Chrism Mass was celebrated at St Anne Cathedral on Thursday, March 21, 2024.
As a newly installed Bishop of Nashik Diocese, Bp Barthol enthused the priests to make the ministry of Jesus their very own namely, “to preach the Good News to the poor, to proclaim liberty to the prisoners, to give sight to the blind and to declare to all people the acceptable year of the Lord”(Luke 4: 16ff). He motivated the priests to visit their parishioners regularly and particularly to go to the peripheries and seek out those who are lost, lonely and are isolated and to bring them back to the mainstream of the Church.
In his own words, Bishop Barthol said, “to me, a good priest is recognized in how the anointing with Chrism he received at his Ordination is translated into his priestly ministry: this for me, is a clear proof ... as priests, we are anointed to serve, that is to “go out” and minister to the people entrusted to our care”.
At the end, Bishop Barthol mentioned, “Thank you my dear Brother priests, my dear collaborators, for all the sacrifices that you make in your priestly ministry. You are good examples of what a priest should be: a man who strives to walk in the footsteps of Jesus Christ, priest par excellence. God bless you for your presence and for your active priestly ministry in our Diocese”.