The Tenebrae Choir at Queen of All Saints Catholic Church will again be presenting an annual Contemporary Tenebrae Service entitled “Hope in the Shadows”, composed by Joel Raney and Lloyd Larson, on Palm Sunday, March 24 at 3PM in the Church. Queen of All Saints is located on the corner of Barker Avenue and Woodland Avenue in Michigan City. The presentation is free of charge.
A Tenebrae service is defined as “a church service observed during the final part of Holy Week commemorating the sufferings and death of Christ.” Per composer Joel Raney, “Hope in the Shadows” recalls Christ’s journey to the cross by examining the shadows of betrayal, injustice and agony that marked that journey. It contrasts the selfish exploits of humanity with the divine nature of a loving God.” Some well loved traditional Christian songs are woven into this presentation. These include “Beneath the Cross of Jesus”, What Wondrous Love Is This, and In Christ Alone”.
During this 35-minute musical journey, seven candles are lit while the opening narration is presented, and the candles are extinguished one at a time, after the conclusion of each of the seven sections, greatly enhancing the worship experience. Per Raney, “this work is unique in that we’ve included the re-lighting of the Christ candle at the end, signifying the hope of the coming resurrection.”