SCRANTON — As many of the more than 170 active and retired priests and nearly 100 permanent deacons who serve the Diocese of Scranton made their way in procession to the Cathedral of Saint Peter for this year’s traditional Pontifical Mass of the Sacred Chrism on the Tuesday of Holy Week, the windy weather could have been likened to power of the Holy Spirit in their midst.
The heavens also looked kindly upon the processing clergy as rain showers gave way to sunny skies in time for their arrival at the venerable gathering.
As principal celebrant and homilist, the Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, warmly welcomed all to the Mother Church of the Diocese.
“What a blessing to see the Church of Scranton gathered from among all its members for this Mass of the Sacred Chrism,” Bishop Bambera expressed, referring to “my brother priests, our permanent deacons and their wives, Parish Life Coordinators and parish leaders, religious women and men, our seminarians, and especially so many of you from parishes throughout our eleven counties, particularly members of our young Church who are here today.”
The traditional Holy Week observance and gathering of the priests of the Diocese — customarily the largest of its kind each year — celebrates their clerical brotherhood and shared divine vocation.
During the Mass, priests and deacons, along with lay representatives from Diocesan parishes, acknowledged the Bishop’s role as the unifying symbol for Church governance and pastoral guidance.
All of the priests also recommitted themselves to their office by renewing the promises they made on their ordination day, including their vow of obedience to the Bishop.
The 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope proclaimed by His Holiness, Pope Francis, soon became the central theme of Bishop Bambera’s message.
“We profess today that ‘in the resurrection,’ we have indeed ‘been shown that God is powerful enough’ to give us reason to hope even when we are inclined to yield to despair,” the Bishop offered. “The Jubilee Year of Hope that we celebrate these days affirms this assertion in reminding all of us that hope for the Christian is not simply optimism, irrepressible idealism or wishful thinking. No, authentic hope is born solely of the resurrection of Jesus.”
Holding to ancient tradition, the Mass of the Sacred Chrism is highlighted by the blessing of the Holy Oils used during the conferral of sacraments throughout the Church year. They include the Oil of the Sick, and the Oil of Catechumens, which are used in the celebration of Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Orders, the Anointing of the Sick, and the Rites of the Catechumenate.
Father Stephen Brenyah, assistant pastor of the Dunmore parish communities of Saints Anthony & Rocco and Our Lady of Mount Carmel, said the Chrism Mass is reminiscent of Jesus’ gathering with his disciples on that first Holy Thursday night.
“Before He was crucified, Christ sat down at table with His disciples and gave them the power to anoint, heal, and celebrate the sacred mysteries,” Father Brenyah remarked. “Today, the Bishop blesses the holy oils and sends us out with the sacred chrism to heal and baptize.”
Bishop Bambera referred to the sacred oils as the vessels of God’s grace and pathways to “the very hope that we all seek.”
“My brother priests, we are charged in a unique way to be God’s instruments in bringing that grace and life to a suffering world,” he said. “From the very day of our priestly ordination, we were both set apart and immersed in the lives of God’s people to sow seeds of hope and peace.”
A retired priest of the Diocese, having been ordained 53 years ago, Father Joseph Kakareka still feels compelled to be present to concelebrate the annual Chrism Mass with the Bishop and his fellow priests.
“Having concelebrated at this Mass for decades, I feel it is very important to be here year after year because it is just so meaningful to me,” Father Kakareka noted.
For Father Brian J.W. Clarke, V.F., pastor of Most Holy Trinity Parish in Cresco, the solemn yet jubilant day is something he looks forward to with great anticipation.
“It is such an honor and pleasure to be with my brother priests, many of whom I otherwise don’t get to see during the year,” Father Clarke shared. “The renewal of our priestly vows is so special, and such a beautiful way to enter into our Holy Week.”