Archdiocese receives gift of holy oil from the Holy Land

This container of olive oil traveled from the Holy Land to the archdiocesan Pastoral Center, a gift from the Order of Malta for sacramental purposes. The oil comes from the order's olive grove in Jerusalem, is made from ancient Rumi olive trees and is grown without chemicals on recently restored land. (Photo by Tom Burke/Catholic San Francisco)

March 28, 2019
Catholic San Francisco

The Archdiocese of San Francisco has received a gift of a gallon of olive oil from an ancient grove in the Holy Land, to be used for sacramental purposes. The gift, for use during the annual chrism Mass where sacramental oils are blessed, was sent to Archbishop Cordileone by the Order of Malta Western Association USA.

The oil is a product of the order’s Olive Oil Project in Palestine.

According to information presented with the gift, the order’s olive grove sits on the property of the Monastery of St. John of Jerusalem at Tantur, the order’s official seat in Jerusalem. Olive oil from the area is considered the region’s best.

The oil is made from ancient Rumi olive trees - the oldest are believed to be nearly 1,000 years old - and is grown without chemicals on recently restored land. The olives are hand-harvested and pressed in a cooperative press in the Dheisheh refugee camp in Bethlehem.

The project’s website says the oil is bottled and packaged by the New Farm Company, “owned by a group of socially conscious agricultural cooperatives, the Peasants Union and three Palestinian NGOs, all dedicated to social and economic agricultural development.”

The oil is tested and certified to meet international standards for extra virgin olive oil.

“I will use it in making some of the holy oil, but as we use 13 gallons of oil, this will certainly not be the majority of the oil used or in a specific oil,” archdiocesan worship director Laura Bertone told Catholic San Francisco.

The chrism Mass will be held Thursday, April 11, at 5:30 p.m. at St. Mary's Cathedral.

The preparation, blessing and distribution of oils are central to the Catholic Church's sacraments and rites - and are among some of the church's most ancient traditions and rituals witnessed during Holy Week.

The oils include the oil of the sick, used in the anointing of the sick; the oil of catechumens, which is for those preparing to be baptized, and the chrism oil, which is consecrated and used for baptism, confirmation and holy orders.

The image below comes from the Olive Oil Project website.