What Is an Ambry?“ You Ask
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AMBRY Have you noticed the new cabinet over the baptismal font? It is an AMBRY. “What is an ambry?“ you ask. The box or type of small closet or cupboard. It holds three holy oils that are used for various sacraments. These oils are blessed once a year by the bishop at what is called the Chrism Mass during Holy Week, and then distributed to all the parishes in his diocese. The first oil blessed is the Oil of Catechumens, which is used to anoint those to be baptized into the Catholic faith. The second oil is the Sacred Chrism, commonly used immediately after Baptism, but also at Confirmation and Holy Orders. The last oil blessed by the bishop is the Oil of the Infirm and is used by priests for the Anointing of the Sick. The containers that hold the oils are often marked with the abbreviations O.C., S.C., and O.I. There is a growing practice in the Church of visibly displaying the holy oils in an ambry and placing the ambry where they can be seen so that the faithful can better regard the significance of the oils in the Sacraments. The parish is grateful to those donors who made the purchase of our new AMBRY possible! MONSTRANCE The monstrance is a liturgical vessel used to display the Real Pres- ence of our Lord Jesus Christ in the form of the Sacred Host for its adoration and veneration outside Mass and outside of the taber- nacle. It is used during perpetual and public Eucharistic adoration and during Eucharistic processions. Thank you to Fr. Fran Gillespie, SJ, who donated the monstrance to the parish as his final gift to us before his reassignment! .