Holy Wednesday

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Lauren517

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Hi All,

I have always wanted to attend a Holy Wednesday Divine Liturgy and received the beautiful mystery of Holy Anointing. However, as a Roman Catholic would I be allowed to do so, or do I need to be an Eastern Catholic?

Thank You! God Bless!
 
Lauren517 said:
Hi All,

I have always wanted to attend a Holy Wednesday Divine Liturgy and received the beautiful mystery of Holy Anointing. However, as a Roman Catholic would I be allowed to do so, or do I need to be an Eastern Catholic?

Thank You! God Bless!
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I am not sure if you would be able to receive at an Eastern Orthodox parish :confused:, but you’d certainly be welcome at an Eastern Catholic one.
 
I don’ know what I was thinking earlier – if you found an Eastern Catholic Church, you may receive both the Eucharist at the at the Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, as well as Holy Unction.

You would not be given the Eucharist of Holy Unction in an Orthodox Church.
 
Miserissima said:
I don’ know what I was thinking earlier – if you found an Eastern Catholic Church, you may receive both the Eucharist at the at the Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, as well as Holy Unction.

You would not be given the Eucharist of Holy Unction in an Orthodox Church.
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Some parishes anoint non-Orthodox with some kind of holy oil.
 
Miserissima said:
Thank you!

So, would it be an anointing as a sacramental instead of a Mystery?
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As I understand the term sacramental yes that would be accurate. My priest always uses oil from the tomb of St Nektarios. He is well known for healing. The Holy Unction is reserved for Orthodox. The actual anointing is identical though.
 
Seraphim73 said:
As I understand the term sacramental yes that would be accurate. My priest always uses oil from the tomb of St Nektarios. He is well known for healing. The Holy Unction is reserved for Orthodox. The actual anointing is identical though.
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Thanks again! I like your posts. I always learn something new.
 
Seraphim73 said:
Some parishes anoint non-Orthodox with some kind of holy oil.
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Miserissima: Just to add a little more to what Seraphim73 has said. In the Russian tradition we also have Litiyá with some festal vigils. At the close the priest, or bishop, or metropolitan, anoints our foreheads with the oil that was blest, along with wine, wheat and five loaves of bread, during the service. At least where I live Orthodox anoint a Catholic who presents for this.

As was said, Holy Unction being what we would call a Mystery or Sacrament is limited to Orthodox when it’s in an Orthodox Church. And as said before in an EC parish is open to any Catholic, The whole service itself is different, being directed towards penitence. And anointing includes forehead and palms.

Another anointing which is again not a Mystery/Sacrament is the anointing with oil from the oil from a lampada, lamp, burning in front of a wonderworking icon or some other shrine, for example the incorrupt relics of St John the Wonderworker in the Holy Virgin Cathedral in our neighborhood in SF. Again, Catholic are allowed, at least in the ROCOR and OCA here, to receive this anointing in an Orthodox Church. **Seraphim73 **mentioned his priest using oil from the tomb of St Nektarios. 🙂
 
5Loaves said:
Miserissima: Just to add a little more to what Seraphim73 has said. In the Russian tradition we also have Litiyá with some festal vigils. At the close the priest, or bishop, or metropolitan, anoints our foreheads with the oil that was blest, along with wine, wheat and five loaves of bread, during the service. At least where I live Orthodox anoint a Catholic who presents for this.

As was said, Holy Unction being what we would call a Mystery or Sacrament is limited to Orthodox when it’s in an Orthodox Church. And as said before in an EC parish is open to any Catholic, The whole service itself is different, being directed towards penitence. And anointing includes forehead and palms.

Another anointing which is again not a Mystery/Sacrament is the anointing with oil from the oil from a lampada, lamp, burning in front of a wonderworking icon or some other shrine, for example the incorrupt relics of St John the Wonderworker in the Holy Virgin Cathedral in our neighborhood in SF. Again, Catholic are allowed, at least in the ROCOR and OCA here, to receive this anointing in an Orthodox Church. **Seraphim73 **mentioned his priest using oil from the tomb of St Nektarios. 🙂
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This wasn’t even my thread, so I apologize to the OP for hijacking it with so many questions.

5Loaves, as usual, you “make good sense.”

In the Latin Church, one is not allowed to “anoint” another with (specific) oils reserved for Sacraments, as anointing is reserved as a priestly function and those sacramental are tied to specific Holy Mysteries, or Sacraments.

These oils are Chrism, Oil of Catechumens, and the Oil of the Sick/Unction.

However, laity mayuse blessed oils such as Oil from the Lamps of Ste. Anne deBeaupre to pray for a blessing upon people or things.

Is it also the same in the Eastern Church and the Orthodox Church that oil specifically blessed for the Holy Mysteries is reserved for the Holy Mysteries, but there are blessed oils that can be used by the laity?

There’s a huge caveat in the Latin Church that any blessing to be done with blessed oil by the laity should not be perceived as conferring a Sacrament in any way.
 
Miserissima said:
This wasn’t even my thread, so I apologize to the OP for hijacking it with so many questions.

5Loaves, as usual, you “make good sense.”

In the Latin Church, one is not allowed to “anoint” another with (specific) oils reserved for Sacraments, as anointing is reserved as a priestly function and those sacramental are tied to specific Holy Mysteries, or Sacraments.

These oils are Chrism, Oil of Catechumens, and the Oil of the Sick/Unction.

However, laity mayuse blessed oils such as Oil from the Lamps of Ste. Anne deBeaupre to pray for a blessing upon people or things.

Is it also the same in the Eastern Church and the Orthodox Church that oil specifically blessed for the Holy Mysteries is reserved for the Holy Mysteries, but there are blessed oils that can be used by the laity?

There’s a huge caveat in the Latin Church that any blessing to be done with blessed oil by the laity should not be perceived as conferring a Sacrament in any way.
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I have Holy Unction sitting about 8 feet away from me right now. In some practices the laity is allowed to take Unction home from Holy Wednesday. There aren’t three different levels as I understand you to say there is in Catholicism. It’s either Holy Unction or not and if it’s not anyone can be anointed with it and anyone can use it. But as you say a lay person wouldn’t anoint someone in the context of a Church service of any kind such as an akathist.
 
Seraphim73 said:
I have Holy Unction sitting about 8 feet away from me right now. In some practices the laity is allowed to take Unction home from Holy Wednesday. There aren’t three different levels as I understand you to say there is in Catholicism. It’s either Holy Unction or not and if it’s not anyone can be anointed with it and anyone can use it. But as you say a lay person wouldn’t anoint someone in the context of a Church service of any kind such as an akathist.
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I apologize that I wasn’t clear; there are two levels of oil in the Latin Church. The first is the type reserved for Sacraments, of which there are three kinds. The second is the kind of blessed lamp or olive oil that the laity can use.

So is it correct to say: in the Orthodox Church, the Holy Unction can be used by anyone, but a priest can use it for a Holy Mystery?
 
Miserissima said:
I apologize that I wasn’t clear; there are two levels of oil in the Latin Church. The first is the type reserved for Sacraments, of which there are three kinds. The second is the kind of blessed lamp or olive oil that the laity can use.

So is it correct to say: in the Orthodox Church, the Holy Unction can be used by anyone, but a priest can use it for a Holy Mystery?
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No it can’t be used by anyone. The person has to be Orthodox. I think that was implied in what you are saying but I just want to make sure. Also the laity are only allowed to take it home once a year and that practice is not universal. Any Church of the Greek tradition typically won’t allow it. In fact there is quite a bit of criticism of the practice. You are correct about only a priest using it as a sacrament but no oil would be used by a lay person in the context of any church service whether it’s Unction or not.
 
Seraphim73 said:
No it can’t be used by anyone. The person has to be Orthodox. I think that was implied in what you are saying but I just want to make sure. Also the laity are only allowed to take it home once a year and that practice is not universal. Any Church of the Greek tradition typically won’t allow it. In fact there is quite a bit of criticism of the practice. You are correct about only a priest using it as a sacrament but no oil would be used by a lay person in the context of any church service whether it’s Unction or not.
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Thank you for your patience and clarification!
 
In reference to the disciple Judas Iscariot’s intent to betray Christ, Holy Wednesday is sometimes called “Spy Wednesday”.
 
Lauren517 said:
Hi All,

I have always wanted to attend a Holy Wednesday Divine Liturgy and received the beautiful mystery of Holy Anointing. However, as a Roman Catholic would I be allowed to do so, or do I need to be an Eastern Catholic?

Thank You! God Bless!
Click to expand...
In our parish (Byzantine) that day is the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts. I do not see any additional annointing in the Holy Week books.
 
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