A SPECIAL service will be held in candlelight on Good Friday .

St Mark in the Cherry Orchard, Bath Road, Worcester, is staging a tenebrae service at 8pm on Friday, April 18 and the word ‘tenebrae’ is Latin for shadows and the purpose of the service is to recreate the emotional aspects of the passion story.

The service will begin in candlelight and there will be as many candles as there are readings, plus a white Christ candle.

It is a very moving, reflective service alternating chants/songs with the readings telling the story of the Crucifixion and the time leading up to it.

The readers read their assigned selections one at a time and extinguish one of the candles at the end of each passage until only the Christ candle remains.

Someone will then read the first part of Psalm 22, as quoted by Jesus when he was on the cross, and the last candle, the Christ candle, is extinguished, leaving the congregation in very subdued light.

The church will also stage a family service at 10.30am.