Cardinal Timothy Dolan welcomed each of hundreds of priests as they entered St. Patrick’s Cathedral and processed up the sanctuary’s main aisle for the annual Chrism Mass, celebrated on Tuesday, April 15.

Celebrating his 16th anniversary as Archbishop of New York, Cardinal Dolan joined Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, and The Abbot General of the Canons Regular of the Lateran, Dom Edoardo Parisotto, CRL, along with auxiliary bishops from the Archdiocese of New York, and made his way to the altar to begin Mass. 

Each year during the Chrism Mass, the Archbishop of New York performs the Rite of Blessing of the Oils and Consecration of the Chrism, the holy oils used in the administration of the sacraments throughout the archdiocese during the year. He is joined by priests of the archdiocese, who renew their ordination promises.              

Along with Archbishop Caccia and Abbot Parisotto, concelebrants included Archdiocese of New York Auxiliary Bishops Edmund Whalen, Vicar for Clergy; John Bonnici; Peter Byrne; Gerardo Colacicco; and Joseph Espaillat; Monsignor Joseph P. LaMorte, Vicar General of the archdiocese; and Father Enrique Salvo, rector of St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The dozens of priests in attendance were joined by deacons, brothers and sisters religious, seminarians, and hundreds of lay people who attended the Mass.

In his homily, Cardinal Dolan used a military metaphor from Pope Francis, describing parish churches as “field hospitals.” “The church is a field hospital. And the primary addresses of the supernatural MASH units would be our parishes. Our parishes are a lot more than nursing homes or filling stations that our people might occasionally drop by, no. They are the front lines in the care and battle for the souls of God’s people. And our parish priests are physicians, tenderly and bravely on duty as the medical care units for the wounded souls of God’s people.”

He praised parish priests and their work. “Never, ever have I lost that fascination with the parish priest. Never have I wavered in my conviction that our parish priests are the medics in our field hospitals. The high honor I had at preparing young men as pastors in two seminaries and the admiration that I have for the parish priests I’ve served alongside in St. Louis and Milwaukee and here in the Archdiocese of New York has only intensified my love for these men on the front lines,” Cardinal Dolan said.

Following the homily, Cardinal Dolan blessed three large jars of chrism, a high-quality olive oil mixed with balsam for fragrance. Each jar represented a different sacrament in which it would be used: anointing of the sick, confirmation, and holy orders, respectively.

During the Liturgy of the Eucharist, the priests in attendance filed forward to the cathedral’s altar, filling the space. Cardinal Dolan joined Archbishop Caccia and the concelebrating bishops to distribute communion in different areas of the cathedral.

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