The Chrism Mass and the Year for Priests

By Very Rev. T. Michael Dugan During Holy Week, one of the most beautiful of the liturgies celebrated is that of the Chrism Mass where the bishop of the diocese gathers with the priests of his diocese.  The bishop serves as the high priest of the flock and this Mass most represents his close unity with the priests who are united to him under his care. At this Mass, which is usually the largest annual gathering of clergy and faithful at the cathedral, the priests renew the commitments they made at their ordination. The Mass takes its name from the most eminent of the three holy oils which the bishop consecrates for his local church’s use over the following year. The celebration   The Mass begins with this beautiful prayer, which is so appropriate for us during this year when we are celebrating the priesthood: Father by the power of the Holy Spirit you anointed your only Son Messiah and Lord of creation: You have given us a share in his consecration to priestly service in your Church.  Help us to be faithful witnesses in the world to the salvation Christ won for mankind. While the Oil of the Sick, used for those who seek the anointing, and the Oil of the Catechumens, which is imposed on those preparing for baptism, are simply “blessed,” the Sacred Chrism is “consecrated,” and all the priests present participate in the latter moment by extending their hands toward the vessel containing it, as the bishop says the prayer of consecration. Only the bishop may consecrate the Sacred Chrism, therefore in a very special way the Chrism Mass highlights his ministry and our union with him. The bishop is not able to baptize and confirm everyone in the parishes of the diocese, but his ministry is symbolically present in the chrism which the priests and deacons will use.  The Chrism is used at the ordination of priests and bishops, baptisms, confirmations, the consecration of altars and the blessing of churches, where the walls are smeared with it in the shape of the sign of the cross. As part of the consecration of the Chrism, balsam is poured into the oil, which gives it a sweet smell intended to remind those who encounter it of the “odor of sanctity” to which those people and things who are marked with it, and by extension all of us, are called to strive for. The consecration prayer of the Chrism speaks of the Old Testament origin of the church’s use of oil and chrism as a sign of the Christ’s role as king, priest and prophet in the world. After Mass Following the Chrism Mass, the oils and chrism are carried back to the parishes and on Holy Saturday evening, at the beginning of the Easter Vigil, will become a part of the renewal of joy and rebirth that the church celebrates in Christ’s Resurrection. The Mass continues with the prayerful nature of the priesthood described beautifully in the preface said before the Eucharistic Prayer: Father, all-powerful and ever-living God, we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks.  By your Holy Spirit you anointed your only Son High Priest of the new and eternal covenant.  With wisdom and love you have planned that this one priesthood should continue in the Church.   Christ gives the dignity of a royal priesthood to the people he has made his own.  From these, with a brother’s love, he chooses men to share his sacred ministry by the laying on of hands. He appoints them to renew in his name the sacrifice of our redemption as they set before your family his paschal meal.  He calls them to lead your holy people in love, nourish them by your word, and strengthen them through the sacraments. Father, they are to give their lives in your service and for the salvation of your people as they strive to grow in likeness of Christ and honor you by their courageous witness of faith and love. We praise you, Lord, with all the angels and saints in their song of joy. The Chrism Mass is truly a celebration of the church as we gather around the bishop and priests of the diocese.  Through the liturgy of the church, Christ acts to strengthen and protect, to heal and restore, to set apart and seal us for ministry. The Chrism Mass serves to open up these realities to the community of faith. As I close this article, we have traveled through the entirety of a liturgical year of the church and hope that these articles have strengthened our love and appreciation for the church, and the beauty that it shares with us each day of its year. I will be taking some time over the next weeks to prepare and serve the church in the Holy Days that lay ahead during our celebration of Holy Week and the Episcopal Ordination of Auxiliary Bishop-designates J. Douglas Deshotel and Mark J. Seitz; therefore, I will be taking some time away from writing to focus on the importance of these celebrations. May we prayerfully lift up our bishop and his priests in the days ahead, especially as we profoundly celebrate the great gift of the Paschal Mystery. Very Rev. T. Michael Dugan is the Episcopal Master of Ceremonies for the Diocese of Dallas and also serves as pastor of St. Elizabeth of Hungary Parish in Oak Cliff.