“Is anyone among you sick?  He should summon the presbyters of the church, and they should pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord,
and the prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up.”
James 5: 14-15

What is the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick?

The Church sees the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick as a way of carrying forth Christ’s ministry of healing. This sacrament has its origin in apostolic times. (James 5:14-15). The priest lays his hands on the head of the sick person and then anoints, with the Blessed Oil of the Sick, the forehead and hands of the sick person while praying, “Through this holy anointing may the Lord in his love and mercy help you with the grace of the Holy Spirit. May the Lord who frees you from sin save you and raise you up.” (CCC 1513)

The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick can take place in a family home, a hospital or church, for a single sick person or a group of sick persons. (CCC 1517)

When should a Catholic receive this sacrament?

This sacrament is for a member of the faithful who, having reached the use of reason, begins to be in danger of death by illness or old age. Seriously ill persons and older persons in weak condition should be encouraged to ask for the anointing and not wait until the point of death. The hope is to administer to the person who is conscious and lucid, able to make acts of faith and piety. Sick children may be anointed if their understanding allows them to be comforted by the sacrament.

Does a dying person receive the “last rites?”

At one time, the anointing of someone who was nearing life’s end was known as The Last Rites. Today that reference is no longer used. If the dying person is conscious, the Church offers a dying person penance, anointing, and the Eucharist as Viaticum (food for the journey) given at the end of life. An unconscious dying person may be anointed. The emphasis is on trust in God’s promise of eternal life rather than on the struggle against illness.

Who Should Receive This Sacrament? 

• Illness is serious, meaning it may lead to death;
• Before surgery for serious illness, going under general anaesthesia, except for purely elective cosmetic surgery;
• High-risk pregnancies;
• Children, who have sufficient use of reason, when seriously ill;
• Those whose mental/emotional illness put them at risk of death;
• The elderly who are considerably weakened, even without illness;
• Those unconscious or who have lost use of reason, if there were a probability they would ask for the Sacrament;
• Those previously anointed whose condition has worsened;

Non-Catholic Christians who are at the point of death, cannot access their own ministers, manifest a Catholic faith in it, and are properly disposed to receive the Anointing (All four conditions must be met).

At St Mary’s Parish, we celebrate the Anointing Mass

every first Friday of the month at 9.00am.