ANOINTING OF THE SICK

DEFINITION & MEANING

Is any among you sick? Let him call for the presbyters of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven” (James 5:14-15). The sacrament of Anointing of the Sick 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, they may receive the Anointing of the Sick, and also when, after they have received it, the illness worsens. The celebration of the Anointing of the Sick consists essentially in the anointing of the forehead and hands of the sick person (in the Roman Rite) or of other parts of the body (in the Eastern rite), the anointing being accompanied by the liturgical prayer of the celebrant asking for the special grace of this sacrament. The special grace of the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick has as its effects: the uniting of the sick person to the passion of Christ, for his 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 was not able to obtain it through the sacrament of Reconciliation; the restoration of health, if it is conducive to the salvation of their soul; and the preparation of passing over to eternal life.

Pastoral Care of the Sick

Individuals who are sick are very important to our parish community. Holy Communion may be brought by a priest or Eucharistic Minister to those people who are confined to home. All who are seriously ill are encouraged to request the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. Arrangements for Communion at home and the Anointing are made on an individual basis by calling the rectory.

Children may be baptized without first having received catechism through the 1st grade. After that, they should enter Faith Formation to prepare them for Baptism and First Communion. Parents who are not married or are not married in the Catholic Church are strongly encouraged to talk to a priest as soon as possible. Since your marital status affects your ability to practice your faith and receive the sacraments, it will also affect your ability to give a good example of Catholic life to your child.

Godparents must be Catholics who have been baptized and confirmed and they should be at least 16 years old. They should be practicing Catholics, going to Mass on Sundays and receiving Communion regularly. If married, they must be married in the Catholic Church. For godparents who are not members of St. Juliana’s, we need a “Sponsor Certificate” from their parish indicating that they are qualified to serve as godparents.

At a minimum, there must be one godparent. There are normally two godparents, one man, and one woman. There may not be more than two godparents, and only one man and one woman. One non-Catholic Christian (not Adventists, Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses) may be admitted as a witness to Baptism if there is only one godparent. This witness must be the opposite gender as the godparent. An Orthodox Christian may be a godparent as long as the other godparent is Catholic. In order to make sure that we have the correct information about the child in our records, we ask for a birth certificate.

If one parent is unable to attend either the class or the baptism, we ask for a letter from him/her authorizing the baptism of the child.

Baptisms take place the first Saturday of the month in English and the second and third Saturday in Spanish. Arrangements must be made one month in advance.

Should you have any questions, please feel free to call the office at 561-833-9745.

Other Sacraments

BAPTISM

CONFIRMATION

THE EUCHARIST

CONFESSION

HOLY ORDERS

MATRIMONY