Oils blessed, priests renew promises
at chrism Mass

By Sean Gallagher

People from all facets of the life of the archdiocese gathered on the evening of April 11 at SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Indianapolis around their spiritual leader, Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein, for the celebration of the annual chrism Mass.

He led in common worship members of the laity, religious communities, deacon candidates, seminarians and priests.

Priests renewed the promises they made on their ordination day, and oils that were to be used in the Easter Vigil just a few days later—as well as in sacramental celebrations throughout the year—were blessed by Archbishop Buechlein.

Speaking during his homily to the more than 900 people gathered in the cathedral, the archbishop spoke about Jesus’ message that is proclaimed most fully in his suffering, death and resurrection.

“The message of Jesus for you is this: ‘More than anything, you are precious to me. Yes, you who perhaps consider yourselves unworthy of my love, you who perhaps have difficulty believing you are loved with my very specific love. You are my friends. You see, I lay down my life for you,’ ” Archbishop Buechlein said.

Lynn Hansen heard the archbishop’s words. A member of St. John the Apostle Parish in Bloomington, Hansen was asked by her pastor, Father Michael Fritsch, to receive and bring back the parish’s holy oils.

“It makes me feel like I’m the link between the cathedral and our parish,” Hansen said.

She knows from experience the importance of the oils. Hansen was received into the full communion of the Church six years ago at the Easter Vigil. In the process, she was anointed with holy chrism in the sacrament of confirmation.

Now she is a catechist in her parish’s Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults program. She witnessed the oils she delivered back to her parish being rubbed on the forehead and chests of those coming into the full communion of the Church at her parish on Holy Saturday night.

“I feel like I’m kind of completing that cycle for them,” Hansen said.

Holy Cross Sister Eileen Flavin, parish life coordinator of St. Agnes Parish in Nashville, was also present at the chrism Mass and spoke afterward about how the liturgy embodied the unity of the Church.

“The oils were blessed all together by the archbishop and then they come back individually to the parishes,” she said. “It says something about being united together as an archdiocese.”

The chrism Mass is also a liturgy in which priests renew the promises they made at the time of their ordination.

In his homily, the archbishop spoke about this and the way in which priests, during the liturgies of Holy Week, take on the role of Christ.

“During the Passion on Sunday, even as we priests took the part of Jesus, we also realized we are part of the crowd, one of them for whom he paid the ransom,” Archbishop Buechlein said. “Despite our failings, he has made us priests. And tonight, in humility and wonder, we renew our commitment to love you as he does.”

One of the 115 priests at the liturgy was Father Shaun Whittington, associate pastor of St. Monica Parish in Indianapolis.

At last year’s chrism Mass, he served as a deacon and asked the archbishop to bless the chrism that would be used just weeks later to anoint his hands during his ordination to the priesthood.

At this year’s chrism Mass, he joined the archdiocese’s presbyterate for the first time to renew his priestly commitment. He spoke about the experience afterward.

“It was kind of a blur in some ways, just kind of being there and being overwhelmed, not just by my first chrism Mass, but also my first Holy Week as a priest,” Father Whittington said.

The archbishop also spoke in his homily about men discerning a possible call to the priesthood.

“Present tonight are young men asking themselves whether the Lord is calling them to the priesthood,” Archbishop Buechlein said. “They wonder, ‘Could it be that God is asking me to follow the way of Jesus so completely that he would make me a priest for his people? Is it possible that I could love as much as the Lord Jesus loves?’ ”

Seminarian Michael Parrett was one of the 19 men in priestly formation for the archdiocese who was present at the chrism Mass. Ten other men considering becoming seminarians were also there.

A member of Our Lady of the Greenwood Parish in Greenwood, Parrett is a freshman at Marian College in Indianapolis, where he is a resident of the Bishop Bruté House of Formation.

“It’s always very affirming to see so many men that have devoted their lives to the priesthood,” Parrett said. “It’s very helpful to have the archbishop come out and publicly thank us, and to tell us it’s OK to still be thinking about it.”

Father Whittington was in Parrett’s place not long ago. But although he has completed many years of priestly formation and is now deep in the midst of his first year in his life and ministry as a priest, he still spoke about the tangible appreciation he had for the special liturgy that is the chrism Mass.

“The whole Church was gathered here tonight: bishop, priests, deacons, seminarians, deacon candidates, religious, the laity,” Father Whittington said. “And my parents were here. That makes it special too, for them to see the first time that I renew my priestly promises.” †