“Are there people sick among you? Let them send for the priests of the Church, and let the priests pray over them anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer of faith will save the sick persons, and the Lord will raise them up. If they have committed any sins, their sins will be forgiven them.” (James 5:14-16)

We hear in the Gospel that Jesus healed many people. Christ continues to heal people today and prepare them for eternal life through the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick. The sacrament may be repeated if the sick person recovers after being anointed and then again falls ill or if during the same illness, the person's condition becomes more serious. A sick person may be anointed before surgery whenever a serious illness is the reason for the surgery. Elderly people may be anointed if they have become notably weakened even though no serious illness is present. 

Today, Catholics need to advocate for anointings and end-of-life sacraments for themselves. The hospitals are physically located great distances from both of our parishes, and their staff members, in large part, have no idea who Fr. Sean is, that he is a priest (even though he conspicuously wears a cassock), and do not know nor understand what Catholics believe - including the importance of the sacraments. Furthermore, the need nor the ability to be anointed does not cross the minds of most patients’ family members today. It is important to recognize that you may not be able to depend on others, including your own family, to be well-versed and knowledgeable about these things as they once were.

HOW TO SCHEDULE THE SACRAMENT OF ANOINTING OF THE SICK
If you know you have a scheduled surgery, you should arrange to be anointed beforehand to make sure God can heal and help. Please feel free to email Fr. Sean directly to arrange to be anointed ([email protected]) so that God can continue His good work. Please idicate the name of the name of the Catholic individual needing the sacrament, where Fr. Sean should go to administer the sacraments to the individual (including which hospital, room number, can they receive Holy Communion, etc.), a litte background on the situation, and how to contact the person making the request (phone, email, etc.).

HOW TO SCHEDULE END-OF-LIFE SACRAMENTS
End-of-life sacraments incorporate Confession, Anointing of the Sick, and Holy Communion (sometimes called Viaticum - the Holy Eucharist received by those who are about to leave this earthly life and are preparing for the journey to eternal life). 

If death is imminent, do not wait until the very last moments, as Fr. Sean may not be able to get there in time. If someone is actively dying or needs end-of-life sacraments, please call the emergency line as soon as you are able (262-657-1156 ext. 0). Please indicate the name of the Catholic individual needing end-of-life sacraments, where Fr. Sean should go to administer the sacraments to the individual (including which hospital, room number, can they receive Holy Communion, etc.), background on the situation, and how to contact the person making the request (phone, email, etc.). It is imperative to call as soon as possible to permit the proper celebration of these Sacraments.