Holy Week: Bishop Deeley Celebrates Chrism Mass
PORTLAND---“Praised be Jesus Christ! Now and forever!
With every pew of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland filled by a capacity assembly, Bishop Robert Deeley joyfully welcomed priests and deacons, religious, and faithful from around Maine to the annual Chrism Mass, one of the most significant and solemn liturgies of the Catholic Church, held on the Tuesday of Holy Week (over 40 pictures available below).
“This day is about all of us because we are gathered in the Lord,” the bishop told the packed cathedral. “We are his Church gathered at Eucharist, the very source of our unity. The blessing of the holy oils which is the center of our gathering today reminds us that when they are used to baptize us, or confirm us, or ordain us as priests, it is the Holy Spirit who consecrates us. That same Holy Spirit makes us sharers in the life and mission of Jesus Christ.”
The Mass gets its name from the sacred chrism, which the bishop blessed and consecrated, asking God, the Father to "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 bishop added balsam to olive oil and blew into the urn, a sign of the Holy Spirit. The sacred chrism will be used throughout the Diocese of Portland in the coming year for baptism, confirmation, and the consecration of altars and churches. Bishops are the only ordained ministers who can consecrate chrism, but he does so in union with his priests who are present.
“We beseech you, O Lord, that by the power of your grace, this mingling of fragrance and oil become for us a sacrament of your blessing,” prayed the bishop.
Bishop Deeley also blessed the oil of the sick, which is used to anoint the sick, bringing God’s healing, strength, and forgiveness to those in need at Maine parishes and hospitals.
“Send forth from the heavens, we pray, your Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, upon this oil in all its richness, which you have graciously brought forth from the verdant tree to restore the body, so that by your holy blessing, everyone anointed with this oil as a safeguard for body, soul, and spirit, may be freed from all pain, all infirmity, and all sickness,” prayed the bishop.
In addition, the oil of the catechumens (individuals preparing for baptism in the Catholic Church) was blessed by the bishop to strengthen catechumens in avoiding sin and growing in faith.
“Grant courage to the catechumens who will be anointed with it so that receiving divine wisdom and power, they may understand more deeply the Gospel of your Christ, they may undertake with a generous heart the labors of the Christian life, and, made worthy of adoption as your sons and daughters, they may rejoice to be born anew and to live in your Church.”
Once consecrated and blessed, respectively, the sacred chrism and oils were prepared by a small group of oil caretakers for distribution to Maine parishes. During Tuesday’s Mass, the oils were distributed to representatives from ten parishes, symbolizing the many parishes, hospitals, and ministries of the Diocese of Portland. Symbolically receiving the oils this year were priests and laity from Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Auburn, Our Lady of the Eucharist Parish in Lincoln, Parish of the Holy Savior in Rumford, Parish of the Resurrection of the Lord in Old Town, Prince of Peace Parish in Lewiston, Our Lady of the Snows Parish in Dexter, St. Agnes Parish in Pittsfield, St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Westbrook, St. Joseph Parish in Bridgton, and St. Teresa of Calcutta Parish in Norway.
A Chrism Mass tradition, Bishop Deeley invited the over 70 priests gathered at the Mass to renew their commitment to priestly service. As they did during their ordinations, they voiced their resolve to be "faithful stewards of the mysteries of God in the Holy Eucharist and the other liturgical rites and to discharge faithfully the sacred office of teaching, following Christ the Head and Shepherd, not seeking any gain, but moved only by zeal for souls."
“We are reminded, as we renew the promises that we made in ordination, that the Lord is with us and has chosen us. He finds us where we are, and he leads us to where he wants us to be. He did not call us because we were perfect. Pope Francis reminds us that even the apostles were just ordinary men,” Bishop Deeley said during his homily. “But our Holy Father says, nothing will ‘discourage [Jesus] from using each of us to write the history of salvation.’ My brothers, that is true! The history of salvation continues in your priesthood and in mine. We can be the priests he calls us to be. I thank you for your generous daily service for God’s people, most especially in these very challenging times.”
Bishop Deeley added that we are all called to bring that hope and joy to the world, a truth that was pointed out by a young girl during one of the bishop’s visits to Catholic schools in Maine this winter.
“A young girl in the lower grades asked me if Mary was afraid when God asked her to become the mother of his Son. What a beautiful question! I answered her that, of course, Mary had concerns about the request made of her,” said Bishop Deeley. “She said yes because she believed that the angel Gabriel was carrying a message from God, and she knew of God’s care for her. She believed that God would be with her. We can forget what the imagination of that young girl reminds us: Mary and Joseph were persons. They had no special tools to deal with life than those God had given to them. They only knew to live in faith, and to trust that God was working through them. It reminds us that if we use the gifts that God gives us, particularly the Eucharist and the other sacraments, we are assured that Jesus walks with us and His Holy Spirit guides our steps. Our society needs us. Especially now when there is so much trouble and so much division in our world. We know that our faith has a message for our culture. It calls us to bring the Good News of Jesus to others by the service we give to one another.”
The Chrism Mass was concelebrated by Fr. Seamus Griesbach, rector of the Cathedral and pastor of the Portland Peninsula and Island Parishes; Monsignor Marc Caron, moderator of the curia and vicar general; Monsignor Andrew Dubois, pastor of St. Paul the Apostle Parish in Bangor and vicar general; Fr. Jack Dickinson, judicial vicar; Monsignor Paul Stefanko, vicar for priests; and Fr. Claude Gendreau. The deacon of the Mass was Deacon Peter Bernier, director of the diocese’s Office of the Diaconate, who assisted by Deacon Dennis Popadak and Deacon Denis Mailhot.
Bishop Deeley will now head to Houlton for the Mass of the Oils at St. Mary of the Visitation Church on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. The bishop will be joined by clergy and faithful from around Aroostook County for the Mass during which the oils that will be used in the sacraments in the upcoming year will be distributed to the priests serving in northern and eastern Maine. As is the case at the Chrism Mass, the Mass of the Oils is also an opportunity to celebrate and thank the priests of the diocese and for them to renew their commitment to priestly service. The bishop will then return to the Cathedral for the Holy Thursday Celebration of the Mass of the Lord’s Supper (7 p.m.), the Celebration of Our Lord’s Passion on Good Friday (7 p.m.), the Easter Vigil Mass on Saturday (8 p.m.), and the celebration of the Mass of the Resurrection of the Lord on Easter Sunday (10 a.m.). All are welcome at any of the Masses and services, which will also be livestreamed.
“In the dramatic unfolding of this Holy Week, we see self-giving love reach its ultimate point in Christ’s saving death on the cross,” said the bishop. “That sacrifice finds its response in the Father’s act of raising Jesus to new life on Easter morning, the cause of our joy and our hope.”
A special Holy Week section includes Mass times and locations at all Maine parishes, listings of parish events, daily prayers and reflections, and many other resources. In addition, stories from many Masses and services and special messages throughout Holy Week will be posted on the diocesan website, the diocesan Facebook page, the diocesan Twitter page, the diocesan Instagram page, and on Bishop Deeley’s personal social media pages on Twitter and Instagram.
