Bishop Dennis Walsh breathes upon the vessel of sacred Chrism during the Chrism Mass April 14 at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport. Also pictured are Deacons David Montgomery, left, and Ryan Burchett.
By Barb Arland-Fye
The Catholic Messenger
DAVENPORT — Some 70 priests rose from their seats in Sacred Heart Cathedral to renew their commitment to priestly service, a humbling experience for Bishop Dennis Walsh, presiding at his first Chrism Mass as Bishop of the Diocese of Davenport.
He made that confession to all of the faithful at the conclusion of Mass, celebrated April 14, the Monday of Holy Week. “Leading the priests of the diocese in the renewal of their promises, and being a new bishop leading them in that yearly commitment is quite humbling,” he later told The Catholic Messenger.
Bishop Walsh describes celebration of the Chrism Mass as one of his favorite because it brings together clergy, women religious and lay people annually to celebrate their faith as a diocesan Church. During this liturgy, priests renew their commitment to priestly service and the bishop blesses and consecrates the oils that the diocese’s parishes will use in the coming year. Glass vessels containing each of the three oils — sacred chrism, oil of the sick and oil of the catechumens — were displayed prominently in the sanctuary. Prior to the blessing, representatives from various deaneries (regions) each requested the blessing of one of the three oils.
During consecration of the sacred chrism, the priests stood and extended their right hand as a sign of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The Church uses sacred chrism in the sacraments of initiation, for ordination of priests and bishops and in the dedication of churches and altars. The Oil of the Sick is used for the healing of body, soul and spirit; and the Oil of the Catechumens, to give wisdom and strength to those preparing for baptism.
“It was really special to see so many familiar faces among the priests, lay people and deacons all gathered together,” said diocesan seminarian Blake Riffel, who carried the censer during the Mass. He described the consecration and blessing of the sacred chrism as an especially moving movement for him.
A living Gospel
Bishop Walsh’s homily on the Viva Memoria (the living memory of Jesus Christ) inspired Cameron Costello, who was a diocesan seminarian for seven years before taking a three-year break and now anticipates his return to the seminary. Viva Memoria was the inspiration and spirituality of Blessed Maria Celeste Crostarosa (1691-1751), which in turn inspired St. Alphonsus Liguori to found the Redemptorists. Bishop Walsh was a Redemptorist priest in the early part of his priesthood.
The Viva Memoria is a call to ongoing conversion and transformation that “requires a willingness to allow Christ to live and act in us,” the bishop said. Addressing his brother priests, he said Viva Memoria offers a “powerful lens through which to understand our own vocation.”
Blessed Maria Celeste Crostarosa did not view Viva Memoria as a “mere intellectual exercise but rather as a call to embody Christ, to make him present in the world today. It is a call to be a living Gospel, a visible manifestation of his love, his mercy, and his truth.”
The bishop identified the ways in which Viva Memoria speaks to priests. First, it is a reminder “that our priesthood is not about us,” he said, quoting St. John the Baptist, whose “own vocation was to prepare the way of the Lord. ‘He must increase, but I must decrease’” (John 3:30).
Viva Memoria “challenges us to a life of intimate communion with Christ.” This life is nurtured through prayer, contemplation of the Word of God, celebration of the sacraments and, especially, through the Eucharist, “where we encounter the living Christ in a most profound way. Our priesthood must flow from that communion …”
It is a call to action, Bishop Walsh said. “In every Mass we celebrate, in every homily we preach, in every confession we hear, in every anointing we administer, in every visit to the sick, in every moment of presence to those who are suffering or in need, we are called to make Christ present. We are to be the living memory of his compassion, his healing, his forgiveness, and his hope.”
Viva Memoria “is intrinsically linked to the Paschal Mystery,” Bishop Walsh continued. The “life of Christ, which we are called to make present, is a life lived in the shadow of the cross, culminating in the glory of the resurrection. Our priesthood, too, is marked by this paschal dimension.” In embracing the cross with Christ, “we become most truly his living memory, and the power of his resurrection shines forth most brightly.”
Msgr. Drake Shafer, left, and Father George McDaniel renew their priestly promises along with other priests during the Chrism Mass April 14 at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport.
Walking with Christ
Concluding his homily, the bishop said, “let us ask the Lord for the grace to embrace this call to Viva Memoria. May the oils we bless today be a sign and a pledge of our commitment to make Christ present in the world, not just in word, but also in deed; not just in ceremony, but in life. May we be living witnesses to his love, his mercy and his truth.”
Costello appreciated the emphasis on the relational God, who became man “to be one of us so that he could walk with us in our struggles and in our joys. It is a good reminder for all of us but especially priests dedicated to word and sacrament.”
“The bishop’s homily encapsulated everything I’m feeling this week,” said Angie Goodwin, a reader during the Chrism Mass. “I felt, as a lay person, we’re called to walk this journey with Christ, carrying the cross. We have to walk through the sorrowful times to get to the hope of Easter. We’re supposed to be Christ to others. That’s what I loved most about the bishop’s homily,” said Goodwin, who is coordinator of Youth Ministry and Communication for St. Thomas More Parish in Coralville and youth minister for several other diocesan parishes.
Olivia Kahler, a junior at Assumption High School in Davenport, also served as a reader during the Chrism Mass. A member of St. Paul the Apostle Parish in Davenport, she previously served as an altar server at Bishop Walsh’s ordination Mass, where she first experienced the amazement of seeing so many priests celebrating Mass in one place. While it is amazing to see all of the priests, “speaking the Word of God to so many people was very powerful,” she said.
Father Bill Roush, pastor of Holy Family Parish, Riverside, described the Chrism Mass as invigorating. Even as he prepares for retirement, July 1, “I’m still a priest forever.” A widower who entered the priesthood later in life, he plans to take a six-month break in retirement to spend time with the family he raised. Then he will return to serving the Church. He loves both families dearly.
For Father Joseph Phung, pastor of St. Mary parishes in Oskaloosa and Pella, the Chrism Mass represents God’s blessing on the Church and the renewal of priestly promises “renews our spirit in serving God and God’s people.”
