“Peace is the basis of our progress” reflects Bishop John at Chrism Mass 2026
Wednesday 1st April 2026Today, priests and parishioners from around the diocese gathered at St Patrick’s in Collyhurst for this year’s Mass of Sacred Chrism.
Historically taking place at Salford Cathedral, the Mass was held at the Livesey Street church as work continues to restore the mother church of our diocese to its former glory.
The Chrism Mass is one of the most solemn and traditional Masses of the liturgical year, in which priests renew their vows of ordination, and the bishop blesses holy oils used in the anointing of the sick, the anointing of those about to be or newly baptised, and the anointing of priests.
As Bishop John addressed the crowd this morning, he thanked each member of the clergy for their continued dedication to our diocese, and also thanked all the religious sisters in attendance for their significant contribution.
The Bishop began by reflecting on last year’s Chrism Mass at which we offered our prayers for Pope Francis, who sadly passed away just five days later. He reflected further on the election of Pope Leo XIV, reminding all those in attendance of the three principles identified by Pope Leo in his opening address as central to our Church: Peace, unity in diversity, and building bridges.
As hundreds gathered to listen, the Bishop said of the first principle: “Peace is the basis of our progress. Conflict achieves nothing – as we see in today’s world.”
“Through peace, we begin to tackle the problems of our world: poverty, modern slavery, lack of education, food security, care for our common home. These can all be addressed and solved if we have peace.”
Reflecting on the concept of unity, Bishop John noted that this does not mean we must all be the same, but rather that there is strength in our diversity and we must work together through our differences to be truly united. He referred to St Paul’s statement to the Corinthians: “Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.”
The Bishop continued, “We have so many gifts, talents and skills, and by working together we can achieve so much – but we need to recognise that diversity and applaud it.”
Considering the third of these core principles, our Bishop described the need for building bridges within our communities, offering this simple yet powerful message, “we are not in isolation.”
He reminded priests and parishioners alike: “We need to work with others in dialogue; to have a common sense of curing the ills of our world.”
“We are all invited to take these three Principles expressed by Pope Leo seriously in our own communities.”
Sharing his thoughts on the responsibilities of priesthood, Bishop John noted that each person entrusted to the care of the clergy is on a different stage in their individual journey of faith. He asked of those clergy members gathered today, “Can we help them to take that next positive step on that journey of growing in faith?”
He spoke of the recent growth of interest from those exploring their faith, and described the positive momentum which has been seen within our diocese as people continue to seek access to our Church.
To end his homily, the Bishop called attention to the prayer shared by Pope Leo for the month of April, which encourages us all to pray for those priests who are facing any type of difficulty in their vocation. Whether this be through personal illness, a sense of isolation or loneliness, or facing difficulty in building the community in which they serve, Bishop John encouraged us to pray for these priests, and for all priests within our diocese as they renew their commitment to ministry.
Tagged | Around the Diocese | Bishop John | Chrism Mass | Easter | Events | Holy Week
