Anointing the Sick
He summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two…They anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them. (Mark 6:7, 13)
The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick gives strength and support and can be administered to anyone struggling with an illness.
For more information, please contact the parish office at 217.546.3527
Who may Receive?
Following the Second Vatican Council, the sacrament once called Extreme Unction or “Last Rites” is now called the Anointing of the Sick. The understanding of this sacrament has been broadened to offer healing and comfort in times of illness that may not lead to immediate death. Pope St. Paul VI advocated for “a wider availability of the sacrament and to extend it—within reasonable limits—even beyond cases of mortal illness."
The sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick may be administered in a communal celebration or privately.
Spiritual Healing
The healing that occurs in this sacrament of anointing is not necessarily physical healing. While we believe that physical healing can occur through the great power of God, the grace that is infused through this special sacrament is the reminder of the eternal presence of God in our human suffering.
When the priest blesses the oil of anointing, he asks God to "send the power of your Holy Spirit, the Consoler, into this precious oil. Make this oil a remedy for all who are anointed with it; heal them in body, in soul and in spirit, and deliver them from every affliction (Pastoral Care of the Sick, #123).”
"The celebration of the Anointing of the Sick consists essentially in the anointing of the forehead and hands of the sick person (in the Roman Rite) or of other parts of the body (in the Eastern rite), the anointing being accompanied by the liturgical prayer of the celebrant asking for the special grace of this sacrament (CCC 1531).”
