Anointing of the Sick
"Are any among you sick? Let them call for the elders of the Church to pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sick ones, and the Lord will raise them up; and if they have committed any sins, they will be forgiven." (James 5:14-15)
In the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, each person receives a special grace that has as its effects: the uniting of the sick person to the passion of Christ for his/her own good and that of the whole Church; the strengthening, peace, and courage to endure in a Christian manner the sufferings of illness or old age; the forgiveness of sins if the sick person is not able to obtain it through the Sacrament of Penance; the restoration of health if it is conducive to the salvation of his/her soul; and the preparation for passing into eternal life.
As part of Jesus' ministry, He healed the sick and cured those who were ill or disabled to show that suffering and death have no place in the Kingdom of God. By His sacrifice of Himself, He took hold of suffering and death and eliminated their power to separate us from each other or from God. Our faith tells us that, indeed, God suffers with us. Through Jesus' suffering and death, God joins His suffering to the suffering of human beings.
Through the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick we are assured that God will raise us up, like Jesus, from our bed of pain and sickness and lead us to eternal life.
Anointing of the Sick is available to anyone ill, scheduled for hospitalization or scheduled to undergo a procedure.
Please contact the Parish Office at 609-645-7313 for more information or to schedule an appointment.