Anointing of the Sick (Last Rites)

“Not to oppose error is to approve it, and not to defend the truth is to suppress it” - Pope St. Felix III

Note: In this report I may occasionally use bold print, Italics, or word underlining for emphasis. This will be my personal emphasis and not that of the source that I am quoting.

Q: Karen: To make answers easier to understand, I have separated your questions. Ron, What if a person is given a plenary blessing at last rites and has not been a faithful attendant at Mass every Sunday, but is still a good person? Karen

A: It seems your question here deals with does a plenary indulgence take effect when Anointing of the Sick is given if the person had not been a regular Mass attendee because of sickness and nursing home confinement. Yes! If Mass attendance (Sundays and holy days) is not possible because of legitimate excuses (weather, ill, in hospital or nursing home, no transportation available, etc.) we are excused from the obligation to attend. “On Sundays and other holy days of obligation the faithful are bound to participate in the Mass.”¹ “If because of a lack of a sacred minister or for other grave cause participation in the Eucharist is impossible, it is especially recommended that the faithful take part in the liturgy of the word if it is celebrated in the parish church or in another sacred place according to the prescriptions of the diocesan bishop, or engage in prayer for an appropriate amount of time personally or in a family or, as occasion offers, in groups of families.”² “The fruits proper to this Sacrament (Anointing of the Sick, Last Rites, Extreme Unction), as St. James declares, are the remission of sins, health of soul, strength-in fine, of body. But if it does not always produce this last result, it always, at least, restores the soul to a better state by the forgiveness of sins. This is precisely the Catholic teaching on this subject.”³ “The form of the Sacrament (Extreme Unction) is the word and solemn prayer which the priest uses at each anointing: By this Holy Unction may God pardon thee whatever sins thou hast committed by the evil use of sight, smell or touch. That this is the true form of this Sacrament we learn from these words of St. James: Let them pray over him…and the prayer of faith shall save the sick man.”⁴

Q: What if the person has not been to confession and is unable to receive Communion because they have been in an accident? If their death is sudden or if they are taken ill and are unable to fulfill the requirements of the blessing will the priest still give them the blessing?

A: Yes. “This sacrament (anointing of the sick) is to be administered when there is doubt whether the sick person has attained the use of reason, whether the person is dangerously ill, or whether the person is dead.”⁵ “This assistance from the Lord by the power of His Spirit is meant to lead the sick person to healing of the soul, but also of the body if such is God’s Will. Furthermore, if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.”⁶

Q: Is this (Apostolic Blessing or Last Blessing) given to all at last rites? I am just wondering if they gave this to my father. His last rites were in Latin and I can't remember what was said. It was the first time I had ever heard last rites and I was upset and at the same time very moved by the entire experience. He was a faithful Catholic and did receive Communion every week at the nursing home. I am just wondering for other situations.

A: Yes! “Priests who minister the sacraments to the Christian faithful who are in a life-and-death situation should not neglect to impart to them the apostolic blessing, with its attached indulgence. But if a priest cannot be present, holy mother Church lovingly grants such persons who are rightly disposed a plenary indulgence to be obtained in articulo mortis, at the approach of death, provided they regularly prayed in some way during their lifetime. The use of a crucifix or a cross is recommended in obtaining this plenary indulgence. In such a situation the three usual conditions required in order to gain a plenary indulgence are substituted for by the condition ‘provided they regularly prayed in some way’.”⁷

Lastly Karen, many question the actual authority of Holy Church when it comes to forgiving sins, indulgences and the like. Remember what Jesus said to our first pope St. Peter: “And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”⁸ Jesus repeats this authority once again in St. Mathew 18:18 so He is obviously quite serious about the authority He has given to His church! I hope I have answered your questions.

This report prepared on June 15, 2007 by Ronald Smith, 11701 Maplewood Road, Chardon, Ohio 44024-8482, E-mail: hfministry@juno.com Readers may copy and distribute this report as desired to anyone as long as the content is not altered and it is copied in its entirety. In this little ministry I do free Catholic and occult related research and answer your questions. Questions are answered in this format with detailed footnotes on all quotes. If you would like to be on my list to get a copy of all Q&A’s I do, please send me a note. If you have a question(s), please submit it to this landmail or e-mail address. Answers are usually forthcoming within one week.

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