Cardinal Wilton Gregory celebrated an April 3 Chrism Mass at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington, D.C., where he led priests in renewing their ordination promises and blessed sacramental oils that will be used in parishes throughout The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington.
“Today we gather to bless the sacred oils that will be used for the sanctification of this local Church during the course of this coming year,” Cardinal Gregory said. “This ordinary olive oil that once we have blessed it, we will apply at key moments in the lives of the faithful.”
Noting that the oils would be used for anointing the sick, Cardinal Gregory urged the faithful to “remember Pope Francis who makes care of the sick such a focus of his Petrine ministry” and who recently was hospitalized.
Speaking to his “beloved brothers,” Cardinal Gregory told the priests at the liturgy that “today’s Eucharist… is a special moment for every priest in this local Church” as they “reaffirm our pledge to be engaged in the work of sanctification.”
The bilingual Mass – which is traditionally offered during Holy Week – commemorates the founding of the priesthood and the institution of the Eucharist. Usually, the Chrism Mass is offered on Holy Thursday, the day the Church celebrates the fact that at the Last Supper, Jesus Christ instituted the Eucharist and the priesthood. Because of pastoral reasons, the Mass is often celebrated earlier during Holy Week.
In attendance at this year’s Mass were Washington Auxiliary Bishops Roy E. Campbell Jr., Evelio Menjivar-Ayala and Juan Esposito-Garcia, who also serves as Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia of The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington; Cardinal Donald Wuerl, the archbishop emeritus of Washington; and Archbishop Christophe Pierre, the papal nuncio to the United States. Also attending the Mass – which was open to the public, and livestreamed on social media – were nearly 200 priests, and numerous deacons, seminarians, and men and women religious.
Cardinal Gregory told the priests that they were “summoned by the power of God’s own Spirit” to be men who “live in the world in the imitation of Jesus.”
Prior to leading the priests in the renewal of their vows, the cardinal lamented that “the world has increasingly less comprehension of and no understanding of” priestly celibacy. He reminded the priests that they “made promises to be men who would live for others” and urged them to “beg the Lord to sanctify all priests everywhere here and throughout the world.”
Calling the priests “beloved sons,” Cardinal Gregory asked them if they are resolved to be “more united with the Lord Jesus and more closely conformed to Him” and to be “faithful stewards of the mysteries of God in the Holy Eucharist and the other liturgical rites.”
Addressing the laity, whom he called “dearest sons and daughters,” Cardinal Gregory asked the faithful to pray for priests that “the Lord may pour out His gifts abundantly upon them, and keep them faithful as ministers of Christ, the High Priest, so that they may lead you to Him, who is the source of salvation.”
Cardinal Gregory also asked the faithful to pray for him that as archbishop of Washington, “I may be made day by day a living and more perfect image of Christ, the priest, the Good Shepherd, the teacher, and the servant of all.”
“May the Lord keep us all in His charity and lead all of us – shepherds and flock – to eternal life,” he prayed.
At the Mass, Cardinal Gregory also blessed the oils that all parishes in the archdiocese will use to administer the sacraments for the upcoming year. “Chrism is the sweet-scented oil that should reveal to the entire world the wonderous fragrance of Christ Jesus’s risen presence throughout all of creation,” he said.
The consecrated oils will be used for the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Anointing of the Sick, and will also be used during the sacrament of Holy Orders, when new priests are ordained.
“May your holy oil, O Lord, be blessed by you for our sake…” Cardinal Gregory prayed. “Bless and sanctify this oil, so that all who are outwardly anointed with it may be inwardly transformed and come to share in eternal salvation.”
The Chrism Mass was one of several Holy Week and Easter liturgies to be celebrated by the cardinal at the cathedral that will be livestreamed. The day before, he celebrated an April 2 Palm Sunday Mass at the cathedral.
Cardinal Gregory’s Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper will be livestreamed from the cathedral at 5:30 p.m. Thursday April 6.
On Good Friday, April 7, Cardinal Gregory’s will celebrate a livestreamed Liturgy of the Passion of the Lord at 1 p.m.
On Holy Saturday April 8, Cardinal Gregory will celebrate a livestreamed Easter Vigil Mass at St. Matthew’s Cathedral at 8 p.m.
Then on Easter Sunday April 9, the cardinal will celebrate a livestreamed Mass at the cathedral at 9 a.m.
Later on Easter Sunday, Cardinal Gregory will celebrate a noon Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception that will be televised on the Eternal Word Television Network and livestreamed on the basilica’s YouTube channel that can be linked through the National Shrine’s website at www.nationalshrine.org.
