Anointing of the Sick
The Anointing of the Sick is a sacrament of healing and strength. It is not reserved only for those who are near death. The Church encourages the faithful to seek this sacrament as soon as they begin to be in danger due to sickness or age. In the Anointing of the Sick, Christ offers peace, courage, and strength to endure suffering or prepare for surgery or other serious medical treatments.
Who Should Receive the Anointing of the Sick?
- Anyone suffering from a serious illness
- Those preparing for major surgery
- The elderly experiencing increasing frailty
- Those whose condition becomes more serious during an illness
- Those who have recovered but later face another serious illness
This sacrament may be received more than once as needed.
Viaticum: The Eucharist for the Journey Home
In addition to the Anointing of the Sick, the Church offers the Eucharist as viaticum—meaning “food for the journey”—to those who are near death. This final reception of Holy Communion is a profound moment of grace. Communion in the body and blood of Christ, received at this moment of “passing over” to the Father, has a particular significance and importance. It is the seed of eternal life and the power of resurrection, according to the words of the Lord: “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” The sacrament of Christ once dead and now risen, the Eucharist is here the sacrament of passing over from death to life, from the world to the Father.
Thus, just as the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist form a unity called “the sacraments of Christian initiation,” so too it can be said that Penance, the Anointing of the Sick and the Eucharist as viaticum constitute at the end of Christian life “the sacraments that prepare for our heavenly homeland” or the sacraments that complete the earthly pilgrimage.
Contact Us
Please call the Parish Office at 860-673-9858 if you have someone in need of this sacrament.