Catholics are generally aware of Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, the Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday.
But many Catholics don’t know much about the Chrism Mass, which also happens during Holy Week, said Dr. Karen Shadle, director of the Archdiocese of Louisville’s Office of Worship.
Most of “those liturgies take place in their parishes, but the Chrism Mass — which is a diocesan liturgy — is also part of Holy Week,” said Shadle during a recent interview.
This year, the Archdiocese of Louisville’s Chrism Mass will be celebrated by Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre at 7 p.m. on April 15 at the Cathedral of the Assumption, 433 S. 5th St., in downtown Louisville.
Catholics who have never attended the Chrism Mass can expect to experience several things, said Shadle, including:
- The Mass is usually an hour and 45 minutes — but doesn’t feel long, said Shadle.
- Attendees should expect “beautiful processions,” with the attendance of more than 100 members of the clergy and “amazing music,” she said. “We have an archdiocesan choir made up of our best musicians from around the entire archdiocese.”
- The Mass includes the blessing of the oil of the sick and oil of catechumens, as well as the consecration of the sacred chrism by the archbishop.
- The Mass is also notable because it includes an opportunity for all of the priests in attendance to renew their promises, she said. “That can be a draw for people to go and support their priests, who are going to be renewing their presbyteral promises.”
- Participants can also expect to experience the “larger, universal church,” she said, since every parish in the archdiocese is expected to be represented.
At times, Catholics can be tempted to believe that the church is dying, Shadle said. But when a participant attends the Chrism Mass, they see “how many of us there are” and are reminded that “we’re strong together.”
“We hear constantly about the priest shortage,” she noted. During the opening procession, in which dozens of priests pour into the cathedral, worshipers realize “there are a lot of priests,” she said.
“There’s so many of them that we have to sing seven verses to get them all down the aisle, you know? There’s something wonderfully abundant about that,” Shadle added.
Some parishes and OCIA groups “make a whole evening out of it,” carpooling downtown and grabbing dinner before the Mass, Shadle said.
