Archbishop at Chrism Mass: pray for and encourage vocations

By Klysha Best

The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception was filled with priests, deacons, and laity for the annual Chrism Mass on Monday, March 30, a liturgy that marks the blessing of the sacred oils and the renewal of priestly promises.

But this year, Archbishop Charles Jason Gordon used the occasion to issue a direct appeal to families: pray for and encourage vocations.

Drawing from Pope Leo XIV’s recent apostolic letter ‘A Fidelity that Generates the Future’, the Archbishop wove a theology of priestly identity rooted in four relationships: with God, with the bishop, with brother priests, and with the people of God.

“We are living in a time where we tell our young men about every other career and opportunity, but we don’t tell them that priesthood is a most sacred and beautiful gift,” Archbishop Gordon said, his voice carrying through the basilica. “The giving of yourself to God is the most beautiful gift.”

He asked the congregation to reflect on moments when a priest is urgently needed.

“When you need a priest and you can’t find a priest, are you happy?” he challenged. “When your relative is ill and you need anointing because you can see death knocking, if you can’t find a priest, that’s a difficult and a distressing thing. When you are burdened by sin and you know that you need that sacramental grace, we need a priest.”

The Archbishop highlighted a phrase from the Pope’s letter that struck him: priestly fraternity is “a constitutive dimension of priestly identity.” Without belonging to the presbyterate, he explained, a priest is impaired in his relationships with God, his bishop, and his Church.

He noted that Pope Leo’s letter addresses the deep divisiveness of our time, where social media and societal fractures have pulled people apart. “What this world needs in this time of deep divisiveness is communion,” Archbishop Gordon said. He added, “And what we need in terms of this communion is a recognition that God has called forth a Church as a sign of communion.”

According to the Archbishop: “Jesus had no plan B. He left us one plan: priests and people working together for the renewal of the world.”

“When the people of God are living as a holy people, the world is being transformed. The new Heavens and the new Earth is coming about, and Christ is being seen by all.”

He concluded by asking the faithful to pray for their priests. “Pray, please pray for us, that we may be a holy priest and that we may lead you into the sanctification that God wants.”

During the Chrism Mass the oils used in the sacraments throughout the year were blessed. Archbishop Gordon prayed over the oil of catechumens, the oil of the sick, and the sacred chrism, calling them “tools for the sanctification of God’s people.” The oils were later collected by representatives from parishes, ecclesial communities Religious communities, and lay organisations.