The Chrism Mass of Holy Thursday, St. Peter’s Basilica April 2, 2026, presided over by Pope Leo XIV. This solemn liturgy, celebrated during Holy Week, brings together priests, bishops, and the faithful for the blessing of the holy oils used in the sacraments throughout the year.
Booklet of Holy Chrism Mass St. Peter’s Basilica
Dear brothers and sisters,
We are now on the threshold of the Easter Triduum. Once again, the Lord will lead us to the culmination of his mission, so that his passion, death and resurrection may become the heart of our mission. What we are about to relive, in fact, possesses the power to transform what human pride generally tends to harden: our identity and our place in the world. Jesus’ freedom changes hearts, heals wounds, refreshes and brightens our faces, reconciles and gathers us together, and forgives and raises us up.
In this, my first year presiding over the Chrism Mass as Bishop of Rome, I would like to reflect with you on the mission to which God calls us as his people. It is the Christian mission, the very same as Jesus’, not another. Each of us takes part in it according to our own vocation in a deeply personal obedience to the voice of the Spirit, yet never without others, never neglecting or breaking communion! Bishops and priests, as we renew our promises, we are at the service of a missionary people. Together with all the baptized, we are the Body of Christ, anointed by his Spirit of freedom and consolation, the Spirit of prophecy and unity.
Photographs of Holy Chrism Mass St. Peter’s Basilica
Pope Leo XIV presided over the Chrism Mass on Holy Thursday in St. Peter’s Basilica, with hundreds of bishops and priests in attendance, all of whom renewed the vows made at their ordination.
In his first homily for the Chrism Mass as Bishop of Rome, the Pope reflected on the mission to which God calls every Christian, emphasising that it is the same mission as that of Jesus.
“Each of us participates in this mission according to our own vocation, through a deeply personal obedience to the voice of the Holy Spirit, yet never in isolation, never neglecting or breaking communion,” he stated.
Ahead of the Easter Triduum, which begins with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper later on Holy Thursday, Pope Leo observed that the culmination of the Christian liturgical calendar has the power to challenge human pride, heal wounds, reconcile individuals, and bring us together.