Catholics across the Archdiocese of Toronto are being given a unique chance to step into the shadows of Holy Week, courtesy of a time-honoured medieval tradition — that has largely faded from parish life that powerfully drives home the emotion of Christ’s Passion in a connective, haunting way. 

Toronto’s historic St. Paul’s Basilica is offering its fifth Tenebrae service this Good Friday on April 3, at 7:30 p.m. It’s there, at the archdiocese’s oldest parish, that alumni of Toronto's St. Michael’s Choir School will bring the Passion of Jesus Christ to life through an evening commemoration complete with Scripture readings, music and the haunting extinguishing of candles. 

Taken from the services’ Latin name meaning “darkness” or “shadows,” traditional Tenebrae date back to medieval Roman Catholic practices of the ninth century. Among the songs, prayers and silence, Tenebrae also features a unique candle holder, known as a Tenebrae hearse, which holds 15 candles. Commonly, the candles are gradually extinguished as the liturgy progresses, leaving the service in darkness as it concludes. 

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Once a staple of Holy Week observances, it wasn’t until 1955 that Pope Pius XII restructured the Sacred Triduum into a continuous celebration, leaving Tenebrae services something of a lost art. 

Diego Iapaolo, an organist in the archdiocese for more than three decades and a graduate of St. Michael’s Choir School, spoke to the tradition's legacy in the Greater Toronto Area — as well as its recent parish-level revival. 

“One of the big main events is at St. Michael's Cathedral on Wednesday of Holy Week, but this one is also done by (St. Michael’s Choir School) graduates at parishes like St. Paul's. It is taken out to various churches throughout the diocese so they can partake as well,” he said. 

Hopeful of spreading the medieval tradition to each corner of the archdiocese, St. Paul’s has recently become a leading beacon by hosting the year-over-year event, with the strong support of Fr. Robert O'Brien. The parish’s unique Gothic architecture and classic basilica interior lend themselves heavily to the Tenebrae experience. 

This year’s Tenebrae music will be by Msgr. John Edward Ronan, the founder of St. Michael’s Choir School, whose responsories were composed before 1930 and have been kept alive in the archdiocese for decades.

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Understanding that not all, perhaps very few, parishioners have attended a Holy Week Tenebrae in the past, Iapaolo shared a glimpse into the dark, heavy and emotional weight the service is intended to give life to. 

“It’s a haunting and deeply moving experience, especially when you are lucky enough to host it on Good Friday as we are. The Latin music is dramatic, the readings are of Passiontide and the dark lighting all come together  to encapsulate the emotions that go with Christ’s Passion for us,” he said. 

On its Good Friday debut last year, St. Paul’s saw upwards of 300 people attend. In addition to parish organist and music director Joe Angelo’s performance of the Lamentations with 20 to 30 alumni adding depth and balance, Iapaolo said the most jarring aspect of the tradition came at its conclusion. 

“ Towards the end, this dark, ominous performance swells into this thunderous collection of noises known as the Strepitus. It represents the thunder in the darkness and the very destruction of the temple at the time of the Passion. For everyone present, it makes for a moving, immersive experience,” he said.

Around the city, St. Basil’s Parish will host its own Tenebrae service on April 1, as well as St. Michael’s Cathedral Basilica. 

At St. Paul’s, the team is hoping for more of the same anticipation as last year. Iapaolo emphasizes that success is not merely found in numbers, but in knowing that services like Tenebrae remain available and accessible amidst Holy Week’s “competing” options like Stations of the Cross and Passion Plays. 

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Still, the alumni team invites all those seeking a deeper experience of Holy Week to join them on April 3. In a tradition largely lost to time, St. Paul’s Tenebrae offers those willing a stirring and profoundly moving way to put themselves in the shadows of Christ’s Passion, encountering, once again, the depth of His love for us this Easter.

“As we reflect on the season, this is an exclamation point on what is one of the cornerstones of our faith in Christ's death. We get to experience that through music, and I warmly encourage and invite people to come experience it in person. There's no other way to do it,” Iapaolo said.