Diocese celebrates Mass of the Chrism

Friday, Mar. 25, 2016

SALT LAKE CITY  — On March 17 the Cathedral of the Madeleine welcomed the Most Rev. George H. Niederauer, Archbishop emeritus of San Francisco, as the celebrant and homilist for the bilingual (English–Spanish) Chrism Mass.

Traditionally the Chrism Mass is celebrated on Holy Thursday, but because of the size of the Diocese of Salt Lake City and the need for priests to be in their parishes for the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, the Chrism Mass in Utah is held a week earlier.

During the Chrism Mass the priests reaffirm their unity with their bishop. Also, the three oils — the oil of catechumens, the oil of the infirm  and holy chrism  — are blessed. These oils are used in the administration of the sacraments throughout the year.

As he started his homily, Archbishop Niederauer, who as the eighth Bishop of Salt Lake City shepherded the faithful in Utah from 1995 to 2006, said, “What a joy and privilege it is to be here with you.”

Archbishop Niederauer emphasized the approach of Easter, “in which we celebrate the death and rising of our savior, Jesus Christ, the celebration of who and what we are because of what Jesus has been and done for love of us.”

Recalling the words from the Gospel reading, from Luke 4, and the first reading from Isaiah 61, “The spirit of the Lord is upon me; therefore, he has anointed me,” Archbishop Niederauer said that “this evening the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City celebrates Jesus Christ our savior as the anointed one of God. God anointed Jesus as priest, and we have been anointed sacramentally to share the union with our vocation.”

The archbishop continued, saying that St. Paul emphasized, “God is the one who firmly establishes us along with you in Christ; it is he who anointed us and has sealed us, thereby depositing the first payment, the Spirit, in our hearts” (2 Cor 1:21). Therefore, the symbolism of oil is rich sanctification, healing, strengthening, beautification, dedication, consecration and sacrifice.”

Concelebrating the Mass with Archbishop Niederauer were Monsignor Colin F. Bircumshaw, diocesan administrator; Monsignor J. Terrence Fitzgerald, vicar general emeritus; and many of the diocesan priests.

In attendance were many of the religious women who serve in the diocese, as well as the ordained deacons and those who are in the deacon formation class, and many lay people.

“Every vocation challenges the generosity of the one who is called,” Archbishop Niederauer said, adding that the ritual of the Chrism Mass “celebrates who we are and who the others are with us.”

He also prayed that, by serving Christ and their neighbors, those at the Mass may have a share in Christ’s resurrection.

After the homily, all the priests were asked to stand for the Renewal of the Priestly Promises.

The deacons and their wives then were asked to stand up to recommit themselves to the service of God’s people. The religious women serving in the diocese also recommitted themselves to the charisms of their communities, and the laity promised to continue the work to which baptism has called them.

Then Archbishop Niederauer asked the laity “to pray for your priests, that the Lord may pour out his gifts abundantly upon them, and keep them faithful as ministers of Christ, so that they may lead you to him who is the source of salvation.”

After the renewal of the promises, the three jars of oils were presented one by one to the archbishop. Each was presented by members of a different group: those who care for the sick, those who are preparing for baptism and those who are preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation.

The oils of the sick and the oil of catechumens were blessed by Archbishop Niederauer, and then the chrism oil was consecrated.

In blessing for the Oil of the Catechumens, Archbishop Niederauer prayed, “Bring them [the catechumens] to a deeper understanding of the Gospel and help them to accept the challenge of Christian living.”

With the Oil of the Sick: “Make this oil a remedy for all who are anointed with it; heal them in body, in soul, and in spirit, and deliver them from every affliction.”

And with the Sacred Chrism: “Fill it with the power of your Holy Spirit through Christ your Son. It is from him that chrism takes its name and with chrism you have anointed for yourself priests and kings, prophets and martyrs.”

“We are to make Christ present in the world by what we teach, proclaim and do; by the way we behave and by the sacraments we celebrate,” Archbishop Niederauer reminded those at the Mass.