Anointing of the Sick

A Catholic sacrament in which a priest anoints a seriously ill or weakened person with blessed oil and prays for spiritual strength and healing.

Sacramental anointing: A Christian ritual that applies blessed or consecrated oil as a sign of divine grace. The priest’s use of oil is the sacrament’s central visible sign.
Epistle of James: A New Testament letter traditionally attributed to James and addressed to Christian communities. James 5:14–15 directs the sick to call the elders for prayer and anointing with oil.
Pastoral care of the sick: Religious support offered to people experiencing illness, disability, or medical crisis. The sacrament is celebrated within the Church’s wider care for people who are seriously ill.
Extreme unction: The historical Catholic name for anointing of the sick, especially when administered near death. The older name reflects a narrowed association with dying that Catholic teaching later corrected.
Oil of the Sick: The blessed oil used in the Catholic sacrament of Anointing of the Sick. This oil is the sacramental matter applied during the anointing.
Sacrament: A sacred rite understood in Christian traditions as conveying or signifying divine grace. Catholic theology treats anointing as a sacrament, not merely a devotional practice.
Apostolic Pardon: A Catholic prayer of absolution and indulgence traditionally offered to a dying person. A priest may offer this prayer alongside anointing in care near the end of life.
Last rites: A collective name for Catholic rites offered to a person near death, including confession, anointing, and Viaticum. Anointing is one rite within last rites, not a synonym for the whole set.
Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick: The Catholic liturgical rite that includes anointing with oil and prayers for the sick. The rite specifies the prayer and anointing through which the sacrament is celebrated.
Sacramental grace: The spiritual help believed to be given through the celebration of a sacrament. Catholic teaching describes spiritual strengthening as a grace of this sacrament.

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