Anointing of the Sick
-
-
If you need a priest:
- If you need a priest to administer the Sacrament of the Sick (Last Rites), and it is a non-emergency, please call the office during office hours at (978) 664-3412.
- If this is an emergency, or you need talk to a priest, please call (978) 664-3412. If it is during office hours our staff will assist you. If it is after hours, call the office and follow the directions on the answering service to talk to a priest.
-
-
-
In the Church's Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, through the ministry of the priest, it is Jesus who touches the sick to heal them from sin–and sometimes even from physical ailment. His cures were signs of the arrival of the Kingdom of God. The core message of his healing tells us of his plan to conquer sin and death by his dying and rising.
The Rite of Anointing tells us there is no need to wait until a person is at the point of death to receive the Sacrament. A careful judgment about the serious nature of the illness is sufficient.
When the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick is given, the hoped-for effect is that, if it be God's will, the person be physically healed of illness. But even if there is no physical healing, the primary effect of the Sacrament is a spiritual healing by which the sick person receives the Holy Spirit's gift of peace and courage to deal with the difficulties that accompany serious illness or the frailty of old age.
-
-
Care while someone is ill or dying
-
What is Palliative Care?
According to the Catholic CEO Healthcare Connection’s Clinical Quality Leadership Forum, a palliative care program is a model of care for patients with chronic medical or life-limiting illnesses, delivered by a multidisciplinary team including doctors and nurses, social workers, pharmacists, ministers and volunteers. Palliative care is both a philosophy of care and an organized, highly structured system for delivering care that identifies and addresses the physical, psychological, spiritual and practical burdens of illness. “It expands traditional diseasemodel medical treatments to include the goals of enhancing quality of life for patients and family members,” said Indu Spugnardi, director, advocacy and resource development, for the Catholic Health Association in Washington, D.C.
-
-
-
Bereavement Support:
-
