By: Christine Schreck
The Chrism Mass is one of the highlights of Holy Week in our diocese, Bishop Michael C. Barber, SJ, explained during his opening remarks at Mass on March 31 at The Cathedral of Christ the Light.
Visitors to the Cathedral were greeted by students from St. Leo the Great School as more than 100 priests—diocesan and from religious orders who serve within the Diocese of Oakland—in active ministry and retired, gathered to renew their priestly promises and witness the blessing and consecration of the holy oils that will be used in sacraments throughout the diocese this year.
Addressing his fellow priests during the homily, Bishop Barber reminded them of their special connection to Jesus: “Priests, brother priests, fathers, … we have that priestly power of Jesus. We make Christ present through the sacraments. We are the channels of his ministry and his power. The sacraments are the way Jesus continues to release people from Satan and from sin.”
“We Catholic priests, the successors of Jesus, the one High Priest, free people from sin using these holy oils in the sacraments,” he said.
He thanked all the priests for their service to the diocese, including a special mention of Father Brian Timoney who was ordained in 1956, and announced that three new priests would soon join their ranks, with transitional deacons Aidan Cameron-Smith, Garrett McGowan and Huy Minh Nguyen scheduled to be ordained on May 23.
Bishop Barber also expressed his gratitude to the people of the diocese for their continued support of the Bishop’s Ministries Appeal, which funds seminarian education among other programs and ministries.
Three silver vessels of oil were placed on pedestals in front of the altar. The olive oil, from trees at the motherhouse of the Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose, is processed by Sciabica Family Olive Oil. The Oil of the Sick and the Oil of Catechumens were blessed while the Chrism was mixed with a perfumed balsam before being consecrated.
Chrism can only be consecrated by a bishop and is used when anointing the foreheads of those receiving baptism and confirmation, when anointing the hands of priests and the heads of bishops at their ordinations and when anointing the altar and walls of a church during the rites of dedication.
Following the blessings and consecration, the deacons on the altar closed the vessels and carried them out of the cathedral where waiting parish and chancery staff and volunteers labeled, bottled and packaged the trio of oils for parish representatives to collect at the conclusion of Mass.
The Bishop’s Ministries Appeal supports diocesan ministries including seminarian education and care for retired diocesan priests. To make a gift to the Bishop’s Ministries Appeal, visit https://www.oakdiocese.org/bishops-ministries-appeal/.