By Ana Rodriguez Soto - Florida Catholic newspaper
On his Lord's secret service? Father Richard Vigoa, archdiocesan director of the Office of Worship and priest-secretary to Archbishop Thomas Wenski, speaks into his sleeve to tell priests lining up in the cathedral offices to start making their way to the church for the chrism Mass.
Priests make their way from the cathedral offices to the front of St. Mary Cathedral to begin the chrism Mass.
While processing into the cathedral for the chrism Mass, Archbishop Thomas Wenski pauses to bless Juliana Diaz, center, and her sons, Juan Pablo, 4, at left, and Enio Rafael, 2, members of All Saints Parish in Sunrise.
Three of the six deacons who will be ordained priests May 9 serve at the chrism Mass. From left: Bryan Garcia, Michael Garcia and Julio De Jesus.
Piarist Father Jesus Lecea, who teaches at SEPI (SouthEast Pastoral Institute) and is marking his 50th year in the priesthood, takes part in the chrism Mass. At left is Bishop Joseph Lafontant, auxiliary bishop emeritus of Port-au-Prince, and at right is Bishop Fernando Isern, bishop emeritus of Pueblo, Colo. Behind him is Salvatorian Father Dariusz Zarebski, marking 25 years of priesthood, who serves at St. Ambrose in Deerfield Beach.
Piarist seminarians, who are housed on the grounds of SEPI, the SouthEast Pastoral Institute in Miami, take part in the chrism Mass.
Archdiocesan seminarian Andres Lapadula prays during the chrism Mass. At left is fellow seminarian Omar Ayubi.
Archbishop Thomas Wenski preaches the homily during the chrism Mass.
Three of the six deacons who will be ordained priests May 9 take part in the chrism Mass. From left: Javier Barreto, Yamil Miranda and Phillip Tran.
Archdiocesan priests renew their vows at the chrism Mass, from left: Father Israel Mago, pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Doral; Father Gabriel Vigues, pastor of St. Francis de Sales, Miami Beach; and Father Francisco Hernandez, pastor of St. Raymond, Miami.
Deacon Michael Garcia, who will be ordained May 9, carries the balsam, an aromatic resin, that will be added to the oil of chrism. At right is Father Kenneth Whittaker, pastor of Our Lady of Mercy in Deerfield Beach, who was serving as master of ceremonies at the Mass.
Deacon Javier Barreto, who will be ordained May 9, carries the oil of the sick.
Deacon Yamil Miranda, who will be ordained May 9, carries the oil of catechumens.
Deacon Julio De Jesus, who will be ordained May 9, carries the oil of chrism.
Elena Maribona, left, and Mariana Martinez, both of St. Hugh Parish in Coconut Grove, take up the offertory gifts during the chrism Mass.
The holy oils - of catechumens, chrism and the sick - await blessing and consecration on the sanctuary of St. Mary Cathedral.
Seated in their pews, archdiocesan priests extend their hands during the consecration of the Eucharist at the chrism Mass. From left: Father Ivan Rodriguez, parochial vicar at St. John the Apostle in Hialeah, and Msgr. Vincent Kelly, pastor of St. John the Baptist in Fort Lauderdale.
Deacon Javier Barreto holds the oil of the sick as Archbishop Thomas Wenski blesses it during the chrism Mass. The Doxology of the Oil of the Sick takes place after the Eucharistic Prayer and before the Our Father.
Archbishop Thomas Wenski pours balsam, an aromatic resin, into the oil of chrism which is used to anoint those receiving baptism and confirmation and during the consecration of churches and bishops.
Archbishop Thomas Wenski blows into the oil of chrism, consecrating it for use in baptisms and confirmations and the consecration of churches and bishops.
Archbishop Thomas Wenski says a prayer over the oil of chrism, center, and the oil of catechumens, right. The oil of catechumens is used in baptisms, ordination of priests, consecration of churches and blessing of altars.
Archbishop Thomas Wenski takes a selfie with one of the nearly 250 schoolchildren from 12 schools - 9 high schools and 3 elementary schools - who attended the chrism Mass.
Archbishop Thomas Wenski poses for a photo with students from St. Thomas the Apostle School in Miami. They were among the nearly 250 schoolchildren from 12 schools - 9 high schools and 3 elementary schools - who attended the chrism Mass.
Archbishop Thomas Wenski greets wheelchair-bound Dolores Toledo of St. Kieran Parish, and her daughter, Margarita Chavez, outside St. Mary Cathedral after the chrism Mass.
Msgr. Vincent Kelly holds up the box with the holy oils - oil of catechumens, oil of the sick, oil of chrism - which will be used at his parish, St. John the Baptist in Fort Lauderdale, for anointing the sick as well as those receiving baptism and confirmation throughout the coming year.
Photography: ANA RODRIGUEZ-SOTO | FC
MIAMI | One of the highlights of Holy Week, the annual chrism Mass celebrated March 31 at St. Mary Cathedral featured a cast of hundreds: close to 300 archdiocesan priests, nearly 250 archdiocesan schoolchildren, almost 100 seminarians and an equal number of lay people from throughout the archdiocese.
In addition to the glorious rites, bells and smells of Catholicism, those who got there early also saw an unusual sight: Priests, seminarians and a nun speaking into their sleeves. The secret service-style ear pieces and walkie-talkies helped those organizing the Mass to communicate with each other before the ceremony.
"There's so many places we need to be at," explained Father Christopher Marino, rector of the cathedral, "and we want to make sure everybody gets the message about what is happening."
That included placing chairs for bishops and priests in the sanctuary, instructing acolytes on where to stand and what to do during the Mass, finalizing the seating arrangements for seminarians, priests and deacons, and conveying them to the seminarians and permanent deacon candidates who would be serving as ushers.
"It's for the chaos before the Mass," stressed Father Kenneth Whittaker, pastor of Our Lady of Mercy in Deerfield Beach, who was serving as one of several liturgical masters of ceremonies. The walkie-talkies were not in use during the Mass.
The chrism Mass is celebrated during Holy Week by every diocesan bishop, accompanied by all his priests. The Mass takes its name from the oil of chrism, one of the three oils that are blessed and consecrated by the diocesan bishop for use in local parishes throughout the year.
The oil of chrism is perfumed with balsam - an aromatic resin - and used in baptisms, confirmations and the consecration of priests, bishops and churches.
The other oils are the oil of catechumens, used in baptisms, the consecration of churches and the blessing of altars; and the oil of the sick, used in the anointing of the sick.
After the local bishop blesses the oils, they are poured into smaller containers and distributed to each pastor, who takes them to his church for use throughout the coming year.
The chrism Mass also is where diocesan priests renew their vows, and where they honor those among them marking 25, 50 or more years of ordination.
For nearly two decades now, the archdiocese has invited representatives from local schools to attend the chrism Mass. This year, schoolchildren and teachers from nine Catholic high schools and three parochial schools were in attendance - and many of them took group shots or selfies with Archbishop Thomas Wenski after the Mass.
Click here to read Archbishop Wenski's homily at this year's chrism Mass.
Coming soon: brief biographies of the priests who were marking anniversaries this year.
Correction, April 2: This article originally stated that priests were anointed with the oil of catechumens - as stated in the New Catholic Encyclopedia and its online version. However, the "Rites of the Catholic Church as revised by the Second Vatican Council" states that priests are anointed with chrism. Therefore this article has been changed to reflect that.
