Anointing of the Sick

Anointing of the Sick is one of the sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Oriental Orthodox Churches, and is also administered in some Protestant Churches.

Form

In the Catholic Church, the special olive oil used (Oil of the Sick) is blessed by the bishop of the diocese at the Chrism Mass he celebrates on Holy Thursday or on a day close to it. However, in case of necessity, the priest administering the sacrament may bless the oil within the framework of the celebration. The Eastern Orthodox Church follows a similar discipline.

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In Protestant Churches and in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter_day Saints, any elder or minister may consecrate the oil they use for anointing the sick.

Related Topics:
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter_day Saints - Elder

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Anointing of the Sick can be administered on an individual basis according to the individual person's needs, at home or in a hospital, usually (in the case of Catholics) in connection with Confession and administration of Holy Communion. It can also be given to a group: Catholic parishes often offer a communal Anointing of the Sick once or twice a year, usually within celebration of Mass.

Related Topics:
Parish - Mass

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In the Latin Catholic Church, the priest anoints the sick person's forehead with oil (usually in the form of a cross), saying: "Through this holy anointing may the Lord in his love and mercy help you with the grace of the Holy Spirit." He then anoints the hands, while saying, "May the Lord who frees you from sin save you and raise you up." He may also, in accordance with local culture and traditions and the needs of the sick person, anoint other parts of the body, but without repeating the sacramental formula. Anointing other parts of the body was obligatory in the Western Church before the Second Vatican Council (when the sacramental form was "Through this holy anointing, may the Lord pardon you whatever sins you have committed"), and still is in the Eastern Churches. The full form of the Eastern Christian anointing requires the presence of seven priests, though this is rarely the case today.

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Some Protestant churches, especially Evangelicals, Charismatics, and Pentecostals perform Anointing of the Sick in a form usually very different from Catholic and Orthodox practice, drawing inspiration directly from the James passage quoted above. Generally (but not necessarily) a minister performs the rite, with no set formula, and the sick person is prayed for. The ritual is not associated with nearness to death, and there is not necessarily any reference to forgiveness of sins. Catholic theology requires that administration of the sacrament be by a validly ordained priest, and thus holds that the rite in question, though helpful, like any prayer, for the sick person, is not a valid sacrament or channel of grace.

Related Topics:
Evangelicals - Charismatic - Pentecostals - Minister

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