Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron breathes into the sacred Chrism oil during the annual Chrism Mass at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament on March 24, Holy Thursday morning. (Photos by Mike Stechschulte, The Michigan Catholic)Holy Spirit gives Church 'new energy' to evangelize, Archbishop Vigneron says
DETROIT -- As priests squeezed into any pew that wasn't taken, Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron issued another strong call to evangelize Holy Thursday morning during the annual Chrism Mass.
About 150 priests, dozens of deacons and hundreds of lay faithful attended the solemn Mass at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament as the archbishop blessed the oil of the sick, the oil of catechumens and the sacred Chrism for use in parishes across the Archdiocese of Detroit in the coming year.
Seating was so limited that priests who couldn't fit in the sanctuary sat in pews among the faithful.
"God wants his world back, and He's given us the power to bring it to Him. We are filled with the Holy Spirit in this local Church so that we can unleash the Gospel in southeast Michigan," Archbishop Vigneron said in his homily, referencing his oft-repeated rallying cry.
Archdiocesan Chorus director Joe Balistreri leads the choir in song during the Chrism Mass."We can't be sleepy and bored," he said. "We can't simply carry on in a mere routine. No one of us can. God can't afford to let any one of us be sleepy about the Gospel. It's not normal."
The archbishop acknowledged that he, too, can often fall into a routine -- "I like to call it a 'structured kerygma,'" he joked -- but said God has sent the Holy Spirit to give the Church "new energy."
The archbishop said all of the Church's faithful, both priests and laypeople, are anointed by the oils blessed during the Chrism Mass to spread the Good News by "calling their part of the world back to God's kingdom."
"In the sacraments of confirmation and priestly ordination, what is signified by the anointing of the Chrism actually happens," he said. The Holy Spirit becomes like a "second soul" for those who believe, the archbishop said, and gives that person power to carry out His saving mission.
Archbishop Vigneron paid tribute during the Mass to the four nuns killed in Yemen in early March, saying they "glorified God by their martyrdom" and urging Catholics to pray especially hard for Christians who "endanger their lives by professing Jesus." Members of the nuns' order, Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity, were in attendance during the Mass.
Archbishop Vigneron stressed that Jesus' mission is at heart one of evangelization, calling Christ the "uber-evangelist."
The archbishop said just as the Holy Spirit's anointing was "the font of drive and commitment for Jesus to evangelize" by "giving himself over to the service of the world by preaching the Good News," so too does the Holy Spirit animate the lives of Christians to do the same.
Deacons place the newly blessed oil of the sick, oil of catechumens and sacred Chrism in their place at the cathedral.This is especially true for priests, the archbishop said, who have a special calling to use the sacraments as tools of evangelization.
"All the other stuff is important. I need you to 'come to this,' and 'do that,' and 'sign these papers and fill out these forms,'" he told the priests. "That's part of my job, and I do it, too. But (evangelization) is the most important."
"It was for this that we were born, that we were trained, that we sacrificed and have given up wife and home and children," the archbishop said.
Fr. Robert Blondell, a senior priest in attendance at the cathedral, called the archbishop's homily "beautiful" and said the Chrism Mass shows the Church's unity on clear display.
"The whole ministry of the Church is here, including laypeople," Fr. Blondell said. "We're all ministers. By the power of the Holy Spirit, this is the Church. When we come together like this, the Church comes alive. We are filled with the Spirit, and it's a powerful thing."
Fr. Blondell said the priests would carry the newly blessed oils to their parishes to present Holy Thursday night during the Mass of the Lord's Supper to kick off the Easter Triduum.
Kathy Yokley, a member of Divine Savior Parish in Westland who attended the liturgy, called the Chrism Mass "moving and inspiring."
Yokley attended the Mass last year, and said the energy brought her back for a second time.
"You can feel Christ's presence here," Yokley said. "To see all these priests and deacons is so inspiring. It helps me be thankful for all these priests and deacons, and for the archbishop and bishops. It fills my heart with love and mercy."
And, she added, "I can't imagine being any other religion than Catholic."
