By Emily Chaffins -
Bishop Silvio Baez, auxiliary bishop of Managua, Nicaragua, now living in exile in South Florida, was one of seven bishops who took part in the chrism Mass at St. Mary Cathedral, April 4, 2023.
Bishop Fernando Isern, retired of Pueblo, Colorado, was one of seven bishops who took part in the chrism Mass at St. Mary Cathedral, April 4, 2023.
Miami Auxiliary Bishop Enrique Delgado was one of seven bishops who took part in the chrism Mass at St. Mary Cathedral, April 4, 2023.
Chorbishop Michael Thomas, pastor of Heart of Jesus Maronite Catholic Church in Fort Lauderdale, was one of seven bishops present at the chrism Mass at St. Mary Cathedral, April 4, 2023.
Bishop Joseph Lafontant, retired auxiliary bishop of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, was one of seven bishops who took part in the chrism Mass at St. Mary Cathedral, April 4, 2023.
Miami Archbishop emeritus John C. Favalora takes part in the chrism Mass at St. Mary Cathedral, April 4, 2023. Behind him at right is Father Paul Vuturo, who was honored on his 50th anniversary as a priest.
View of some of the nearly 300 priests, including some exiled or visiting from Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba, who took part in the chrism Mass at St. Mary Cathedral, April 4, 2023.
Deacon Saul Araujo prepares to proclaim the Gospel at the chrism Mass at St. Mary Cathedral, April 4, 2023.
View of some of the nearly 300 priests, including some exiled or visiting from Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba, who took part in the chrism Mass at St. Mary Cathedral, April 4, 2023.
Archbishop Thomas Wenski preaches the homily during the chrism Mass at St. Mary Cathedral, April 4, 2023.
View of St. Mary Cathedral from the choir loft, filled with fiathful and clergy for the annual chrism Mass, April 4, 2023. (CRISTINA CABRERA JARRO)
A sea of priests - nearly 300 were in attendance - can be seen from the choir loft of St. Mary Cathedral during the chrism Mass, April 4, 2023. (CRISTINA CABRERA JARRO)
Father Yaw John Aduseh-Poku, currently serving as parochial vicar at St. Edward Church, Pembroke Pines, is congratulated by Archbishop Thomas Wenski on his 25th anniversary in the priesthood, a recognition that took place during the chrism Mass at St. Mary Cathedral, April 4, 2023.
Father Fernando Carmona, currently serving as parochial vicar at St. Patrick Church, Miami Beach, is congratulated by Archbishop Thomas Wenski on his 25th anniversary in the priesthood, a recognition that took place during the chrism Mass at St. Mary Cathedral, April 4, 2023.
Spiritan Father Alexander Ekekchukwu, currently serving as pastor of Holy Redeemer Church, Liberty City, is congratulated by Archbishop Thomas Wenski on his 50th anniversary in the priesthood, a recognition that took place during the chrism Mass at St. Mary Cathedral, April 4, 2023.
Father Paul Vuturo, who recently retired as pastor of St. Louis Parish in Pinecrest, is congratulated by Archbishop Thomas Wenski on his 50th anniversary in the priesthood, a recognition that took place during the chrism Mass at St. Mary Cathedral, April 4, 2023.
Father Edmond Prendergast, pastor of St. Bonaventure Church in Davie, is congratulated by Archbishop Thomas Wenski on his 50th anniversary in the priesthood, a recognition that took place during the chrism Mass at St. Mary Cathedral, April 4, 2023.
Msgr. Jose Juan Quijano, retired professor at St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach, is congratulated by Archbishop Thomas Wenski on his 50th anniversary in the priesthood, a recognition that took place during the chrism Mass at St. Mary Cathedral, April 4, 2023.
Deacon Rikinson Bantou and Dubienna Maurice take up the oil of the sick during the offertory of the chrism Mass celebrated at St. Mary Cathedral, April 4, 2023.
Deacon Gustavo Santos and seminarian Darvin Leiva (hidden) take up the oil of catechumens during the offertory of the chrism Mass celebrated at St. Mary Cathedral, April 4, 2023.
Deacon Andrew Farinato and Felician Sister Marilyn Minter, who works at St. James Parish in North Miami, take up the oil of chrism during the offertory of the chrism Mass celebrated at St. Mary Cathedral, April 4, 2023. "I love priests and she asked me to carry chrism!" exclaimed Sister Marilyn when she was asked to take part in the ceremony.
Immaculata-La Salle ninth grader Francisco Pages and Cardinal Gibbons 11th-grader Jenna Jacobson take up the offertory during the chrism Mass celebrated at St. Mary Cathedral, April 4, 2023.
Brothers Juan Pablo, left, and Enio Arajuro stand in the aisle to get a closer look at the celebration of the chrism Mass at St. Mary Cathedral, April 4, 2023.
Seminarians take part in the chrism Mass at St. Mary Cathedral, April 4, 2023.
Archbishop Thomas Wenski prays over the holy oils - of catechumens, chrism and the sick - during the chrism Mass celebrated at St. Mary Cathedral, April 4, 2023.
Priests extend their hands during the consecration of the bread and wine at the chrism Mass, celebrated at St. Mary Cathedral, April 4, 2023.
Archbishop Thomas Wenski blesses the oil of catechumens (left) during the chrism Mass celebrated at St. Mary Cathedral, April 4, 2023.
Six of the seven bishops who took part in the chrism Mass at St. Mary Cathedral, April 4, 2023, pose for a photo after the Mass; from left: Chorbishop Michael Thomas, pastor of Heart of Jesus Maronite Catholic Church in Fort Lauderdale; Bishop Silvio Baez, auxiliary of Managua, Nicaragua, currently living in exile in South Florida; Miami Auxiliary Bishop Enrique Delgado; Archbishop Thomas Wenski, who presided at the Mass; Bishop Joseph Lafontant, retired auxiliary bishop of Port-au-Prince, Haiti; and Bishop Fernando Isern, retired bishop of Pueblo, Colorado.
Bishop Joseph Lafontant, retired auxiliary bishop of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, greets people after the chrism Mass at St. Mary Cathedral, April 4, 2023.
Archbishop Thomas Wenski greets people after the chrism Mass at St. Mary Cathedral, April 4, 2023.
Bishop Joseph Lafontant, retired auxiliary bishop of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and Archbishop Thomas Wenski greet people after the chrism Mass at St. Mary Cathedral, April 4, 2023.
Photography: ANA RODRIGUEZ-SOTO FC
MIAMI | The line of priests processing into St. Mary Cathedral streamed out the door at the start of the chrism Mass, April 4, 2023.
Every year on the Tuesday of Holy Week, priests serving in Archdiocese of Miami come to the chrism Mass to renew their vows and receive the holy oils to be used the coming year in their parishes. A multitude of laypeople, deacons, religious, and seminarians also attend the Mass to pray for priests and to thank God for the priesthood.
The Mass was celebrated by Archbishop Thomas Wenski and concelebrated by six bishops – including an exiled auxiliary bishop from Nicaragua and a retired auxiliary bishop from Haiti. Among the priests present were two recently expelled from Nicaragua and others visiting from Cuba and Venezuela.
During the chrism Mass, the holy oils of catechumens, of the sick, and of chrism are blessed. In his homily, Archbishop Wenski explained the significance of the holy oils. The oil of catechumens is used before baptism; the oil of the sick is used for the sacrament of the sick; and the oil of chrism is used for baptism, confirmation, and priestly ordination.
Photographer: ANA RODRIGUEZ-SOTO | FC
Archbishop Thomas Wenski consecrates the oil of chrism by breathing over it during the chrism Mass celebrated at St. Mary Cathedral, April 4, 2023.
“These oils then are closely linked to the Paschal Mystery — for through them the Holy Spirit sanctifies us, through them the Holy Spirit conforms us more perfectly to Christ, so that we might spread the fragrance of his presence throughout the world as we grow in the virtues of faith, hope and charity,” the archbishop said.
Jorge Escobar, from St. John Neumann Parish in Miami, felt the significance of the holy oils in a personal way. A deacon candidate who will be ordained soon, Escobar said, “I’m excited because this will be my last chrism Mass as a lay person, God willing.”
He added that the holy oils will be an important part of his service to the Church as a deacon, since baptisms are part of the ministry of deacons.
During the Mass, all the priests present renewed their vows, and those celebrating 25, 50, and 60 years of ordination were honored.
In his homily, the archbishop said the chrism Mass also highlights the fact that the Eucharist is made possible by the sacrament of priesthood. He spoke about the Eucharistic Revival in the United States, motivating everyone to attend the July 2024 Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis and to take part in the Eucharistic Revival in their parishes.
“The Eucharist holds the central place in the Church because it is ‘what makes the Church,’” the archbishop said.
Participants in the Mass included seminarians from St. John Vianney College Seminary in Miami, St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach, and Redemptoris Mater Archdiocesan Missionary Seminary in Hialeah.
Also present was Tomas Salom, of St. Katharine Drexel Parish in Weston, who is discerning a vocation to the priesthood.
Photographer: ANA RODRIGUEZ-SOTO | FC
Priests extend their hands during the consecration of the bread and wine at the chrism Mass, celebrated at St. Mary Cathedral, April 4, 2023.
Deacon Vince Farinato, who belonged to the second class of deacons ordained for the archdiocese, has served the Church for many of his 97 years. He and his family had much to celebrate: His grandson, Deacon Andrew Vitrano-Farinato, who was serving in the Mass, will be ordained a priest next month.
In addition, student representatives of local Catholic high schools were present at the Mass, including Immaculata-La Salle, St. Brendan, Our Lady of Lourdes and Belen Jesuit Prep in Miami; Msgr. Edward Pace in Miami Gardens; Cardinal Gibbons and St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale; and Archbishop Edward McCarthy in Southwest Ranches.
The Cardinal Gibbons group got a special tour of the cathedral after the Mass, led by alumnus – and now priest-secretary to Archbishop Wenski – Father Ryan Saunders.
It was the first chrism Mass for St. Thomas Aquinas high school students Samantha Bishop and Connor Graham. Samantha, a junior in the campus ministry core group, said she felt a “[sense of] community” at the Mass.
Connor, a sophomore in campus ministry, stated that he “enjoys cathedrals” and the sense of “overall unity” that they inspire.
When asked if they would come to a chrism Mass again, they both gave an enthusiastic yes.
