‘A tremendous gift’

Bishop Beckman celebrates Chrism Mass, expresses gratitude to priests

By Dan McWilliams

When Bishop Mark Beckman asked the faithful in the pews at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus to show their love for their priests during the annual Chrism Mass, the people responded enthusiastically.

The bishop celebrated the annual Holy Week liturgy, during which he blesses the oils used during the Church year and diocesan priests renew their ordination promises, on March 31.

At the end of Mass, Bishop Beckman said, “I want to express my genuine gratitude to all of my brother priests: you all are a tremendous gift to me and also to this diocese. And one of the things I loved about this presbyterate when I arrived was, there is a beautiful sense of fraternity and community in this presbyterate, so let’s let our priests know how much we appreciate them.”

A round of applause quickly turned into a standing ovation

A total of 75 priests concelebrated the Mass, and 35 deacons attended along with more than 20 men and women religious and members of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.

Principal concelebrants included cathedral rector Father David Boettner, diocesan vicar for priests Father Michael Cummins, and diocesan vicar general and moderator of the curia Father Peter Iorio.

Deacon Jim Bello, director of the diocesan Office of Christian Formation, was deacon of the Word at the Chrism Mass. Deacon Daniel Cooper, who will be ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Beckman on June 6, was deacon of the altar.

Deacon Walt Otey of the cathedral and Deacon Hicks Armor were masters of ceremonies at the Mass.

Mark Calvert, a parishioner of St. John Neumann in Farragut, proclaimed the first reading in English, and Blanca Primm, diocesan director of Hispanic Ministry, proclaimed the second reading in Spanish.

Glenn Kahler, director of music and liturgy for Sacred Heart, led the choir and instrumentalists. Sarah-Clementine Mire was the lead cantor.

For the fourth year in a row, Father Michael Woods—representing the diocese’s senior priests—opened the procession of the oils by bringing forward the balsam for the chrism. The oil of catechumens was presented by Barry Walsh, Cody Stiner, and Tracy VanDorselaer of the cathedral OCIA team, and the oil of the sick by Sister Gianna Marie Savidge, RSM, Bri Vinyard, and Sam Souza of the St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic. Deacon Cooper brought forward the oil for the chrism.

The gifts were presented by Chancery staff members Janie Hennessy and Beth Parsons.

Healers of souls

Bishop Beckman began his homily—during which he stood at his chair (cathedra) in the cathedral and faced the priests sitting around the altar—by referring to a talk he once heard by Cardinal Joseph Bernardin.

“Back in the 1990s, I was a part of our presbyteral council in the Diocese of Nashville, and in those days they had the National Federation of Priests’ Councils, and they would celebrate annual conventions throughout the United States. I had the opportunity to attend a number of those,” the bishop said.

“I enjoyed the opportunity to meet the priests from throughout the United States, but sometimes we would also have some really good speakers. One year, the speaker was Cardinal Bernardin from Chicago. He spoke to us about the role of the priest that year, and he said to us, ‘The priest is called to be a bearer of the mystery of God and a healer of souls.’ I have never forgotten those two paradigms that he presented, and through the years as a priest they have come back to me over and over. In preparing for this Mass of the holy Chrism during the days of Lent, I’ve been thinking about these paradigms again.”

Bishop Beckman referred to the first reading at Mass from Isaiah 61, in which the prophet says God has “sent me to bring glad tidings to the lowly, to heal the brokenhearted” and to the Gospel reading from Luke 4, where Jesus says the words from Isaiah are “fulfilled in your healing.” Priests truly are “healers of souls,” he said.

“It’s so fitting in a way that we should focus for a moment on the fact that we are healers. Jesus Himself, so beautifully today in the Gospel of Luke, begins His ministry as a powerful reflection on the healing that the prophet Isaiah spoke so clearly about,” the bishop said. “‘The Lord has anointed me, has sent me to bring glad tidings,’ good news, to the lowly or the poor. The very proclamation of God’s Word is a healing power, isn’t it, in our communities.

“As people hear the Word of God proclaimed and we preach the Gospel, the power of God’s healing Word touches the hearts of those who listen. Also, to heal the brokenhearted, to bring sight to the blind, liberty to the captives, release to prisoners. Perhaps the deepest captivity of the human person—we know it so well, don’t we?—is the captivity of sin. And you and I as ministers of the Gospel have the opportunity to be a healing presence in the lives of our people in so many profound ways. Whether it has been less than a year or more than 60, your hands were anointed with sacred chrism to bring the healing power of Christ to the people of God.”

Every priest within earshot at the Chrism Mass, whether their ordination was recent or many decades ago, has experienced requests for healing, Bishop Beckman said.

“For a moment, think back over those years of your priesthood—whether short or long—how many persons who have approached you in need of the healing power of Christ. The moments of reconciliation, when you hold out your hands over the head of the penitent and say the words of absolution: ‘God the Father of mercies, I absolve you,’” he said. “There are moments—we’ve all had them as priests—when that encounter is not only a powerful moment of grace for the penitent but also for us who witness the work of God’s mercy. The healing of the sick and the sacrament of the anointing, (the oil for) which we will bless again tonight, another profound moment that we’ve all had as priests.

“I think about the moments when people have waited for us in a hospital or a nursing home, toward the end of life, and you walk into the room and you immediately see in the faces, of the family or the person, the palpable joy that you have arrived to celebrate that sacrament. We embody the presence of God in those moments, brothers, don’t we?

The bishop recalled one person who was near the end of his life who asked for a priest to anoint him.

“I will never forget: one Sunday I had all the Masses. I was very tired, and at the end of the last Mass, one of the families said, ‘Father, would you come to the nursing home and anoint our family member?’ It was the last bit of energy I had, but I went there,” Bishop Beckman said. “As I walked toward the room, they said, ‘We don’t know why he’s waited so long.’ I walked into the room. I gave him the anointing of the sick, and they told me later that before I made it back to the elevator on that second floor that he had died. Those moments, all of us could repeat, right? Profound moments when we were able to be present to the people of God in a healing way.”

Celebrating the Eucharist holds “the most powerful moments of all for most of us priests,” the bishop said, “when we hold in our hands the very body and blood of the Lord given for us. Whether it’s a second-grader receiving the Eucharist for the first time or carrying that Eucharist to someone on his or her deathbed as viaticum, those moments of encounter with Christ in the Eucharist not only bear the mystery of God, but they’re also profoundly healing moments for God’s people.”

The renewal of priestly promises followed Bishop Beckman’s homily.

“Tonight, we have the privilege to renew the promises that we made on our own ordination days. Think back for the moment to the day of your ordination. I hope it was a day of joy for you, a day of celebration, and a day when you knew that God had claimed you,” the bishop said. “That moment in time—for me there were two very profound moments: when I fell prostrate, that was one of them, as I lay there and the Litany of the Saints was being sung. The second was when I was clothed for the first time in the chasuble of priesthood. There were so many powerful moments in that ordination liturgy when we first said yes to these sacred promises.”

Bishop Beckman compared the joy of a father giving away his daughter at her wedding to the healing ministry of priests.

“A few years ago, I went out to San Diego for a wedding, and I went to the reception afterward, and the father of the bride got up, and he said, ‘They told me before I got married that my wedding day was going to be the happiest day of my life,’” the bishop remembered. “And he said, ‘But they lied. It was not the happiest day of my life.’ He said, ‘It was the happiest day of my life up to that moment, but I have had many happier moments since, including the birth of my two daughters, and this very day when I give my daughter away in marriage is the happiest day of my life.’

“I have thought about his words often. The days of our ordination hopefully were indeed joy-filled days, but as we look back at all the ways God has invited us to bear Him to His people and to be healers, haven’t there been so many profound moments on the great journey of priesthood?

Saying yes to the Lord

“So, brothers, today, I invite you once more to say yes to the Lord. He has called each one of us. That’s why we said yes. He has anointed us to bring glad tidings, to heal the brokenhearted, to give sight to the blind, to release those imprisoned, to be bearers of the great mystery of God and healers of souls. I invite you today, brothers, to renew those promises once more.”

Bishop Beckman led the renewal of commitment to priestly service.

“Beloved sons, on the anniversary of that day in which Christ, Our Lord, conferred his priesthood on His Apostles and on us, are you resolved to renew, in the presence of your bishop and God’s holy people, the promises you once made? Are you resolved to be more united with the Lord Jesus and more closely conformed to Him, denying yourselves and confirming those promises about sacred duties toward Christ’s Church, which, prompted by love of Him, you willingly and joyfully pledged on the day of your priestly ordination? Are you resolved to be faithful stewards of the mysteries of God in the Holy Eucharist and other liturgical rites and to discharge faithfully the sacred office of teaching, following Christ the Head and Shepherd, not seeking any gain, but moved only by zeal for souls?”

The priests responded “I am” to each question.

The bishop then addressed the assembly, requesting “as for you, dearest sons and daughters, pray for your priests, that the Lord may pour out His gifts abundantly upon them and keep them faithful as ministers of Christ, the High Priest, so that they may lead you to Him, who is the source of salvation.”

Bishop Beckman asked those in the pews to “pray also for me, that I may be faithful to the apostolic office entrusted to me in my lowliness and that in your midst I may be made day by day a living and more perfect image of Christ, the Priest, the Good Shepherd, the Teacher, and the Servant of all.”

After the oils were presented, the bishop began the blessing of them with the oil of the sick.

“O God, Father of all consolation, who willed to heal the infirmities of the weak through your Son, listen favorably to the prayer of faith,” he said. “Send forth from the heavens, we pray, your Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, upon this oil in all of its richness, which you have graciously brought forth from the verdant tree to restore the body so that by your holy blessing, everyone anointed with this oil as a safeguard for body, soul, and spirit may be freed from all pain, all infirmity, and all sickness. May your holy oil, O Lord, be blessed by you for our sake, in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever.”

Bishop Beckman then blessed the oil of catechumens.

“O God, strength and protection of your people, who have made the oil you have created a sign of strength, graciously bless this oil. Grant courage to the catechumens who will be anointed with it, so that receiving your divine wisdom and power, they may understand more deeply the Gospel of your Christ, that they may undertake with a generous heart the labors of the Christian life and, made worthy of adoption to you as sons and daughters, they may rejoice to be born anew and to live in your Church, through Christ, our Lord,” he said.

The bishop mixed the balsam and olive oil used to make the sacred chrism, which is used in the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, and holy orders.

“Let us pray, dear brothers and sisters, to God the Almighty Father that He bless and sanctify this oil so that all who are outwardly anointed with it may be inwardly transformed and come to share in eternal salvation,” he said.

Bishop Beckman then breathed over the chrism, praying that the Holy Spirit be present in it.

“O God, author of all growth and spiritual progress, receive in your goodness the grateful homage that the Church joyfully offers to you through our voice. For in the beginning, you commanded the earth to bring forth fruit-bearing trees, among which olive trees would arise as providers of this most rich oil, so that their fruit might serve for sacred chrism. Therefore, we beseech you, O Lord, be pleased to sanctify with your blessing this oil in its richness and to pour into it the strength of the Holy Spirit, with the powerful working of your Christ.

“From His holy name it has received the name of chrism, and with it you have anointed your priests, prophets, kings, and martyrs. May you confirm the chrism you have created as a sacred sign of perfect salvation and life for those to be made new in the spiritual waters of baptism. May those formed into a temple of your majesty by the holiness infused through this anointing and by the cleansing of the stain of their first birth be made fragrant with the innocence of a life pleasing you. May those anointed with royal, priestly, and prophetic dignity be clothed with the garment of an incorruptible gift in keeping with the sacrament you have established. May this oil be the chrism of salvation for those born again of water and the Holy Spirit, and may it make them partakers of eternal life and sharers of heavenly glory, through Christ, Our Lord.”

Standing ovation

Before giving the final blessing at the Chrism Mass, the bishop jokingly referred to his closing remarks as a “second homily” that would be timed by Monsignor Patrick Garrity.

“I want to take a moment: we have a lot of priests who have joined our diocese since last Chrism Mass, either by ordination or other reasons, so I want to invite those of you in your first time at the Chrism Mass here in Knoxville to stand. These are the folks new to our diocese. We want to give you all a warm welcome,” Bishop Beckman said, and the assembly applauded.

After leading the applause for the priests that drew a standing ovation, the bishop expressed thanks for “the great variety of the members of the body of Christ here present. What a beautiful representation you all are of the whole Church of the Diocese of Knoxville. Your presence here is a gift to this diocese—know that.”

Father Boettner, the cathedral rector, said after the Chrism Mass that “it’s just such a joy to be able to join together with our brother priests and surround our bishop in ministry, and his words to us were perfect: the ministry of Christ is a healing ministry, and it’s God’s Spirit moving through the priests that brings that healing and that proclamation of the Gospel to the ends of the earth. I think all of us feel the same way. We’re all grateful for being invited by God to share in this ministry with our bishop, and we’re just sometimes overwhelmed and humbled by the fact that God chose me and is using me to be a blessing to others.”

In his two Chrism Masses as the diocese’s shepherd, Bishop Beckman has faced the priests when he delivers his homily.

“Normally when he’s preaching, he comes down and faces the people and talks to them there, but when it’s the Chrism Mass he stays at his chair, the symbol of his teaching authority as bishop, and he addresses his priests like a father to his sons. It’s beautiful,” Father Boettner said.

Joined by the clergy and religious, many East Tennessee Catholics from around the diocese filled the cathedral for the Chrism Mass.

Casey O’Neal is a member of Holy Ghost Parish in Knoxville. He attended the Chrism Mass with his wife, who is expecting their fourth child in May, and their three young sons. In past years, work has prevented Mr. O’Neal from attending the Chrism Mass, but this year he was able to be part of it with his family.

“The Mass was beautiful. I thought the bishop’s homily to the priests was sanctifying and beautiful. I love our priests, and it’s just beautiful to see them all gathered at the altar together with the bishop, and to watch him consecrate the oils,” he said. “It is quite special to see all of our brethren who are not at our parish gather together. It’s cool to get together to worship and glorify our Lord.”

Jackie Owen is a member of St. John XXIII University Parish in Knoxville. She finds the Chrism Mass spiritually moving, with the music, liturgy of the Eucharist, and the consecration of the sacred chrism oil especially meaningful to her.

“Bishop Beckman consecrating the oil just adds to the special flavor of the service and what this whole (Holy) week means,” she said. “To have the highest ambassador of God in our area be here celebrating the Mass for all of us in the diocese, and to have all of the priests gather together to renew their vows is so special.”

Mrs. Owen talked about the priests receiving a standing ovation from the congregation.

“I bet they were quite surprised,” she said. “That was a neat touch. Our priests might not receive a lot of thank-yous and words about how much we appreciate them. But it’s so nice for them to hear it from others, even from those who are not members of their own parishes. It’s so nice to be able to gather together in a large group to show our appreciation for one and all.”

John Gensheimer is a teacher at St. Joseph School in Knoxville and also is in the current class of men in formation for the permanent diaconate for the Diocese of Knoxville.

“It’s always a privilege to attend the Chrism Mass, whether as a member of the faithful or as a deacon candidate, in order to witness all of the assembled priests of the diocese praying together and renewing their vows of commitment to service to us,” he said. “As a gathering of people who have dedicated their entire lives to service to God and to us, the people of God, it’s a very powerful reminder of all of those who have made such a sacrifice for God and for God’s people.

“And as a deacon candidate, as someone who is hoping to continue in service to the people and also to assist the priests in any way we can, it’s especially impactful to watch them renew their own vows of service to God.”