Anointing of the Sick

“Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.” (James 5:14-15)

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. This is liturgical and communal, whether celebrated at home, in a hospital, or a church. The priest in silence lays hands on the sick person and prays over them. Then he anoints the head and hands with blessed oil. It can be preceded by Confession and followed by the Eucharist. Depending on the form used, there may be a Liturgy of the Word or done within the Holy Mass.

Do not defer the anointing until hope of recovery is lost and reason is impaired, or if the priest is not able to make it in time. This is why the Church says, “begins to be in danger of death”. The hope is to administer to the person conscious and lucid, able to make acts of faith and piety. Please review the following and if you should need the sacrament of the anointing of the sick, contact the parish soon to set up an appointment with the priest.

• Illness is serious, meaning it may lead to death
• Before surgery for serious illness, going under general anesthesia, except for purely elective cosmetic surgery
• High-risk pregnancies
• Children, who have sufficient use of reason, when seriously ill
• Those whose mental/emotional illness are leading to 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

The Church has many prayers in her treasury for those not eligible to receive the Anointing, with the best recourse being Confession and Holy Communion.

• If an elderly person has not weakened considerably due to age
• Though all surgery may be risky, surgeries for non-serious, elective, and cosmetic reasons should instead receive Confession & Eucharist
• Seriously ill children who have not attained the use of reason, (usually 7) should have recourse to Confirmation
• Disability does not necessarily indicate serious illness
• Soldiers/First Responders whose circumstances, but not illness, puts them in danger of death. They should receive Confession & Eucharist
• Those whose mental/emotional illness would not lead to death
• Those in invalid marriages unless they are at the point of death and pledge if health is restored to validate the marriage.
• The Unbaptized should instead be baptized (if they desire it).
• Non-Catholic Christians, if they have access to their own ministers, and/or do not manifest a Catholic faith
• Those who persevere obstinately in manifest grave sin