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Receiving the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick

Please feel free to call the St Monica Parish Office at 386-325-9777 or have the chaplain at the hospital call the St Monica Office in the case of emergencies. If, for some reason, there is no priest present at the parish, do not hesitate to call other Catholic parishes for this sacrament. However, if it is possible to prepare, it is good to call the priest ahead of time and prepare a time for the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. It is good to have the family present for the sacrament as well. It is better NOT to wait until the last moment.

Home, Nursing Home, Assisted Living: If you, or a loved one, need the Sacrament of the Sick, please call the St Monica Parish Office at 386-325-9777. Because of privacy laws, we do not have information regarding your situation. 

Hospital: If you are in the hospital for something serious, and wish to receive the sacrament, please call the St Monica Parish Office at 386-325-9777.  Because of privacy laws, we do not know why you are in the hospital or how serious it is.

 

Who should receive this sacrament? This sacrament is NOT only for those at the point of death. If you are receiving surgery, or are elderly, or have the possibility of death, it would be good to receive this healing sacrament. 

How is the sacrament celebrated? When the priest is called for the anointing of the sick, all the people gather with the person who is ill. There is a greeting, a reading from scripture, some words of comfort in our faith. The priest will then lay hands on the person and pray over them, calling down the Holy Spirit. Then the priest anoints the person's forehead and hands as he says the words of the sacrament. Everyone then says the Our Father and it ends with a prayer. This sacrament can also be done in a communal setting with Mass, and can also be done with the reception of communion and confession. 

The effects of the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick

• This sacrament unites the sick person to the Passion of Christ, for his own      good and that of the whole Church.
• Through this sacrament, the person receives strength, peace, and courage to endure in a Christian manner the sufferings of illness or old age.
• Through this sacrament, the person receives the forgiveness of sins if the sick person was not able to obtain it through the sacrament of Penance.
• This sacrament helps the restoration of health if it is conducive to the      salvation of the soul.
• The sacrament prepares us for the final journey. Just as Baptism began the journey, this sacrament unites us to the cross so we can receive the promise of the resurrection.

About the Sacrament of Anointing: Throughout His ministry, Jesus had compassion for the sick and, through His many healings, we know that God has visited His people. Jesus came to forgive sins and heal the soul, but he wants to heal the whole person. He is a physician to the sick. His preferential love and care for the sick has continued through the centuries as Christians reached out to others in healing the body and the soul.

Through His passion and death on the Cross, Christ gave new meaning to suffering. In our illness, in our suffering, we can be configured to Christ and we are united to his redemptive passion. It is from the cross that the power of the sacrament comes. For a full description of this sacrament, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC #1499-1532).