What can a Protestant Vicar do for me?

[Nelka]

I was wondering what would happen if I were in hospital dying and I needed a Catholic priest to come and give me confession, Communion and last rights but could not get hold of one however there is an Anglican vicar in the hospital, is there anything he can do other than pray?

I know he cannot hear confession and give Communion but can he do anything else?

Thanks.

 

[Loving_disciple]

I was wondering what would happen if I were in hospital dying and I needed a Catholic priest to come and give me confession, Communion and last rights but could not get hold of one however there is an Anglican vicar in the hospital, is there anything he can do other than pray?

I know he cannot hear confession and give Communion but can he do anything else?

Thanks.

He can comfort you in your last moments and do anything a normal lay person could do.

 

[ServusHumilis]

If one can’t see a priest but is in mortal sin they should say a perfect Act of Contrition and plan to get to confession as soon as possible. I do this as soon as I find myself in mortal sin just in case I happen to die before I’m able to make it to confession.

 

[VanSensei]

This is not a jab at Protestants supposedly having invalid sacraments by virtue of a bunch of Papal documents and church history - this is merely an observation:

I’ve never heard of any non-Catholics having anything resembling Last Rites or even having Confession, for that matter. He will probably just pray for you.

 

[tawny]

I was wondering what would happen if I were in hospital dying and I needed a Catholic priest to come and give me confession, Communion and last rights but could not get hold of one however there is an Anglican vicar in the hospital, is there anything he can do other than pray?

I know he cannot hear confession and give Communion but can he do anything else?

Thanks.

He can be there to hold your hand giving comfort as you pass.

 

[Casilda]

I was wondering what would happen if I were in hospital dying and I needed a Catholic priest to come and give me confession, Communion and last rights but could not get hold of one however there is an Anglican vicar in the hospital, is there anything he can do other than pray?

I know he cannot hear confession and give Communion but can he do anything else?

Thanks.

You can start praying now for more priests. Pray to Mary that the angels come get you. My mom said her dying sister saw angels. Also pray you don’t die on a Sunday, like my mom did. Priests, alas, are very busy on Sundays.

 

[4love2God]

Nelka seems to be poorly informed about Protestantism : "I was wondering what would happen if I were in hospital dying and I needed a Catholic priest to come and give me confession, Communion and last rights but could not get hold of one however there is an Anglican vicar in the hospital, is there anything he can do other than pray?
I know he cannot hear confession, and give Communion, but can he do anything else?"

First, if you were dying the Hospital, and (say) only had a few hours of Life left, that would be PLENTY of time to get a Catholic Priest there.
Almost every, single Church has an Emergency service to get a Priest dispatched to any Catholic who needs the Last Rites (and while there he also would hear a Confession … the Eucharist issue is another matter).

So, if you are suggesting a situation where you only have one hour (or less) before you die, then it seems like you waited until the Last Minute to choose to Confess your accumulated Mortal Sins. Priests frequently make-the-Rounds in local Hospitals, to give Parishioners the opportunity to have Confession.

Then, if you are dying in the Hospital, how many Mortal Sins could you be making?
I mean, swearing at your Nurse ain’t one … calling a Family member and chewing her out for not visiting you more often, is NOT a Mortal Sin either.

Second, almost EVERY single Protestant denomination believes in Communion, and they practice taking Communion on a regular basis (usually once a month).
So, if you want to receive Communion, just ask the Minister if he (or she) will allow you to take Communion.

Third, almost EVERY single Protestant denomination believes in confessing sins … to God, to a Friend, OR, to the Pastor.
You could just ask him (or her) to listen to you recite your Sins.
Then, you can ask him to bless you, and have him ask God to forgive your Sins.

In recent years, the HUGE rift between Catholics and Protestants has closed.
The Popes have changed their position on Protestantism, and no longer look at people who practice it as Heretics.
They are now, fellow Christians … who don’t understand all that Catholics know about their Christianity.

So, if you’re Dying to get out a Confession, turn to a Minister.
God is considerate enough to allow you to be sorry for your Sins, and forgo the usual requirement for a Catholic to Confess to a Priest.

 

[Deo_Gratias42]

He could also call an eastern orthodox priest who could at least give you last rites.

 

[Deo_Gratias42]

Nelka seems to be poorly informed about Protestantism : "I was wondering what would happen if I were in hospital dying and I needed a Catholic priest to come and give me confession, Communion and last rights but could not get hold of one however there is an Anglican vicar in the hospital, is there anything he can do other than pray?
I know he cannot hear confession, and give Communion, but can he do anything else?"

First, if you were dying the Hospital, and (say) only had a few hours of Life left, that would be PLENTY of time to get a Catholic Priest there.
Almost every, single Church has an Emergency service to get a Priest dispatched to any Catholic who needs the Last Rites (and while there he also would hear a Confession … the Eucharist issue is another matter).

So, if you are suggesting a situation where you only have one hour (or less) before you die, then it seems like you waited until the Last Minute to choose to Confess your accumulated Mortal Sins. Priests frequently make-the-Rounds in local Hospitals, to give Parishioners the opportunity to have Confession.

Then, if you are dying in the Hospital, how many Mortal Sins could you be making?
I mean, swearing at your Nurse ain’t one … calling a Family member and chewing her out for not visiting you more often, is NOT a Mortal Sin either.

Second, almost EVERY single Protestant denomination believes in Communion, and they practice taking Communion on a regular basis (usually once a month).
So, if you want to receive Communion, just ask the Minister if he (or she) will allow you to take Communion.

Third, almost EVERY single Protestant denomination believes in confessing sins … to God, to a Friend, OR, to the Pastor.
You could just ask him (or her) to listen to you recite your Sins.
Then, you can ask him to bless you, and have him ask God to forgive your Sins.

In recent years, the HUGE rift between Catholics and Protestants has closed.
The Popes have changed their position on Protestantism, and no longer look at people who practice it as Heretics.
They are now, fellow Christians … who don’t understand all that Catholics know about their Christianity.

So, if you’re Dying to get out a Confession, turn to a Minister.
God is considerate enough to allow you to be sorry for your Sins, and forgo the usual requirement for a Catholic to Confess to a Priest.

This is very bad and incorrect information. DO NOT LISTEN TO IT. HERESY!

 

[ServusHumilis]

This is very bad and incorrect information. DO NOT LISTEN TO IT. HERESY!

Agreed - Wow, I cannot believe what I just read there! I’ve reported that post.

Again, if one is on their deathbed and needs confession they should say a perfect Act of Contrition and try to get a priest there as soon as possible!

 

[4love2God]

I think my Response has been taken out of context.

ServusHumilis ;** “Again, if one is on their deathbed and needs confession they should say a perfect Act of Contrition and try to get a priest there as soon as possible!”**

The entire First part of my Response was about getting a Priest there as long as the person has more than a Hour to Live.
Then, as a one-time option for a person within a few minutes of dying, who absolutely CANNOT find a Priest (as the OP stated), I suggested speaking to a non-Priest.
In this poignant moment, this woman is trying to prepare herself to meet her Maker.
She is deathly afraid of dying with a Mortal Sin on her Soul, which will send her on a One-Way Trip to Hell.

In this situation, I would have ALSO told her to share her Confession with ANY person.
The action of saying your Sins aloud makes this action MORE powerful.
And, I would hope that this would inspire this dying woman to be able to say a "perfect Act of Contrition."
Servis, when you just throw that out like it is an automatic thing … well it is NOT automatic.
Most people are aware that making a PERFECT Act of Contrition is difficult (if not seemingly impossible).
I have heard several Homilies about the concept of Perfect contrition.
In almost EVERY Homily, the priest says that most people are not even CAPABLE of making Perfect contrition.
So, your advice will probably not be inspiring to a person who heard 10 Homilies telling her that she probably could NOT make a Perfect contrition (even if her Life depended on it).

That said, the second part was offered to a person who CANNOT find a Priest, and who asked if a non-Priest could be of ANY help to her.
I am NOT telling Catholics to renounce their Faith in Jesus Christ.
I am NOT asking people to believe that Confession to a non-Priest is fully effective (because they haven’t been authorized by the Pope to speak for God, by allowing dispensation of Mortal Sins).

But, isn’t giving a desperate dying person some ray-of-Hope to avoid burning in Hell for all Eternity, a Good Thing?
Anyway, Confession is good for the Soul.

 

[ServusHumilis]

Saying a perfect Act of Contrition is what one needs to do if they need confession and cannot see a priest; their salvation is then left to God’s mercy. This is Catholic teaching. Those are some pretty questionable priests you’re hearing such homilies from. What you’ve said to do is indeed heresy and just may send the person on a “One-Way Trip to Hell.” The last thing a Catholic should never do in life is to confess to a Protestant minister or receive invalid communion from one! Please don’t give anymore advice unless you know what you’re saying; you put souls at risk by doing so.

 

[4love2God]

SurvusHumilis said :** “The last thing a Catholic should ever do in life is to confess to a Protestant minister.”**

Where did you hear this?

And, what could the possible problem be?
Would it be better to confess to a Devil Worshiper?

 

[ServusHumilis]

Where did you hear this?
And, what could the possible problem be?

Seriously? I can’t believe any Catholic would need this explained to them. First of all the Papal bull Apostolicae Curae declares Anglican Orders “absolutely null and utterly void” as are Orders for anyone ordained outside the union of the Holy See, with the exception of the Orthodox. Only a validly ordained priest can forgive our sins and consecrate the Blessed Sacrament in persona Christi. Suggestions made by Catholics on this forum need to be in line with Catholic teaching. Making the confession to the doctor or nurse would have about the same impact.

Would it be better to confess to a Devil Worshiper?

Stupid questions won’t get you out of this one.

 

[ServusHumilis]

Where did you hear this?
And, what could the possible problem be?

Really? The Papal bull Apostolicae Curae declares Anglican Orders “absolutely null and utterly void” as are Orders for anyone ordained outside union with the Holy See, with the exception of the Orthodox. Only a validly ordained priest can in persona Christi forgive our sins and consecrate the Blessed Sacrament. Suggestions made by Catholics on this forum need to be in line with Catholic teaching. Making the confession to the doctor or nurse would have about the same impact.

Would it be better to confess to a Devil Worshiper?