Greeting a congregation that filled St. Patrick Cathedral in Harrisburg to capacity for the annual Chrism Mass on March 30, Bishop Timothy Senior told the faithful the Mass celebrates “our unity in the common priesthood of all the baptized and our link also to the celebration of the sacraments with thousands of people who will be anointed with the oils” consecrated during the richly-symbolic liturgy.
At this most sacred Mass, celebrated in the diocese on Monday of Holy Week, the Oil of the Sick, the Oil of the Catechumens and the Sacred Chrism are consecrated by the bishop for their use in the celebration of the sacraments in the diocese and its parishes throughout the upcoming year.
The Chrism Mass also marks the solemn occasion for the Renewal of Commitment to Priestly Service, during which priests, standing in unison in front of the bishop and the congregation, renew the vows they made upon the day of their ordination.
“Today, the Church of Harrisburg gathers in joy as a community anointed by God’s spirit,” Bishop Senior said at the start of the Mass, which was livestreamed on the diocese’s YouTube channel.
Looking at the congregation of clergy, religious, seminarians, catechumens, candidates and lay faithful of all ages and various ethnic traditions, the bishop remarked, “The presence of all of you is a beautiful reflection of the richness and diversity of our faith community, and indeed the unity, universality and timelessness of the life of the Body of Christ, the Church.”
During the liturgy, deacons brought forth the vessels of oil for consecration by the bishop.
The Oil of the Catechumens strengthens candidates receiving the Sacraments of Initiation as they prepare to enter the Catholic Church at Easter. The Oil of the Sick provides the sick with a remedy for their illness so they may have the strength to bear their suffering. Sacred Chrism, mixed with fragrant balsam, is used in the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation, the anointing of priests and bishops during the Rite of Ordination, and the dedication of new churches and altars.
“This Mass is also a moment to reflect on the awesome gift and the mysterious gift of the priesthood of Jesus Christ that we share,” Bishop Senior said to the more than 100 priests who filled the pews at the front of the cathedral.
“What does it mean to conform our lives to the mystery of the Cross?” he asked them. “The Cross takes different forms at different points in our lives…. For our ministry to truly be faithful, we must first desire to confirm our lives to the mystery of the Cross and to do so because it unites us more intimately to Jesus in his self-emptying love.”
“So much of what we do goes unseen,” the bishop told the priests, “but nevertheless, it is that priesthood that St. John Vianney called so beautifully ‘the love of the heart of Jesus.’”
The love and appreciation shared between the clergy and faithful spilled out on the sidewalks in front of the Cathedral after the Mass, as parishioners sought out former pastors and young people reconnected with their former high school and college chaplains.
“It’s such a beautiful occasion to see faces from past parishes whose lives you were part of,” said Father Goodman. The pastor of St. Margaret Mary Parish in Harrisburg, he celebrates the 35th anniversary of his ordination this spring.
“To see all these faces, you realize the longevity of service and that we’re all growing older, and yet in the midst of it were all these little kids as part of the families, and it was just a beautiful reflection of our family of God,” he said.
Father Joshua Cavender, pastor of St. Pius X Parish in Selinsgrove and Campus Minister of Susquehanna University, said it was a wonderful moment to renew his priestly promises in front of the faithful.
“If I could draw an analogy of the difference between a couple on the day of their wedding and that same couple renewing vows in front of their kids years down the road,” he reflected. “There’s this sense of coming back to the center and renewing everything that has happened since ordination. Having the community of faithful standing behind us as we do that as a community of priests is a beautiful illustration of the Body of Christ.”
(Photos by Chris Heisey, The Catholic Witness.)
By Jen Reed, The Catholic Witness
