In a display of unity and faith, nearly 200 priests from across the Archdiocese of Birmingham gathered at St Chad’s Cathedral yesterday for the annual Chrism Mass. This sacred tradition, presided over by the Archbishop, centres on the blessing and consecration of the holy oils and the renewal of priestly vows.

Reflecting on the significance of the priesthood, Archbishop Bernard’s homily was inspired by the scripture: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me.” Archbishop Bernard reminded clergy of their sacred vocation, rooted in the mission of Jesus Christ, to bring hope, healing, and forgiveness to the communities they serve.

The Chrism Mass holds deep meaning, with the blessing of the three oils—the Oil of Catechumens, used for the baptism of adults and older children being received into the Church, the Oil for the Sacrament of the Sick, and the Holy Chrism, used for baptisms, confirmations, ordinations and consecration. These oils will be distributed throughout the Archdiocese and used in sacramental rites to enrich the lives of the faithful.

The Archbishop highlighted the importance of nurturing faith and promoting vocations, expressing gratitude for the priests’ dedication and for the seminarians’ enthusiastic witness. He also acknowledged the quiet, often unseen sacrifices made by clergy, urging them to find strength in their anointing and to emulate Christ’s compassion and humility.

This year’s celebration also resonated with the themes of the Jubilee Year, inviting all to renew their commitment as “pilgrims of hope.” The Archbishop encouraged priests to find joy in their ministry, saying: “When you kneel down in grateful prayer at the close of day, may your greatest joy come from knowing that He has acted through your hands and spoken through your words.”

As the Mass concluded with the renewal of priestly promises, the gathered clergy pledged to bring the love and forgiveness of God into their ministry, inspired by the example of Blessed Dominic Barberi, whose legacy was recalled in the homily.

The Chrism Mass at St Chad’s Cathedral serves as a powerful reminder of the vital role of clergy in the Church and their mission to bring Christ’s presence to the world through selfless service.

Archbishop Bernard's Homily

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me.

On the First Sunday of Lent, the 9th of March, I found it very moving to celebrate the Rite of Election and to welcome two hundred of the catechumens and candidates for reception into the Church who will be anointed this Saturday during the Easter Vigil in parishes across the length and breadth of the Archdiocese.  They were accompanied and supported by their catechists and parish clergy as they began their final Lent, waiting to receive our Lord in the Eucharist for the first time.

We think of them today because their many individual journeys of faith remind us of the mission of Jesus Christ, the anointed one, to proclaim good news to the poor…to proclaim liberty to captives and recovering of sight to the blind…to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.  During this Jubilee Year we remember that we have been called as priests to make Christ’s mission a living reality for the people we serve as pilgrims of hope.  

He has anointed me.  Every priest can repeat those words of our Lord knowing that they express a transforming truth about ourselves.  They reveal our vocation, from the day of our ordination when we were anointed, and on our daily ministry.  This Holy Week Chrism Mass - in which the three oils of the Church will be blessed and consecrated – transports us to the sanctuary of Jesus Christ, the eternal High Priest.

We are conscious that we have no other priesthood but his.  We have no power, except the power to serve that he has conferred on us, despite our own personal frailty and sinfulness - the power to forgive sins in his name.  Our greatest ambition should be to imitate him and make him present in the world and present for the people to whom he has sent us.  

When the people of your parishes come to you to ask for support, for a blessing, for advice or forgiveness it is because they are confident that they will find the Lord himself in your words and actions.  When you kneel down in grateful prayer at the close of day, may your greatest joy come from knowing that he has acted through your hands and spoken through your words.

Nurturing the newly-found faith of catechumens and candidates makes us ready to promote a culture of vocation in the Church.  Every priest is a vocations promoter - simply by being faithful to the calling we have received and ready to show the joy that only comes from being anointed by Christ to serve his Church.    

Thank you for the positive influence that you have on those who are considering a call to the priesthood.  I thank all the seminarians from Oscott for your enthusiastic witness – and Fr Craig and the Vocations Team for making opportunities for discerners to “come and see”.

In this Mass I thank our Lord for the life and ministry of every priest in our Archdiocese, diocesan and Religious – for all the concelebrants here in the Cathedral and for those who cannot be with us today for whatever reason – every one of you is cherished by Christ and appreciated by the Church.

I know that there can be times in the course of the year when this appreciation cab seem distant - we can sometimes feel that our work and its impact are going unnoticed.  We may not always feel ourselves to be at the centre of things, even within our parish or chaplaincy community.  But if we are faithful to Christ as the centre of our lives, and faithful to the anointing which we have received, we can be sure that we are planted in the place where he needs us to be.

He has anointed me.  St Luke’s Gospel shows the mind of Christ about his own anointing, with the spirit of the Lord upon him.  We should recall these words of Isaiah, fulfilled through the priesthood of Jesus Christ, when we strive to imitate him – when we make him present in our own words and actions, and especially when we are united with our people in the Eucharist and in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  Please say with Jesus he has anointed me as you kneel tomorrow night to wash the feet of your parishioners.

We are also touched by the mercy and love we see in the lives of the people we serve – people we shall be sent to anoint with the Oil of Catechumens, the Oil of the Sick and the Holy Chrism.  We are moved and often struck by the depth of the contrition and humility that we see whenever a penitent pours out their soul to us in confession.  

Our priesthood is enriched by the spirituality and pastoral zeal of our parishioners and we continue to be formed and inspired by the witness of their holiness and generosity.  

He has anointed me.  What we have received through the Sacrament of Orders is a grace, a charism, a gift.  We didn’t earn it and we’re not entitled to it – it’s not transactional.  It has been showered upon us in abundance.  And it’s the same with the fruits if our ministry – they will never show up on a balance sheet – only God can reckon our spiritual surplus or our deficit.  We are not the best judges of the impact of our own priestly ministry – or, as the Latin phrase puts it:  Nemo sibi judex.

In 1963, the year when Blessed Dominic Barberi was beatified in Rome, Archbishop Francis Grimshaw was at the Second Vatican Council.  The Archbishop sent a Pastoral Letter from Rome, in which he described Blessed Dominic:

The years he lived in were dramatic years in the story of the Catholic Church in England.  Great figures occupied the stage.  It is possible that among them this Italian priest, wearing a strange habit, speaking our language with difficulty and with an atrocious accent, was not recognised at the time as one of the protagonists.  The best work for souls is often that which is done quietly, through a lifetime of unobtrusive self-denial and self-sacrifice, by one who sees the image of God where another sees only human nature at its weakest and its worst.

So, as we prepare for the Renewal of our Priestly Promises, may we pledge ourselves to bring the forgiveness and love of God, like Blessed Dominic, to the people and situations where it is most needed – and let us always pray for one another, grateful for the sacramental anointing which we have received from Christ.

Photos: Chrism Mass 2025