Every year, holy oils are blessed and consecrated during the Chrism Mass held during Holy Week. This year’s Mass took place on April 12 at Holy Name Cathedral. Before beginning his homily at the ambo, which was draped with a sash in the colors of the Ukrainian flag, Cardinal Cupich welcomed Bishop Benedict Aleksiychuk of the St. Nicholas Ukrainian Eparchy of Chicago and the congregation responded by giving the bishop an extended standing ovation. During his homily, the cardinal mainly addressed the few hundred priests in attendance who were renewing their priestly promises during the Mass. “With the blessing of oils, we begin a new year of ministry, for these oils will be poured into hands of new priests so that they may anoint with the Gospel those that they serve. These oils will be rubbed on foreheads of those coming to us in the initiation rites and they will bring soothing and healing and comfort to the sick and the dying,” the cardinal said. “Yet, each year, when we take up our ministry with fresh energy and purpose, the church reconnects us to the anointing that Jesus received and was sent to offer on the day that he inaugurated his ministry.” It is an important reminder, he said. “We need that reconnection if only to remember that the very ministry that we take up is not ours,” the cardinal said. “It is a reminder that both humbles and ennobles us. We are earthenware vessels who carry a treasure and should never forget that the extraordinary greatness of the power of our ministry will be of God and not from ourselves.” Following the homily, the priests and bishops renewed their promises and the cardinal blessed and consecrated the oils. Holy oils are used often in the life of the Catholic Church. They are used in acts such as anointing the sick, consecrating altars, churches and priests and bishops and anointing catechumens entering the church at the Easter Vigil. The tradition of using holy oils for anointing is found throughout Scripture and predates the church, such as when the Israelites anointed their priests, prophets and kings. “To be anointed was to be chosen,” said Todd Williamson, director of the archdiocese’s Office for Divine Worship. There are three oils used in church life: oil of the sick, oil of the catechumens and chrism oil. The first two are blessed and the last is consecrated. “A consecration asks God to send the Spirit onto or into whatever is being consecrated. The Eucharist is consecrated. The church and the altar are consecrated. The chrism is consecrated,” explained Williamson. Chrism is consecrated because it is used to consecrate other things that are in the image of Christ. “The chrism itself is an image of Christ,” he explained. “Like the olives were crushed to produce this life-giving oil, so Christ was crushed to bring life,” he said. About 50 gallons of everyday olive oil was blessed during the Mass. The archdiocese purchases the olive oil from a food service vendor and buys the balsam added to the chrism oil from Holy Rood Cistercian Monastery in Massachusetts. The blessed oils are poured into small bottles that are distributed to parish representatives after Mass. “We have extra that we keep for use throughout the year,” Williamson said, explaining that parishes often run out of oil for the sick in particular. Holy Name Cathedral stores the extra oil for replenishing. Before the Chrism Mass, parishes are asked to dispose of the previous year’s oil to make room for the new batch. They do that by either burning the oil, as in a candle, or pouring it into the earth, Williamson said.