Organizing the Chrism Mass

The Chrism Mass at the Baker City Cathedral in 2012

Another flash-back from the past – this time I go back to April 2006 when I was Rector at the Baker City Cathedral, and one of my duties was to organize the annual Chrism Mass, held of course in the Cathedral, led by the Bishop.

Even though I experienced three Chrism Masses so far, when you have to organize it yourself, you know you have to go at full throttle – full speed ahead with constant work, coordination, acute planning and hope for a nice turnout, both of priests as well as people during the Chrism Mass held on Thursday evening, a week before Holy Thursday, since the priests have to travel hundreds of miles. It is by far the biggest event for the Cathedral and for its Pastor, because besides celebrating a unique Mass, I had to host over 30 priests, two Bishops and 6 Deacons, starting with a Holy Hour at 3 PM, which I led of course and was reverently done and  well-coordinated. Then for a Happy Hour, as drinks were served and snacks were tasted in the Rectory, an annual event hosted by Brian Collard and Troy Stewart who were the barmen. By 5 PM, we all headed to the parish hall for a dinner hosted by the Rosary Altar Society, and which consisted of a Caesar’s Salad, stuffed pork and a cheesecake. Incidentally, someone told me that all the African priests do not eat pork, which could be a cultural custom, like the Jews who never eat pork. My life has been going non-stop since early in the morning, and now I was at the stage to finally slow down, and enjoy the result, because the Bishop now took over and we all got ready for the Chrism Mass.

 

A group photo with all the priests of the Baker Diocese

All the preparations were done to perfection, and all the necessary details were in place. I had encouraged the parishioners to show up for the Mass, and not to leave me disappointed, and sure enough they did not disappoint me as the Church was packed. Just before we started the procession, I told the Bishop: “One of my dreams when I came here was to see the Church packed for this Mass. And you’re gonna be pleasantly surprised.” The Mass went as smoothly and as organized as it ever was, with altar-servers doing their best, the 6 jubilarians seated close to the Bishop, and lectors in Spanish and English. All priests celebrating 10, 20, 25, 40, 50 years or beyond are honored on this day. And Bishop Vasa, who is not one known to complement his priests, approached me at the Sign of Peace, and said to me “Great job Julian, great job!” It was another huge success, especially because I was able to pack the Church as I had dreamed of doing, something none of the previous Pastors were able to do, and even Bishop Connolly, who was celebrating his 35 th Anniversary as a Bishop, told me he’d never seen such a crowd. After the oils were consecrated, the three Deacons processed with them to the basement where a group of well-prepared volunteer parishioners filled the little plastic bottles and distributed them to the respective parishes and the priests who were waiting for them, collected them and left, some of them driving for another 4 to 5 hours, and a few others staying at the Welcome Inn Motel, courtesy of the Langrell family. And while priests and parishioners mingled in the parish hall, they sampled the sandwiches and cookies that I had requested from the Altar Society and the sense of gratitude and appreciation was evident on everyone’s face. Another long but very rewarding day came to a peaceful and satisfying end. I could only sense in advance the satisfaction of all those who would attend the Chrism Mass in the future as they see the renovated sanctuary which I was dreaming of doing to coincide with the centennial of the Cathedral in 2008.