GARY – Seventeen young people made their first pilgrimage to the Cathedral of the Holy Angels on Holy Thursday and were paying close attention when Bishop Robert J. McClory consecrated the sacred chrism. Their interest could be attributed to the fact that the very chrism they saw mixed together in the tall glass vessels will be used to confirm them later this month.
For the first time, eighth graders from St. John Bosco School in Hammond attended the annual Chrism Mass together with their teacher, Danette Lashbrook, who first sought the bishop’s approval. “I spoke with the bishop about the importance of the sacred chrism for confirmation, how he breathes into the vessels, and how we also study the history of the cathedral, their mother church, and he agreed that we should bring them.
“I wanted them to have the experience of attending the Chrism Mass, especially since none of them has ever been to the cathedral. They will be the anointed ones on April 30, along with 10 eighth graders from our religious education class and 11 confirmandi who will be joining us from St. Stanislaus in East Chicago,” said Lashbrook. “They understand what it means to live the faith.”
Confirmand Isabella Diaz said coming to the Diocese of Gary’s cathedral “showed me more about my faith. It is more than just going to Mass; you really feel the presence of God.” She added that the history of the cathedral is impressive, as is the architecture and the painting of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and she was surprised to learn that some of the diocese’s bishops are buried within the cathedral.
“By seeing and experiencing these new things as new Catholics (who will be) sent out by the Holy Spirit at our confirmation, I feel more prepared for going out to share our faith. It is definitely a start,” said confirmand Anthony Bravo. “The beauty of everything in the cathedral, and how everyone comes together; it is a great Catholic field trip.”
To begin his homily, Bishop McClory demonstrated and explained the process of consecrating the sacred chrism, bringing forward transitional deacons Ivan Alatorre and Alexander Kouris to get a whiff of the fragrant balsam oil that the bishop later mixed with the holy oil to create the chrism that will be applied to their heads on June 7 when they are ordained to the priesthood.
“I will pour the balsam into the oil, stir the oil and the balsam, and then I will breathe into the vessel,” said the bishop, who uses the sacred chrism for priestly ordination and confirmation, while it is also used in baptism
“We should be open to the Holy Spirit, docile to the Holy Spirit, but in a very specific way, as the chrism is used to baptize on the head, and throughout the diocese for the impartation of the Holy Spirit at confirmation,” he noted. “We are the aroma of Christ presented to God, and that fragrance covering us intensifies our aroma of Christ and what it means to have the Holy Spirit imbue us with his love.”
The bishop also tied the symbolism of breathing into the sacred chrism to the Holy Spirit.
“God breathed his spirit into the clay when he formed man, and when Jesus goes into the room where the door is locked after his resurrection, he breathes on (the apostles) and says to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’ On Good Friday, we hear that Jesus ‘gave up his spirit and breathed his last.’
“We are told as bishops to breathe into the open vessel of chrism so all who are outwardly anointed with it will be inwardly transformed,” he said.
In explaining how to be docile to the Holy Spirit, Bishop McClory spoke of a recent, eight-day silent retreat he experienced, and how he asked the Lord to “clear away all the junk in my life” to allow him to concentrate on listening to God. He was led to ponder Mary’s “yes” to the Lord.
“Mary gave her total ‘yes’ to the Holy Spirit, and that image came to me,” he recalled. “Mary teaches us that the most fruitful response of the human person is to be able to love God.
“To say to the Lord, I want to clear the decks and push all my hopes and dreams to you … can renew us in ways God wants us to be renewed. The Holy Spirit can use us, and in time we can do more than we could ever have asked for.”
In addition to consecrating the sacred chrism, the bishop also blessed the oil of the sick and the oil of catechumens as presented at the altar.
The Chrism Mass is also the occasion when priests of the diocese renew their priestly promises to the bishop, and 60 of them were in attendance for that ceremony. It concluded with the congregation offering prayers for the priests and the bishop.
Surprised to witness that ceremony for the first time were Butch and Jo Ellen Huppenthal, of Crown Point, who decided just a day earlier to attend their first Chrism Mass at the suggestion of Father Patrick Gawrylewski, O.F.M., administrator at Holy Name of Jesus in Cedar Lake. “I was cleaning the church yesterday and Father Patrick was telling me about the Chrism Mass,” said Jo Ellen Huppenthal. “(I decided that) you have to see it at least once.”
Butch Huppenthal said he always wanted to attend the Holy Thursday liturgy, but as a 20-year member of his parish choir, he always had other commitments. While fasting and praying this Lent, he believes “Easter Week is special, and I’m glad we could come today.”
Lector Sherrie Van Deursen, a parishioner at St. Edward in Lowell, saw her participating in the Chrism Mass as “a blessing and honor.” Selected for the third time, “I pray a lot to God to allow me to have clear words and say them with feeling. I read over the passage a lot to make sure I know all the words.
“It (Isaiah 61: 1-3, 6: 8-9) is a beautiful reading about the love of Jesus and how much he loves us,” she said.
Santos Reyes, of Holy Family Parish in LaPorte, gave the second reading (Revelation 1: 5-8), and was moved by the first line: “Grace and peace to you from Jesus Christ the faithful witness.”
“Anytime we fail, God gives us grace and peace; we just have to get up and go to confession and he forgives us,” said Reyes, who made the commitment to consume “only water and bread for the 40 days of Lent” as a penance and preparation for Easter. “My wife and I also get up each morning at 3 a.m. to read the Bible for an hour or 90 minutes, then we go back to bed.”
Reyes feels grateful not only to lector at the Chrism Mass, but to lector at Holy Thursday evening Mass at St. Joseph church in LaPorte and be chosen to have his feet washed. “God loves us so much, and he’s been preparing me for today.”
Caption: At the Cathedral of the Holy Angels (left to right) Sean Martin, diocesan coordinator of Catechesis and Faith Formation, Joe Bojda, a Marian Catholic High School junior, and Isabella Diaz, a St. John Bosco eighth-grader process holding glass vessels filled with the Oil of the Sick during the Chrism Mass in Gary on April 17. The service included the blessing of holy oils and consecration of sacred Chrism to be used for sacramental purposes, and a reaffirming of vows by priests before Bishop Robert J. McClory. (Anthony D. Alonzo photo)
