Clergy and lay people from across the Anglican Diocese of Adelaide gathered at St Peter’s Cathedral on Tuesday 31 March for the annual Chrism Eucharist — one of the most significant services of the Holy Week calendar.
Formally known as the Reaffirmation of Ordination Vows and Blessing of the Oil of the Sick and of the Chrism, the service, presided over by Adelaide Archbishop Brad Billings, brought together priests and deacons from throughout the diocese to reflect on and renew the vows they made at their ordination.
A centrepiece of the service was the blessing of the oils used in the ministry of healing — the Oil of the Sick, used in anointing those who are ill or dying, and the Chrism, used in baptism and ordination. The oils were presented at the altar and blessed by the Archbishop in one of the most ancient rites of the Christian year.
Lay people were also invited to take an active part, with an opportunity following the clergy’s reaffirmation to dedicate themselves to their own ministries, before the congregation came together to celebrate Communion.
The service also marked a significant moment for St Barnabas College, with the commissioning of the Rev’d Jude Benton as Coordinator of Ministry Discernment and Formation. Benton, who served for eight years as parish priest in the remote cooperating parish of Croajingolong in far east Victoria — living through the devastating Black Summer bushfires of 2019–20 — brings a deep commitment to reshaping how the church prepares its clergy. Her story was told in the Guardian earlier this month.
A gathering of clergy from across the diocese joined in the reaffirmation of vows, reading together from the liturgy in a moment of shared commitment that stretched across generations of ministry.
Prior to the service, those attending were welcomed to a light luncheon in Cynthia Poulton Hall — a time of fellowship before the solemnity of the liturgy that followed.
The Chrism Eucharist is held every year in Holy Week, and the diocese warmly encourages lay attendance alongside the clergy at this ancient and meaningful service.
