The rich oils of the Chrism Mass capture the senses, from their golden colors and shimmering beauty as they’re carried to and from the altar in glass containers adorned with ribbon, to the sweet smell of balsam that gives Chrism its fragrant scent.
And rightly so, said Bishop Timothy Senior during this year’s Chrism Mass, celebrated on Monday of Holy Week, April 14.
“The oils that will be blessed and consecrated this afternoon are an outward sign of the rich favor God has poured upon us in Christ. The beautiful color and fragrance will remind us of the unique beauty that God has given to us by adopting us as His sons and daughters, adorning us with the splendor of holiness. Therefore, this afternoon, we sing praise to the Lord, who has called us to be a priestly people, a kingly people, a holy people,” he said.
“This is truly, first, a celebration of the whole Church, and of our common priesthood through baptism,” Bishop Senior said of the Chrism Mass, celebrated for a congregation of priests, deacons, seminarians, consecrated religious and lay faithful that filled the Cathedral. Hundreds more watched via livestream on the Diocese’s YouTube channel.
Brought to the altar at St. Patrick Cathedral in Harrisburg and subsequently carried forth from the Mass in a line of deacons that stretched the Cathedral’s main aisle, the holy oils will be used in the celebration of the sacraments throughout the Diocese in the coming year, including Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Orders and the Anointing of the Sick.
Before the conclusion of the Eucharistic Prayer, the bishop blessed the Oil of the Sick, which provides a remedy for illness of mind and body, so that those who are sick have strength to bear their suffering, resist evil and obtain the forgiveness of sins.
Following the Prayer after Communion, Bishop Senior blessed the Oil of the Catechumens, which strengthens candidates for receiving the Sacraments of Initiation as they prepare to enter the Catholic Church.
He next consecrated the Sacred Chrism, after mixing the holy oil with fragrant balsam and breathing into the vessels to symbolize the Holy Spirit coming down to consecrate it. The Sacred Chrism is used in the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation, in the anointing of priests and bishops during ordination, and in the dedication of new churches and altars.
During the Prayer of Consecration of the Sacred Chrism, the bishop prayed, in part, that God would “pour into it the strength of the Holy Spirit, with the powerful working of your Christ. From His holy name it has received the name of Chrism, and with it you have anointed your priests, prophets, kings and martyrs.”
A Fraternity Centered in Christ
The Chrism Mass is also an annual occasion for priests to renew their commitment to priestly service, recalling the promises they made on the day of their ordination. Priests of the Diocese filled the first number of pews at the Chrism Mass, an impressive sight for the congregation who eagerly looked for their parish priests – past and present – during the Entrance Procession.
Among those peering through the rows of worshipers was 11-year-old Pedro J. Perez, a student at St. Joseph School in York, who attended the Mass with his parents and sister – all members of Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in York.
Before the Mass, Pedro had told his father he wanted to count all the clergy in the Entrance Procession and pick out the ones he knew.
With a keen eye, Pedro spotted them with excitement: Father John Kuchinski, his pastor; Father Kyle Sahd, pastor of St. Joseph Parish in York; and Father John Bateman, pastor of St. Patrick Parish in York.
“I was excited to be here for the first time, and I thought that if I came here, I would feel Jesus’ presence – and I did!” an excited Pedro told The Witness after Mass.
“The Mass and the Cathedral were very beautiful. I liked looking at the windows and the names of the saints. I also found the words joy, peace, patience, kindness and generosity – all the virtues,” he said. “I definitely want to come back some time.”
Pedro’s father is a member of the Parish Council at St. Mary’s in York, and decided to bring his family to the Chrism Mass when Father Kuchinski mentioned the liturgy.
“We passed the word along to the other council members, some of whom were also here sitting with us. It was so moving to see the blessing of all the oils that will be used in the sacraments this year,” he said.
Bishop Senior directed the majority of his homily to the priests, reflecting on the gift of the priesthood and the importance of fostering priestly fraternity.
“It’s so good to pause, especially at this Mass, and to reflect on the awesome gift of the priesthood that we share,” the bishop told them. “St. John Paul II referred to the priest as ‘gift and mystery’ in the book that he wrote on his 50th anniversary of ordination to the priesthood.”
“As priests, we know the factors that are key in our handling of the living gift and mystery that is the priesthood, the joys and the challenges of the priesthood, all centered, ultimately, flowing from our relationship with Jesus,” he said. “I suggest to you that priestly fraternity is one very important factor…. We need one another.”
Acknowledging that such fraternity often includes spending time with one another, he said it involves more than just the gathering of good friends.
“It is a spirituality,” Bishop Senior said, one that is reflected in Psalm 133:1-2, printed on the cover of the worship aid for the Mass: “How good and how pleasant it is, when brothers live in unity!”
“Our fraternity always needs to be centered in Christ. Our friendship with one another flows from that. Our love for one another is the fruit of our love for Jesus Christ,” the bishop said.
And, the bishop reflected on Pope Francis’ letter to parish priests in May of last year, in which the Holy Father urged them to “base everything you do in a spirit of sharing and fraternity among yourselves and with your bishops…. We cannot be authentic fathers unless we are first sons and brothers. And we cannot foster communion and participation in the communities entrusted to our care unless, before all else, we live out those realities among ourselves.”
“Our unity in Christ Jesus, the High Priest, is critically important for the fruitfulness of our mission of evangelization, and I believe it’s also so important for the work of promoting vocations to the priesthood,” Bishop Senior told the priests. “No one knows and understands the joys and the sorrows, the gift and mystery of the priesthood that we share…better than a brother priest.”
Following the celebration of Mass, the Holy Oils were distributed into smaller containers which the priests returned to their parishes for use in the sacraments in the upcoming year.
(Photos by Chris Heisey, The Catholic Witness.)
By Jen Reed, The Catholic Witness
