Olive oil mixed with balsam and consecrated by a bishop, used in baptism, confirmation, ordination, the consecration of churches and altars, and in Orthodoxy in the reception of converts. It is one of three holy oils, distinct from the oil of catechumens and the oil of the sick, and the only one a bishop alone may consecrate.
That reservation is the substance of it. Because chrism must come from a bishop, its use ties every anointing back to the bishop's authority, and control of its supply has been a real instrument of church order. In Latin practice it is consecrated once a year at the Chrism Mass of Holy Week and distributed to the parishes.
Facts
Use
Who May Handle ItClergy or ordained officiants only 1 Consecrated by the bishop and administered by the ordained ConsecrationConsecrated in a rite before use 1 Meaning
Symbolic MeaningSourced to the subject's own accountChrism's reservation to a bishop's own consecration ties every anointing it performs, in baptism, confirmation and ordination, back to that one line of authority. 2 Status
Status TodayIn active religious use 3 Learn More
The One Oil a Bishop Must Consecrate
Chrism is olive oil mixed with balsam and consecrated by a bishop, and its distinctive feature is that it marks the moments at which the church seals a person or a thing as belonging wholly to God.
What chrism seals
Chrism is used in baptism, in confirmation, in the ordination of priests and bishops, and in the consecration of churches and altars, and in the Eastern churches it carries the gift of the Spirit in the rite corresponding to confirmation, given immediately after baptism. In each case the anointing signifies a permanent setting-apart, which is why the same oil consecrates a new Christian, a new priest and a new altar: all are sealed as God own. The fragrance of the balsam mixed into the oil is itself part of the sign, a sweetness that clings to what is anointed.
Reserved to the bishop
Unlike the other holy oils, chrism can be consecrated only by a bishop, and in the Western church it is blessed once a year at the Chrism Mass of Holy Week, from which it is distributed to the parishes of the diocese for the year to come. That reservation ties every anointing with chrism back to the bishop and so to the unity of the local church around him, so the oil, beyond its use on any one person, is a thread binding the sacraments of a diocese to the office at its head. It is kept in a locked place with the other holy oils.
Who Blesses the Oil, and Where the Leftover Goes
Chrism is a compound rather than a single substance, olive oil mixed with balsam or another fragrant resin, and the mixing itself is only the preparation, not the consecration.
Who is permitted to bless it
Only a bishop may consecrate chrism, and in Catholic and Orthodox practice this happens once a year at a dedicated service, the Chrism Mass, usually on Holy Thursday, when a bishop blesses enough oil for every parish in the diocese for the coming year. The blessed oil is distributed to parishes in small sealed vessels called ampullae or stocks, and a parish priest administers it at baptism, confirmation and ordination but cannot consecrate a fresh batch himself.
Storage and disposal
Chrism is kept in a locked cabinet called an ambry, separate from the plainer oils used for anointing the sick, since only chrism carries the Holy Thursday blessing. When chrism is spilled or a vessel needs cleaning, the cloths and cotton used to wipe up any trace are burned rather than laundered or thrown away, the same rule applied to communion linens that have touched the consecrated host, because a substance this specifically blessed is not treated as ordinary oil once its purpose is served. Leftover chrism from a previous year is typically used up before the new batch arrives rather than discarded early.
Connections
Belongs to Tradition
Source The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, 3rd revised editionF. L. Cross and E. A. Livingstone (eds.)
Element Of
The oil consecrated by the bishop at the chrism Mass, used at baptism, at confirmation, at ordination and at the dedication of an altar.
Source Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd editionHoly Seethe holders' own account
Implement Of
Source The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, 3rd revised editionF. L. Cross and E. A. Livingstone (eds.)
Source The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, 3rd revised editionF. L. Cross and E. A. Livingstone (eds.)
Source The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, 3rd revised editionF. L. Cross and E. A. Livingstone (eds.)
Source The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, 3rd revised editionF. L. Cross and E. A. Livingstone (eds.)
Source The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, 3rd revised editionF. L. Cross and E. A. Livingstone (eds.)
Rite Substance Of
Source The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, 3rd revised editionF. L. Cross and E. A. Livingstone (eds.)
Sources
1. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, 3rd revised edition
F. L. Cross and E. A. Livingstone (eds.), Oxford University Press, 2005on the holy oilsView the Source 2. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd edition
Holy See, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1997on chrism and anointingthe holders' own accountView the Source 3. Chrism (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia 'Chrism': present-tense 'is a consecrated oil used in the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox...churches in the administration of certain sacraments'; checked 2026-09-27.View the Source Reader Challenges (0)
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