Chrism Mass
The Chrism Mass ( Latin Missa chris matis ) veraltend also oil consecration , is a Holy Mass , in the Roman Catholic and the Old Catholic Church is celebrated every year in the pre-Easter season of penance. In the Chrism Mass the holy oils ( chrism , catechumen oil and sick oil) are consecrated , which are used during the year in the Catholic parishes for anointing during the administration of some sacraments and sacramentals .
An anointing with chrism belongs to the liturgy of baptism and confirmation , priestly ordination and episcopal ordination , furthermore to the consecration of an altar , a church , the consecration of a bell or the consecration of a chalice . The sick oil is needed for the anointing of the sick , the catechumene oil for the anointing of the catechumens or the baptized person before baptism.
Date and place
In the Roman Catholic Church, the Chrism Mass is traditionally held on Holy Thursday in the Cathedral of the diocese by the local bishop in concelebration with his presbytery celebrated in the Old Catholic Church in Germany as a rule at the beginning of the pre-Easter season of penance in the German bishops and cathedral, the name Jesus Church in Bonn .
Before the reform of the Holy Week liturgy by Pope Pius XII. In 1955 the consecration of oil took place in the only holy mass that was celebrated on Maundy Thursday, then in a second mass on Maundy Thursday morning. This is the only holy mass that may be celebrated on Maundy Thursday in addition to the evening mass of the Last Supper . In many dioceses, however, the possibility is now used of celebrating the Chrism Mass instead of the morning of Maundy Thursday on an earlier day, which must be close to Easter, in order to allow priests, deacons and believers from all over the diocese to participate facilitate. Usually Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday in Holy Week is used for this .
After the Chrism Mass, the holy oils are handed over to the representatives of the congregations or deaneries , who then bring them to the congregations, where they can be solemnly received in the mass of the Last Supper or another suitable occasion.
The preferred place for Chrism Mass is the cathedral because of its importance in the life of the diocese; for pastoral reasons, however, it can also be held in another important church in the diocese.
Concelebration with the presbytery
The concelebration of Chrism Mass by the diocesan bishop with his college of priests is intended to express the bond between the priests and their bishops in the one priesthood of Christ. For the priests it is the annual commemoration of their ordination . This can be followed by the renewal of the declaration of readiness to serve the priest. The Second Vatican Council had expressed this bond in its decree Presbyterorum ordinis on the service and life of priests : “All priests share with the bishops one and the same priesthood and office of Christ that this unity of consecration and mission becomes hierarchical Requires communion with the state of the bishops. They express this fellowship excellently at occasional concelebrations. "
Eastern Churches
In the Orthodox, Eastern Orthodox and Catholic Eastern Churches there is a liturgy for the establishment and consecration of chrism. This may only be done by the patriarch , catholicos or archbishop of an autocephalous church and usually takes place during Holy Week - in many cases not annually, but only when necessary. The Assyrian Church of the East does not use chrism . She uses an oil whose origin is directly traced back to Jesus and the apostles . By adding fresh oil, it is increased without losing its apostolic character.
Sources and literature
- Ordo benedicendi oleum catechumenorum et infirmorum et conficiendi chrisma . Editio typica, Città del Vaticano 1971.
- Pontifical for the Catholic dioceses of the German-speaking area IV. The consecration of the church and the altar. The consecration of oils . Hand edition with liturgical references. Edited by the Liturgical Institutes, Freiburg - Basel - Vienna 1994.
- Peter Maier: The celebration of the Missa Chrismatis. The reform of the oil consecration of the Pontificale Romanum against the background of the history of rites , Pustet, Regensburg 1990. ISBN 3-7917-1210-1
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Congregation for Divine Worship : Circular Paschalis sollemnitatis on the celebration of Easter and its preparation, January 16, 1988, no. 35f.
- ^ Congregation for Divine Worship : Circular Paschalis sollemnitatis on the celebration of Easter and its preparation, January 16, 1988, No. 35.
- ↑ Presbyterum ordinis No. 7 [1] .