Chrism Mass: An Alternative View

Good Morning, Church,

A beautiful morning in The Pas finds me relaxing at my desk and pouring through a backlog of mail and phone calls that have amassed over the last week. When I last left you I was in Thompson heading to Snow Lake for the weekend.

God's plans are seldom our own. I was delayed in Thompson due to some vehicle problems and only returned to The Pas on Monday evening.

Clergy and Religious from the Archdiocese

The Archdiocese celebrated our annual Chrism Mass on Tuesday evening. The Chrism Mass is a liturgy that emphasizes the Sacramental Role of the Church in the world through the ministry of its priests. The world celebrates this liturgy annually to mark the role of the ordained priest in the sacramental life of the Church. It is intended to renew the relationship between the Bishop of the diocese and his priests.

Archbishop Lavoie chose instead to break with that tradition this year and emphasize the theme of "Radical Discipleship." Although I disagree with his breaking with tradition I cannot ignore that his theme was also of value, although not appropriate for the Mass of Chrism. There is no other liturgy during the year where we emphasize the role of the priest. I feel if we compromise on this day we are in danger of minimalizing the importance of the priesthood in our Church. Perhaps we will take time this year to highlight the role of priests, as the Church intended, on another date. I digress....we all know that I have difficulty "towing the party line." I need to pray for patience.

I hope and pray that you will be able to take time this day to celebrate your priest wherever you are. It is a vocation that is obviously near and dear to my heart and one that I enjoy speaking about whenever I have the opportunity.

A blessed day all and as always....stay tuned.