Father's Tuesday, 5/12/2020 Message

Since the Chrism Mass was not able to be celebrated on the Monday of Holy Week, Bishop Gainer will be celebrating it via live streaming on You Tube this morning at 10:00AM at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. All are invited, and encouraged to watch.

The Chrism Mass is a public celebration and display of the unity of the bishop to the priests of his diocese and the entire Church community as Members of the Body of Christ to Jesus Christ who is the Head of the Church. It is one of the most holy and solemn Masses celebrated all year because, in addition to the priests renewing their promises to the bishop, the three oils blessed by the bishop during the Mass play such an important role in the life of the Church. The oil of catechumens is used in the Sacrament of Baptism. The individual is anointed on his chest with the oil of catechumens before being baptized with water.  The oil of the sick is used in the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick. The individual is anointed on his forehead and his hands when this Sacrament is conferred.The holy chrism is used in the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and in Holy Orders for the ordination of priests and bishops. The individual is anointed on his forehead with the holy chrism after being baptized with water. Priests are anointed on their hands and bishops are anointed on their heads with the holy chrism during the ordination ceremony.  The holy chrism is easily distinguishable from the other oils because it is the only one of the three which is mixed with a perfume called balsam.  The blessing of the holy chrism is also different than the blessing of the other oils. The bishop breathes on the vessel containing the oil-balsam mixture just as Christ breathed on the Apostles in John 20:22.  After the Chrism Mass, the holy oils are distributed to the parishes of the diocese where they are used to anoint the faithful throughout the year.