Chrism Mass brings together faithful from around the diocese

Hundreds of people filled the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland on the Tuesday of Holy Week for the annual Chrism Mass, celebrated by Bishop James Ruggieri.

One of the most significant liturgies of the year, the Mass brings together clergy, religious, and the faithful from parishes across the Diocese of Portland, a sign of unity and a recognition of the mission in which they all share.

“We are all called to be protagonists of Jesus' human saving mission, collaborators with the Spirit. We have been set apart for such work by virtue of our baptism,” the bishop said. “The mission is accomplished in union with the Spirit.”

The bishop especially recognized the priests of the diocese who filled the sanctuary around him and who renewed their priestly promises during the Mass. The bishop thanked the priests for their priestly commitment to the diocese, calling them partners in mission.

“One important note here is the necessity of being collaborators. Collaboration means sharing in the work. It also means growing together in trust and confidence as we focus on the mission that Christ, our great high priest, has shared with us: to teach, lead, and sanctify God's holy people. I pray, my brothers, that we may continue to grow more in trust and confidence and grow less in self-reliance,” the bishop said.

The bishop said it takes courage to persevere in a hostile secular culture, but he urged the priests and the people not to give up, pointing out that in the early Church there were just 11 bishops, 11 priests, no religious orders, and no church buildings, and yet, the message of Christianity spread.

"The apostles were filled with joy and hope, joy and hope, because they had an encounter with the person who was everything for them, who gave their lives a new horizon and a decisive direction, the risen Lord who poured out the Spirit on them. My dear brothers and sisters, the same Spirit has been poured out on us,” the bishop said.

During the Chrism Mass, the bishop blessed and consecrated the oils that will be used in the sacraments in the coming year. Jars of oil were carried up the center aisle by parishioners and deacons who presented them to the bishop. The bishop first blessed the oil of the sick, praying that those anointed with it “may be free from all pain, all infirmity, and all sickness."

Next, he blessed the oil of catechumens, which will be used to anoint individuals preparing for baptism.

He then blessed and consecrated the sacred chrism, asking God 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 sacred Chrism, from which the Mass derives its name, will be used throughout the coming year for baptisms, confirmations, ordinations, and the consecration of altars and churches. Bishop Ruggieri noted that will include the priestly ordinations of Deacon Erin Donlon, Deacon Hua Tien Nguyen, and Deacon Thanh Duc Pham this May.

“Pour out in abundance the gifts of the Holy Spirit on our brothers and sisters anointed with this oil; adorn with the splendor of holiness the places and things signed by sacred oils; but above all, by the mystery of this oil, bring to completion the growth of your Church, until she reaches that measure of fullness in which you, resplendent with eternal light, will be all in all with Christ in the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever,” the bishop prayed.

After being blessed and consecrated, the oils were placed in smaller jars and containers and, at the conclusion of the Mass, were symbolically presented by the bishop to priests and parishioners.

Due to the size of the Diocese of Portland, which encompasses the entire state of Maine, it would be difficult for all the priests of northern Maine to attend the Chrism Mass. As a result, it has long been a tradition for the bishop to travel to Aroostook County on the Wednesday of Holy Week to celebrate the Mass of the Oils, during which the priests of northern Maine will renew their priestly promises, and the oils blessed and consecrated at the Chrism Mass will be distributed. This year, the Mass of the Oils will be celebrated at St. Louis Church, 26 East Main Street in Fort Kent, at 6:30 p.m. Reservations are not needed to attend.