Q: I attended one of your workshop last year. A point you made close the end of your talk. If I understood you correctly the oil of catechumen is not allowed on Vigil Saturday.
A: That’s correct. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (then the National Conference of Catholic Bishops) passed particular law some years ago forbidding the use of the oil of catechumens during the preparation rites on Holy Saturday and during the baptisms of the Easter Vigil. So even though the Roman Missal tells the priest when to anoint with the oil of catechumens, the particular law in the US overrides that rubric. It should have been clarified before the missal went to press, but it wasn’t.