I am very sorry you mother is not well.How important is the last rights? My mom is 87 and feeling poorly and I feel she may not have much time. She is depressed a lot and I would like her to get the last rights now so we don’t miss a window of time. But she is so depressed that she may not want it. Is it that important to have her anointed before she passes on?
A Deacon CANNOT hear Confessions or Anoint the Sick Sacramentally. You should insure that she has the opportunity to go to confession at least once a month, is Anointed by the priest evyer three or so months, and receives Holy Communion weekly. When the time comes make sure you do call the priest.Thank you for your replies. She is not dying tomorrow but is both depressed and had triple bypass 4 years ago and has lost continence of bladder so I’m thinking going down hill. She doesn’t want anymore extra surgeries etc. I called her priest and he is out of town till next week so I will set up an appointment. She has been to confesssion lots. My friend said that she could go to the appointment and get the last rights right there in the office, if my dad is going to be a buggar about it. Or ask the deacon to come to the home and do the anointing. Or just ask the priest to come to the home. She/they want to stay home and be taken care of so it would be a good idea to set up something. A Deacon can visit and break the ice a bit, and then if their is time for a last minute visit is fine. She said the deacon can not hear confession and forgive. Thank you for your prayers I will need them too. I will call her and tell her all these options. Thanks again. God grant you all peace, Love in Christ
This is a good idea and spoke with my priest today, not hers. This is exactly what he said. Bring her to Church Mass he will anoint and pray for her, until she can not come and then we go from there. She does go to confession on her own but will make sure she gets there. He said if I tell her she needs the last rights she will get to thinking she is dying now and won’t want to do anything save that for the last time. I may be bringing her communion someday soon but am taking it one step at a time.A Deacon CANNOT hear Confessions or Anoint the Sick Sacramentally. You should insure that she has the opportunity to go to confession at least once a month, is Anointed by the priest evyer three or so months, and receives Holy Communion weekly. When the time comes make sure you do call the priest.
Yes I agree I have had anointing myself and can’t wait to get my mom into church for it. It is hard to believe that someone like my mom has lived so many years and never had an anointing. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before. Bless you too.Is she physically ill or just depressed? If she’s just depressed, I would recommend the Annointing of the Sick for her. It’s not, contrary to popular belief, just for illnesses of the body that are grave or just for those times when one is going under the knife for surgery. I suffer from depression and have received this Sacrament about three times when I was very deeply depressed to the point that it was a life-or-death kind of thing. I found the Sacrament to be very helpful in that it encouraged me that God is still in control of my life and that He loves me very much indeed. I found that I received a great amount of grace from it.
If your mother is physically ill (i.e. near death), then I would consult with a priest and ask him what he thinks. Tell him the situation and also let him know she is depressed. Actually, come to think of it, that would probably be a good tactic to take regardless. My advice is talk with your priest, explain what’s going on and see what he says.
Good luck and God bless you and your mother!
Pax,
NFPgirl
As your pastor said many older people do think of Anointing of the Sick as something indicating that you are truly on your death bed.Yes I agree I have had anointing myself and can’t wait to get my mom into church for it. It is hard to believe that someone like my mom has lived so many years and never had an anointing. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before. Bless you too.
the sacrament of the anointing of the sick (which used to be called extreme unction or “last anointing” because it was deferred until death was imminent) is all that has changed. Last Rites did then and still does mean the rites conducted by the priest for someone who is danger of death, either imminently or because of surgery or grave illness. These include first sacramental confession, anointing of the sick, and viaticum “food for the journey” that is, holy communion --3 sacraments, or “rites”, and the apostolic blessing.The sacrament is not called the “last rites” any longer. It is properly and correctly called the sacrament of the sick or the sacrament of healing. It does impart with it the forgiveness of sin. If an apostolic blessing is also given, it imparts a plenary indulgence. I would encourage that this be done as soon as possible. A .
It is possible, but that will be up to God to decide, based on how repentant they are of those past sins.If a person has not been to Mass and the Sacraments for a while and dies, but receives the last rights before dieing,even though unconscious at the time are their sins forgiven?
Of course, ultimately, only God knows, however, from what I understand, if a person is near death, the priest confers all the Last Rites on the person(Sacraments of Penance, the Holy Eucharist as viaticum (food for the journey), final Anointing, and the Papal Plenary Indulgence which are special prayers for the dying). Salvation is at stake and every measure is taken to prepare the soul for eternity.If a person has not been to Mass and the Sacraments for a while and dies, but receives the last rights before dieing,even though unconscious at the time are their sins forgiven?