Chrism Mass

Each year during Holy Week a Chrism Mass takes place in the diocese (not just the La Crosse Diocese, but everywhere). During this special Mass the oils used throughout the year in all the parishes of the diocese are blessed by the bishop. The bishops have been blessing the oils each year since the early days of the Catholic Church. For a long time the oils were blessed at the Holy Thursday Mass at the diocesan seat or the cathedral of the diocese. But that changed in 1955 when it was decided that a the Bishops would have a Mass of Chrism on the morning of Holy Thursday so the oils could then be taken back to the parishes by either the parish priest or if they were not in attendance by the Dean each deanery or a parish representative. That has changed as well since 1955 and the Chrism Mass now may take place on a different day shortly before Holy Thursday. In the Diocese of La Crosse for instance the Chrism Mass will be the Tuesday before Holy Thursday. This enables more people to be able to attend as well as giving a little more time for the priests to get the oils back to their parishes, particularly if the Dean is bringing them back to his deanery.

This Mass has also come to be an acknowledgement of the call of priests to their ministry. The priest are invited to come to the Chrism Mass and renew their commitment to the priesthood. What a wonderful opportunity for the priests to be able to take advantage of each year with their brother priests they recommit to their service in the church.

What are the oils that the Bishop blesses? They include the oil of the catechumens, the oil of the chrism and the oil of the sick. Why so many oils you ask? Well they are each used for a different purpose. The definition of each of the oils are as follows: Oil of the catechumens is used in the sacrament of baptism, from which its name is derived, the catechumen being the person about to receive the sacrament. It is also used in the consecration of churches, in the blessing of altars, ordination of priests, and has been used in the coronation of Catholic monarchs; oil of the chrism is a consecrated mixture of olive oil and balsam. Blessed by a bishop, it is used in the public administration of baptism, confirmation, and holy orders; in the blessing of tower bells, baptismal water, and in the consecration of churches, altars, chalices, and patens; oil of the sick is the olive oil blessed by the bishop of a diocese for use in the sacrament of anointing of the sick. The oils are kept in a special repository called an Ambry. At St. Olaf the Ambry is located on the wall between the confessional and the vesting sacristry. The Bishop is the only one in each diocese that can consecrate the oils. This is one of the highlights as his ministry as our Bishop. Each time the oils are used in the parish it is a symbol of the Bishop’s unity with the people of the diocese.
From CatholicCulture.org (1)