Clergy of the Archdiocese of Louisville processed into the Cathedral of the Assumption for the annual Chrism Mass April 15, 2025. During the liturgy, the priests renew their priestly promises. (Record File Photo by Olivia Castlen) 
Clergy of the Archdiocese of Louisville gathered with Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre, center, around the altar at the Cathedral of the Assumption during the annual Chrism Mass April 15, 2025. (Record File Photo by Olivia Castlen) 
The holy oils rested in the aisle of the Cathedral of the Assumption during the annual Chrism Mass April 15, 2025. (Record File Photo by Olivia Castlen)
The annual Chrism Mass — celebrated in dioceses around the world during Holy Week — is a “celebration of abundance and beauty,” said Dr. Karen Shadle, director of the Office of Worship for the Archdiocese of Louisville.
“It’s rich in signs, sights, sounds, smells,” she said. “The whole church will smell like balsam, like a Christmas tree. If you haven’t been, you have to go.”
The Mass in the Archdiocese of Louisville is set for March 31 at 10:30 a.m. at the Cathedral of the Assumption in downtown Louisville. During the liturgy, Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre will bless the oil of the sick and the oil of catechumens, and he will consecrate the sacred chrism. These oils will then be distributed to every parish and shrine in the archdiocese for administering the sacraments throughout the year.
At St. James Church in Elizabethtown, Ky., the oil of the sick is running low.
“Here at St. James, it’s a super busy parish, and we have a regional hospital nearby,” said Father Michael Wimsatt, pastor. “We are running low on the oil of the sick.”
At a practical level, he said, “It’s time for the Chrism Mass. We are ready for more oil to anoint the sick.”
On a deeper level, he said, “It’s time for the Chrism Mass” because “through the oils the Lord is embracing the people.”
“It’s kind of fascinating. Etymologically, ‘church’ is derived from the Greek word kyriakon. It means ‘of the Lord’ or ‘belonging to the Lord,’ which is a lovely way to think of it: The church belongs to the Lord, and we experience his embrace; we belong to him through the church. He embraces us.
“The Chrism Mass expresses that at the local level in a very rich way,” Father Wimsatt said. “When we think of the oils of the Chrism Mass, they’re not incidental or arbitrary. They reinforce the belonging.”
At the Mass, vessels of olive oil will be blessed as the oil of the sick for the sacrament of anointing of the sick and the oil of catechumens, used to anoint those preparing for baptism. The sacred chrism, composed of olive oil and balsam, is used in the sacraments of baptism, confirmation and holy orders and for the dedication of altars and churches.
“When they’re presented in the liturgy and blessed, they return to our local parishes. They are used to reinforce … our belonging to the Lord,” Father Wimsatt said.
The subject of belonging is an important one in 2026, he said, “when we are recognizing socially that many people ache for a deep sense of belonging.”
“We live in what is easily a fractured age,” he said. “One’s identity in the church is a pretty powerful commentary on what is a dilemma for our society and a source of hope and promise.”
In addition to the holy oils, the Mass also includes a special opportunity for the priests of the Archdiocese of Louisville to renew the promises they made at ordination.
Father Wimsatt said he appreciates the opportunity to gather with his brother priests at the liturgy.
“I hear people from the congregation talking about how that’s an aspect of the Mass that’s a pleasant surprise,” he noted. “People are accustomed to seeing the pastor of their parish, but it’s less common to see all the priests together. The church is at its best when it’s intergenerational, and when they (the generations) come together, something extraordinary happens. That’s what happens when you bring the presbyterate together.”
The Archdiocese of Louisville takes special care to ensure all the people of God are invited to attend the Mass and experience the unity of the local church with the archbishop, noted Shadle, whose office organizes the liturgy.
“It is ritually important to have the people of God there,” she said. “We’d like to have representatives from all the parishes. Urban and rural, young and old, the cultural communities, religious men and women.”
Shadle said the blessing of oils at the Chrism Mass reflects the Scripture story of the anointing at Bethany.
“Mary — of Mary, Martha and Lazarus — takes expensive oil, they called nard, and pours it over Jesus’ feet lavishly and cleans it with her hair,” Shadle noted.
The disciples are appalled at the waste, said Shadle, “but Jesus corrects them, saying, ‘No, she has done something beautiful for me.’ ”
At the Chrism Mass, Shadle said, every detail will be attuned to providing a beautiful celebration.
“The linens will be perfectly pressed, the candles, the music,” she said. “We take special care. It really wraps us in the beauty of the church.”
