Join MC Sullivan, RN, MTS, JD, Chief Healthcare Ethicist and Director of the Initiative for Palliative Care.
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"Is anyone among your sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord with raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven" (James 5: 14-15).
The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick is for those who are ill or elderly. There is no need to, and in fact a person who is suffering a serious illness should not wait until at the point of death to receive the Sacrament. Elderly people may be anointed if they are in weak condition even though no dangerous illness is present. Sick children may be anointed if they have sufficient use of reason to be comforted by this sacrament.
The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick is primarily about the healing of hope and of the spirit. Above all, the sacrament allows the person who is ill to unite more closely to Christ's Passion. This gives suffering a new meaning: participation in the saving work of Jesus. As the sick unite their sufferings to those of Christ, they become bearers of the joy of the Holy Spirit in the midst of affliction and witnesses of Christ’s resurrection. We all have a role in sanctifying and building up the Church, whatever our physical condition.
For parishioners who are unable to attend weekly Mass, please contact our Pastoral Associate, Mary Beth Brady | [email protected] to schedule a time when the Sacrament can be brought to the home.
If death is imminent please contact the Collaborative Office at 781-337- 6333.