ESPAñol
This sacrament continues the healing ministry of Christ and is a ritual of healing appropriate not only for physical but also for mental or spiritual sickness. It can be administered as needed. For more information, please call the parish office at any time, even after hours.
The celebration of the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick continues the healing ministry of Christ. The Anointing of the Sick is not just a sacrament for those who are at the point of death. It "…is the proper sacrament for those Christians whose health is seriously impaired by sickness or old age." (Pastoral Care of the Sick, 97). Another appropriate time to receive this sacrament is just before a serious operation. (See CCC, 1515.) In the introduction to the Pastoral Care of the Sic, the bishops write:
"Those who are seriously ill need the special help of God's grace in this time of anxiety, lest they be broken in spirit and, under the pressure of temptation, perhaps weakened in their faith. That is why, through the sacrament of anointing, Christ strengthens the faithful who are afflicted by illness providing them with the strongest means of support."
Pastoral Care of the Sick, 5
The faithful who are seriously ill, therefore, should seek to celebrate this sacrament at the beginning of their illness and while they are able to actively participate in its celebration.