Is there anyone sick among you? He should ask for the presbyters of the church. They in turn are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. This prayer uttered in faith will reclaim the one who is ill, and the Lord will restore him to health. If he has committed any sins, forgiveness will be his. (James 5:14–15)
Q: Who should receive the Anointing of the Sick?
A: Anyone who is ill, about to have or has had surgery, the chronically ill, those suffering terminal or other illnesses.
Q: When should the sacrament of the sick be administered?
A: It is not necessary to wait until a person is dying before calling a priest. The Anointing of the Sick “is not a sacrament for those only who are at the point of death” (CCC 1514).
Q: I have been anointed in the past, and I am ill again. May I be anointed again?
A: If some time has passed and you are experiencing another illness, you may receive the sacrament again.
At Visitation of Our Lady, Anointing of the Sick is available upon request. Call the Pastoral Center during office hours for non-emergency situations. In case of an emergency after hours, call the Pastoral Center and press '2' when the voicemail picks up. The system will immediately ring the emergency line. One of the priests will either answer the call or will retrieve the voicemail shortly.
Please notify the Pastoral Center at 504-347-2203, when a parishioner is in the hospital or unable to attend Mass or to include in our Prayer Line.