of the evil ones, who, out of hatred for man, do infest the creatures given to us for our use.
After the oil is blessed, the Bishop returns to the altar, and proceeds with the mass until after the Communion, when he returns to the place prepared for the blessing of the oils. The twelve priests, seven deacons and seven sub-deacons, again repair to the sacristy, bringing out in solemn procession the Oil of Chrism and the Oil of Catechumens, which are carried by two deacons, while a sub-deacon carries the vessel containing the balm. The Bishop begins by blessing this latter, calling it "the fragrant tear of dry bark, the oozing of a favored branch that gives us the priestly unction." Before proceeding with the blessing of the Oil of the Chrism, he thrice breathes upon it in the form of a cross, the twelve priests doing the same, in imitation of our Blessed Saviour breathing upon His Apostles, and conferring the power of the Holy Ghost, who is the spirit or breath. After an exorcism, the Bishop sings the praises of the Chrism in a magnificent preface, coming down from the earliest ages. The balm is then mixed with the Chrism, whereupon the Bishop salutes the holy oil with these words: "Hail, O Holy Chrism," thus honoring the Holy Ghost, who is to work by means of this Sacrament. Each of the twelve priests, making three profound inclinations, pays the Holy Ghost the same honor. The Bishop then blesses the Oil of Catechumens, after which he again salutes the oil, saying: "Hail, O Holy Oil," being followed in this act of reverence by each of the priests. The procession again forms, and carries the sacred oils to the sacristy.
