Dying

[gabanzo]

My friends mother was dying. He went to the local parish and asked the priest if she could be given last rites. He was told to come back at 9am the next day{I believe office hours}. What do you think of this? I think it is appalling. To ease your mind he asked a friend what to do and he was told that there was a priest on call at the hospital 24/7. That priest gave her last rites.

 

[Reuben_J]

She was given the last rite though. The local parish should have directed him to the priest on call at the hospital though. What a good system they have. It is not always easy to get a priest anytime we want to.

 

[ClearWater]

My friends mother was dying. He went to the local parish and asked the priest if she could be given last rites. He was told to come back at 9am the next day{I believe office hours}. What do you think of this? I think it is appalling. To ease your mind he asked a friend what to do and he was told that there was a priest on call at the hospital 24/7. That priest gave her last rites.

I’m glad they had an priest that was on call! Great!

I’ll say a prayer for her soul, then.

Hail Mary, Full of Grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blest is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

 

[Reuben_J]

I’m glad they had an priest that was on call! Great!

I’ll say a prayer for her soul, then.

Hail Mary, Full of Grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blest is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

The OP said her friend’s mother was dying … .

 

[George_Stegmeir]

Back in 2002, my younger brother fell into a diabetic coma right at the start of the labor day weekend in South Florida. Since my brother was single, and there was no other family alive, I flew from NYC to see what could be done.
The hospital he was in did not have a Catholic Chaplain, and I could not find a priest available to give him last rites. Anyway, he died, and because the Jewish High Holy Hollidays came right after Labor Day Weekend that year, I couldn’t get the death certificate signed, so I had to have his funeral without his body being present.
My brother was a 4th degree K of C and had been Grand Knight of a chapter that had become defunct. I called everyone I could find in the K of C and ran into a stone wall…just like what happened to my father, who also was a 4th degree Knight. No K of C member attended either funeral. The only people that showed up were some of his drinking buddies from the local chapter of the Veterans of Foreign Wars- most of whom weren’t even Catholic.
Anyway I had to return to NYC before I could get the death certificate issued, so my brother had to be interred in the family plot with no family or priest present.
So, don’t feel too bad. Unexpected things can happen when you least expect it.

 

[Elizium23]

I am sorry for your treatment by Knights but I must protest that that kind of apathy is not at all standard operating procedure for Knights of Columbus. My council in particular is very attentive to brothers in need and all niceties are observed when one of us dies.

 

[gabanzo]

The OP said her friend’s mother was dying … .

She did die. I have a thread for prayers for her soul.

 

[tawny]

My friends mother was dying. He went to the local parish and asked the priest if she could be given last rites. He was told to come back at 9am the next day{I believe office hours}. What do you think of this? I think it is appalling. To ease your mind he asked a friend what to do and he was told that there was a priest on call at the hospital 24/7. That priest gave her last rites.

Thank God she had The Last Rites. The parish office should have directed him to the hospital priest on call. That is if they were told she was in the hospital. If no, they should have directed him to another parish for an available priest.

 

[Elizium23]

As to the OP’s problem, it is appalling that a parish priest would have delayed the sacraments in that way. I can assure you that that also is not standard operating procedure for my parish or those near me. As a parish office receptionist, one of my most important duties is ensuring that sick calls are attended with urgency and discretion. We never tell anyone to come back tomorrow.

 

[maryjk]

We don’t know when the friend went to the parish. Or with whom he spoke.

He may have shown up after most everyone had gone home. He may have seen a parishioner, and they only knew when the office opened up.

 

[Elizium23]

The OP said that the friend spoke to a priest. Any given priest in good standing should know well the urgency and scrupulosity needed to route a sick call for someone who is imminently dying.

 

[maryjk]

We also know that many people will say that they “spoke to the priest,” when in truth they went to the church and spoke with a person.

Or that “the Church” did something, when in reality “the Church” did no such thing.

It just happens.

I am not ready to say the priest did something wrong when we haven’t heard his side of the story, and we are hearing this side, second hand. I would rather give the priest the benefit of the doubt.

 

[Cricket2]

He should never have been told to call back. All the Parishes I have ever been involved with had a number to call for just such emergencies. I think a lot of them are related to local hospitals were Priests are often on call for just this sort of thing.

I think your friend needs to share the number with the person he originally contacted and suggest to them that in the future they might consider using it. I just find it awful that he was told to “call back or come back the next day.” Really?