Archdiocese celebrates God’s abundance at Chrism Mass
Clergy and worshippers filled the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark, NJ, on the evening of Mar. 30 for the annual Chrism Mass. Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., Archbishop of Newark, celebrated the sacred liturgy. Joining him were five auxiliary bishops, one abbot, over 200 priests, 58 deacons, 28 seminarians, and 12 altar servers.
The Chrism Mass, celebrated once each year in every diocese worldwide, is an important moment of unity for the local Church. The holy oils to be used in anointings over the next year are blessed, priests renew their promises, and the people of God are strengthened in their mission to spread the Gospel.
God needs human help
In his homily, Cardinal Tobin spoke about how Jesus, in taking on human flesh, “begins a new creation that stretches from our day into eternity.” He referenced St. Teresa of Avila, who “reminds us of God’s perennial need for human help.”
Cardinal Tobin explained:
“She famously taught: ‘Christ has no body but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes with which he looks compassionately on this world. Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good. Yours are the hands with which he blesses the world.’”
Cardinal Tobin emphasized how God uses “the gifts of the earth and the work of human hands” in his plan to bring us his divine life, in the form of bread, wine, and the olive oil used to make holy chrism. He said that in the Church, oil “signifies the anointing of the Holy Spirit, an anointing that is always for mission.”
A visible expression of an invisible abundance
Three oils would be brought forward to be blessed, the cardinal explained. The oil of catechumens is used for anointing before Baptism; the oil of the sick is for those who are suffering in mind and body; and the oil of catechumens is used for anointing after Baptism, the Sacrament of Confirmation and Holy Orders, to consecrate bishops, to consecrate new churches, and to bless altars and vessels that are used during the Mass.
A large amount of oil is blessed during the Mass – more than the parishes to which the oil is distributed will possibly use. “That’s the way it should be,” Cardinal Tobin said, “because the sacramental life of the church is a visible expression of the invisible abundance of God.”
The three oils would be used to carry out “one mission through many anointings,” Cardinal Tobin explained. “As the oils go out, so must you go out, carrying the healing, the strength, and the fragrance of Christ into the world,” he said.
Joyful renewal of promises
Cardinal Tobin also gave thanks for the “abundance of priests” at the Mass. After the homily, those priests renewed their commitment to their ministry before the congregation. They resolved “to be more united with the Lord Jesus and more closely conformed to him,” and to be faithful stewards and teachers “moved only by the zeal for souls.”
Father Jim Chern, director of campus ministry for the archdiocese, later shared a post on Instagram, featuring a photo from the Chrism Mass taken with students from Montclair State University. “Truly a joy to make a renewal of my Priestly Promises,” he said in the post, expressing his gratitude for the presence of the students “whom the Lord has entrusted me to serve.”
“Pray for all priests,” he continued, “that we may be more united with the Lord Jesus, more closely conformed to Him, be faithful stewards of the mysteries of God and moved only by the zeal for souls. Pray more young men will have courage and answer Jesus’ call to the priesthood.”
To view more photos of the 2026 Chrism Mass, click HERE.
You can watch video highlights from the Mass below:
Featured image: Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R, Archbishop of Newark, blesses the holy oils during the 2026 Chrism Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart. (Photo by Julio Eduardo Herrera / Archdiocese of Newark)
