“Is anyone among you sick? He should summon the Presbyters of the church, and they should pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up."”
James 5:14-15
Please call the parish office if someone is ill or hospitalized and would like to be anointed, or if you would like to make arrangements to come into the office or to a daily Mass to receive the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick.
Sacramental emergencies outside parish office hours, please call the parish office at 303-422-9173 and follow the message instructions to be forwarded to the appropriate person.
The New Catechism tells us that this sacrament “has as its purpose the conferral of a special grace on the Christian experiencing the difficulties inherent in the condition of grave illness or old age. The proper time for receiving this holy anointing has certainly arrived when the believer begins to be in danger of death because of illness or old age. Each time a Christian falls seriously ill, he or she may receive the Anointing of the Sick, and also when, after he or she has received it, the illness worsens.”
Those preparing for surgery may also be anointed, even a few days in advance of the operation.
Please note that most hospitals will no longer release the names of their patients for privacy reasons, so we must rely on you to inform the parish of a loved one in the hospital. Such information is also helpful when our parish Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion visit the hospitals.
Please call the Parish Office to schedule an anointing or if there has been a death and you would like to have a funeral at Spirit of Christ.
303.422.9173
(For what constitutes a Sacramental Emergency, please see below.)
Who May be Anointed?
A baptized Catholic whose health is seriously impaired by sickness or old age. This includes:
– Those who are physically or mentally ill
– Those preparing for surgery
– Those with a terminal illness
– Those of advanced age in a weakened condition
– Those preparing to die
– Seriously ill children (with sufficient use of reason)
– Sick people who are unconscious
For the integrity of the sacrament the priest will hear the confession of the person to be anointed.
Who may not be anointed?
A person who is already dead. In this case, the priest may pray for the deceased person and bless the body.
What is a Sacramental Emergency?
Sacramental Emergencies are if someone is in immanent danger of dying and wishes to receive the sacraments before passing. This also may include those who are under someone’s care an are unable to request the sacraments for themselves – including but not limited to emergency infant baptism or last rites of someone with dementia.
If someone either has a chronic illness or is not in immanent danger, please schedule an anointing. It is suggested that the sick person receive the sacrament of the anointing of the sick at the beginning of any serious condition – not at the end.
A Pastoral Suggestion…
Please do not wait until the last minute to have a person anointed. It is suggested that the sick person receive the sacrament of the anointing of the sick at the beginning of any serious condition.
Learn More
By the sacred anointing of the sick and the prayer of the priests the whole Church commends those who are ill to the suffering and glorified Lord, that he may raise them up and save them. And indeed she exhorts them to contribute to the good of the People of God by freely uniting themselves to the Passion and death of Christ. As soon as anyone of the faithful begins to be in danger of death from sickness or old age, the fitting time for him to receive this sacrament has certainly already arrived. If a sick person who received this anointing recovers his health, he can in the case of another grave illness receive this sacrament again. If during the same illness the person’s condition becomes more serious, the sacrament may be repeated. It is fitting to receive the Anointing of the Sick just prior to a serious operation. The same holds for the elderly whose frailty becomes more pronounced. – CCC, 1499, 1514-1515
