The consecration of Holy Myron being held at the Devalokam chapel in 1999.The Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church is preparing for an extraordinary event on Friday. Baselios Marthoma Paulose II, the supreme head of the church, will lead the consecration of Holy Myron at the Catholicate chapel at Devalokam near Kottayam.
The consecration is only the tenth in the history of the ancient church. The rite is performed every 10 years or so, on the 40th Friday of Lent.
Myron means scented oil in Greek. Specially assigned priests prepare the oil by grinding together a variety of spices including nutmeg, clove, pepper, dried ginger, cassia, saffron and storax and mixing it with olive oil. They fast and pray for 40 days while they prepare the Holy Myron.
The oil is mixed with balsam oil at the time of consecration and it transforms into a symbol of the Holy Spirit. Holy Myron is prepared for use for the next 10 years.
The consecration of Holy Myron at the Catholicate chapel at Devalokam near Kottayam in 1988.Holy Myron is used for the sanctification of the baptism font, for anointment after baptism and for the consecration of the sacred equipment used for celebrating mass. The tradition goes back to the times of the Old Testament. The Bible says that kings, priests and prophets were anointed with oil. The tabernacle and its contents were also consecrated with oil.
The consecration of Holy Myron happens in two stages. The first stage involves a procession carrying Myron. The Catholicate, bishops and 12 priests attend the consecration in the second stage. The archdeacon will lead the prayers while holding up his ceremonial staff. The ritual can last up to seven hours. It is the most lengthy rite in the church.
The consecration of Holy Myron at the Devalokam chapel in 1999.The consecration is done by only the Catholicate or the Patriarch in the Orthodox Syrian Church. Malankara Church organized the first consecration of Holy Myron on August 27, 1876.
The consecration was held in the Old Seminary in Kottayam in 1932, 1951, 1967 and 1977. The rite was held at the Devalokam chapel in 1988, 1999 and 2009.
