MONDAY DIARY - CHAPTER 3

Trying to answer the question, "What does a priest do?"

If you are reading this you have most likely been anointed with oil by the Church at baptism, confirmation, ordination, or perhaps when you were ill. These are blessed oils of course. Have you ever given any thought concerning from where they came?

The containers in which your parish keeps the holy oils are called stocks. There are three of these. The oils are Holy Chrism (or Sacrum Chrisma – SC) for use in baptisms, confirmation, orders, blessing tower bells and consecrating altars, chalices, patons, and churches. The second is called the Oil of Catechumens (or Oleum Sanctorum OS). Finally there is the Oil of the Sick (or Oleum Infirmorum – OI).

Every year around this time all the oils are reverently disposed of (that is they are either burned or buried), and the stocks cleaned and prepared for newly blessed oils. The oils for the entire diocese are blessed once a year by the bishop in the presence of his priests at a mass called the Chrism Mass. This mass traditionally takes place on the afternoon of Maundy Thursday, but for pastoral reasons it may happen on another day of Holy Week. For those of us in the Diocese of Cleveland, we gathered on Holy Tuesday.

The priests met on the third floor of the chancery building. It is an elegant building on the outside, but inside not so much. The priest cram into small, hot rooms allotted to them for vesting and preparing for mass. The joyful din is quite remarkable though as brother greets brother and news from the eight counties of the diocese shoot about the room. Black hats, jackets, and coats are placed on every available hanger or chair back and soon the flash of white of albs and stoles start transforming the room from somber black to celebratory white.

Eventually a voice cries out above the others, “Brothers! May I have your attention please!” All heads turn toward the priest who calls out instructions of what will be taking place that night. With that it is time for the grand procession.

Two by two the priests led by the deacons walk the length of the chancery, through the rectory into the Cathedral and march down the long isle. The chorus is singing, the mighty organ and small orchestra ring out a triumphant hymn, and though hundreds of lay people may be in attendance, it is the voice of the hundreds of priests that ring through the vaults of the ceiling of this grand edifice.

This is the one official liturgy out of the year that is specifically designed for the bishop to speak to and unabashedly focus on his priests. At the homily he adjures us, “Do not be afraid of the chalice! Do not be afraid of the Cross! Be afraid only of not loving enough!”

At this point the priest are asked to rededicate themselves to their vows and mission. The bishop asks, “Are you ready to renew your own dedication to Christ as priests? Are you resolved to unite yourself more closely to Christ and His sacrificial life? Are you resolved to be faithful ministers of God’s mysteries and Good Shepherds?” “I AM!” was shouted by your priests in a fever pitch that should have been heard by my blogger friends in Minnesota.

At various times during the mass the different oils are blessed. When the Chrism oil is consecrated, the oil with which you have been anointed, these words, in part, are used:

“And so Father, we ask you to bless + this oil you have created. Fill it with the power of your Holy Spirit through Christ Your Son. It is from Him that this chrism takes its name and with chrism you have anointed for yourself priests and kings, prophets and martyrs.

“Make this chrism a sign of life and salvation for those who are to be born again in the waters of baptism. Wash away the evil they have inherited from sinful Adam, and when they are anointed with this holy oil make them temples of Your glory, radiant with the goodness of life that has its source in You.

“Through this sign of chrism grant them royal, priestly, and prophetic honor, and clothe them with incorruption. Let this be indeed the chrism of salvation for those who will be born again of water and the Holy Spirit!”

That is to what you have been consecrated! What a lofty position! Strive to live that out every day of your lives! What graces have been poured out upon you! What blessings the Lord has given you! It is a treasure to be cherished thusly by the God who made you!

I wish I could say the rest of the night was as wonderful but this is where the logistics start to fail. First, the priests return to the vesting rooms. There are hundreds of black suit jackets, black winter coats, and black hats with which to deal. Oh! The chaos. Even I got caught with Fr. B’s suit coat on. Then of course everybody goes to retrieve holy oils for their parish at the same time. The transitional deacons did an admiral job in a bad situation involving a long day, late hours, and priests that had hours ride home. But nothing beats the parking deck! On the fourth floor nothing moves for an hour or so and so I walked up to the top level and took some pictures of the cathedral that you see here.