ANOINTING OF THE SICK

Anointing the sick

“By the sacred anointing of the sick and the prayer of the priests the whole Church commends those who are ill to the suffering and glorified Lord, that He may raise them up and save them. And indeed She exhorts them to contribute to the good of the People of God by freely uniting themselves to the Passion and death of Christ.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1499)

Who can receive this Sacrament?

1.    The person must be a baptized Catholic

2.    The person must have reached the age of reason.

3.    The person must have begun to be in danger from illness or the infirmities of age, or have become sick again or underwent a further crisis.

WHAT ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF PEOPLE WHO CAN BE ANOINTED?

·         Those who are seriously ill through sickness or old age.

·         A sick person before surgery whenever the surgery is necessitated by a dangerous illness.

·         People who are elderly, if they are weak, though not dangerously ill.

·         Sick children who are sufficiently mature to be comforted by the sacrament.

·         Sick people who have lost consciousness or who have lost the use of reason, if they would have requested it should they had been in possession of their faculties

WHAT ABOUT lAST rites?

After Vatican II, the Church declared that ‘Extreme Unction’ (Last Rites) may also and more fittingly be called 'Anointing of the Sick'. This is to emphasize that the sacrament is available, and recommended, to all those suffering from any serious illness, and to dispel the common misconception that it is exclusively for those at or very near the point of death.

Please contact our Parish Office if you or a loved one needs to receive this sacrament.

Jose Martin

Director of Religious Education/ Director of Evangelization

610-872-3731  ext 102  or  Jmartin@stkatharinedrexelparish.org

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