addition of vv. 12-16 of chapter five. In the second nocturn Pss. 23, 26 & 29 are sung. The second nocturn lessons are again from St. Augustine on the psalms, these are slightly longer than those found in the later books. In the third nocturn Pss. 53, 75 & 87 are sung, the lessons are again from St. Paul to the Hebrews, these are arranged slightly differently to those found in the later books. The theme of the service is Christ in the Tomb.

Lauds follow immediately from Mattins with the first antiphon O mors ero mors etc. Psalms 50, 42, 62-66, Ego dixi and 148-149-150 are sung. The antiphon on the Benedictus is Mulieres sedentes etc, sung to the same tone as the previous two nights and doubled. Exactly the same ceremonies take place as the previous two nights. When the Christus factus est is sung Propter quod et Deus exaltavit illum, dedit illi nomen, quod est super omne nomen is added.