Not sure what to do with last year's holy oils?
The Book of Blessings, Chapter 32, Order for the Blessing of a
Repository for the Holy Oils, Introduction, paragraph 1127, states:
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Each year when the bishop blesses the oils and consecrates
the chrism, the pastor should see that the old oils are properly
disposed of by burning and that they are replaced by the
newly blessed oils. |
The guideline for the disposition of sacred items "burn or bury" applies to the disposition of the holy oils. You may consider burning
them in the new fire at the Easter Vigil.
It is not fitting that the holy oils be burned along with
regular trash or other non-religious refuse.
An alternative to burning is burying the unused oils in a
sacred place. One fitting place may be on the church grounds near
the church building. This can be accomplished by digging a small
hole along the foundation of the church. There is no environmental
concern as the oils and chrism essence are non-petroleum
based and will eventually be absorbed into the ground.
If the quantity of oil is so large that burying them on the
church ground is not feasible, an alternative place to bury the oils
is a Catholic cemetery. Your Catholic cemetery director can assist
with the disposition of the oils by burying them near a shrine
area on the cemetery grounds.
Old holy oil containers or the ambry vessels that might
contain any residue are to be cleansed with hot soapy water to
dilute the olive oil and essence of chrism. This soapy water should
be emptied into the sacrarium or emptied directly into the
ground next to the church in a similar manner and location as
recommended for burying old oils.
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