By Zoebelle Bean, Catholic editor
The three oils to be blessed at the Chrism Mass – Photo by Jaymie Perry
The annual Chrism Mass for the Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids took place on Tuesday, April 15 at the Cathedral of Saint Andrew. This Mass blesses and distributes the oils needed for the Diocesan parishes for the year, which includes the oil of catechumens used to anoint new members entering into the Catholic faith, the oil of the sick used to anoint those who are ill and the Holy Chrism oil, used for baptisms, confirmations, the consecration of altars and churches and for Holy Orders.
The Chrism Mass is the only ticketed Mass to exist. Due to strict occupancy capacity, this Mass is reserved mainly for the distribution of the blessed oils to designated sacristans or other persons and the renewal of priestly vows.
The small boxes of oils to be passed out to individual parishes – Photo by Jaymie Perry
The Chrism Mass is run like most traditional Sunday liturgies, though there are a few key differences. First, it begins with a procession from the diocesan seminarians and priests, who walk in behind the crucifix and Book of the Gospels. This includes every priest from every parish in the diocese, so the procession takes nearly three times as long as a traditional one. Once the priests are seated, the bishop welcomes everyone in.
The second key difference happens during the Liturgy of the Word, where the readings are each read in a different language. This year, the first reading was read in Spanish, the second reading was in Vietnamese and the Gospel reading was in English.
The third key difference happens during the Liturgy of the Eucharist, where each of the priests of the diocese come up to receive wine from the altar as the bishop distributes the body of Christ to the congregation.
The last difference is when the oils are blessed by the bishop and the priests. The priests raise their arms from their seats as the bishop stands at the altar and receives large vases of the oils from congregants who process up with it through the main aisle, placing it before him. These large vases are kept as part of the Cathedral’s store, and at the end of Mass, smaller vessels of oil kept in boxes are handed to the congregants to bring back to their individual parishes. These smaller boxes are kept at the front of the Cathedral and are blessed at the same time as the vessels.
Bishop Walkowiak blessing the large vases of oils – Photo by Jaymie Perry
The Aquinas College Chapel, as a part of the diocese though not a formal parish, received oils to accommodate for various blessings. They also received two tickets to the Mass, which were distributed to the large event and retreat coordinator peer minister, Johnny Vanderbaan, and the sacristan peer minister, Zoebelle Bean. Father Jordan Deguire, O.P. and Father Robert Keller, O.P. also attended the Mass.
“It was very beautiful to see representatives from each and every parish community within the Grand Rapids diocese,” junior Johnny Vanderbaan said. “It was also awesome to see most of the priests in the diocese. The procession in, the renewal of priestly vows and the recitation of the Per Ipsum at the end of the Eucharistic Prayer by all of the priests were some of the memorable moments from the Mass.”
The Chrism Mass marks an especially important time of the year as it is traditionally celebrated during Holy Week preceding Easter Sunday, to prepare for the abundance of new baptisms and confirmations coming through the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) program.
This year, two Aquinas College students were a part of those who received these new oils that were obtained from the Chrism Mass. Sophomore Logan Licence was baptized and confirmed and sophomore Noah Morris was confirmed at the Easter vigil Mass at the Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church.
The Sacred Heart parish, along with many others throughout the diocese, saw upwards of ten children and adults alike enter into the Catholic Church through these oils and the sacraments. The Chrism Mass is a pinnacle of the liturgical year as a way of beginning to welcome in all of the new Catholics and ensure every parish is prepared with newly renewed priests and refreshed oils.
The Saint 