By Paula Day

Approximately 120 priests and 24 deacons of the archdiocese joining Archbishop Eugene A. Marino, SSJ, April 101 for the Chrism Mass, blessing of oils and consecration of the chrism at the Cathedral of Christ the King.

During the liturgy the priests renewed their commitment of service to the Church and the people of God and the congregation prayed for its priests and archbishop.

In his homily Archbishop Marino reminded the priests that through Holy Orders they each share in Christ’s priestly work, the sanctification and reconciliation of all people to the Father.

“We all know the weight of responsibility conferred by ordination,” he told them, “and we all know of the injustice in the world. We also know our weaknesses and our inability to live up to the high demands of this noble calling. We all need constant renewal in dedication and personal generosity. But we are determined to renew the ministry of this Church, and to restore the spiritual dignity of the priesthood, both in the local community, and in the Church universal.”

The archbishop acknowledged the increasing work load placed on priests, saying the strength to carry this load can come from the conviction that the words of Jesus apply to each one: “You have not chosen me…I have chosen you.” He noted that all, including himself, should remember to be priest to one another; teaching, sanctifying and shepherding one another equally.

In another vein he pleaded, “Let our preaching be simple, but candid; conciliatory, but true.”

Archbishop Marino pointed out that each must actively work to strengthen his personal spiritual life, “for the tasks we face can only be supported by extraordinary spirituality and prayerful discipline.”

“Ours is a life of uplifting the lowly, of healing the broken-hearted, of releasing those imprisoned by sin and self-doubt,” he said. “It is a life given to comfort the mourning, to clothe the people of God with a glorious mantle in place of a listless spirit.”

The Holy Oils blessed during the Chrism Mass are used throughout the year in the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, Holy Orders and the sacrament of the sick. For this reason their blessing by the archbishop links him both to the priests who are ministers of the sacrament and to its recipients.

“We share today,” Archbishop Marino said, “in the blessing of those oils which will serve to link you, the ordained ministers of the sacraments, with your bishop, and in the same unity, will make the bishop present to the Faithful in every part of the archdiocese.”

Principal concelebrants of the Chrism Mass were Father Thomas Carroll, MS, pastor of St. Ann parish, Marietta; Father Edward Dillon, pastor of Holy Spirit parish, Atlanta; Monsignor Donald Kiernan, pastor of All Saints, Dunwoody; Father Patrick McCormick, pastor of Sacred Heart parish, Hartwell; Father Edward O’Connor, pastor of St. Theresa parish, Douglasville; Abbot Armand Veilleux, OCSO, abbot of the Monastery of the Holy Spirit, Conyers; and Father Joseph Ware, pastor of St. Peter parish, LaGrange.

Music composed specifically for the Chrism Mass by Robert Townham, music director of Mary Our Queen Cathedral in Baltimore, was performed by the Cathedral Choir under choirmaster, Kevin Culver. Music director for the Cathedral, Hamilton Smith, directed the music.