When Should I Call for the Priest?

Dear Parishioners,

From the days when I was trained to be a priest in the seminary, we were reminded of a rather important consideration: the sacraments of the Church are intended for the living.

Usually being in close proximity to a hospital and various facilities for the aging, priests receive a significant number of requests to visit people in the hospital and nursing homes. Some people call asking for the last rites for their loved one. Others call for a priest to hear their confession or to bring them Holy Communion.  Unfortunately, there seems to be a great variety in the levels of understanding—and even some confusion—regarding when a priest should be called to visit a patient/resident.

As a general rule of thumb, whenever there is an emergency, call for the priest immediately. Tragedies such as car accidents, heart attacks, strokes and any unforeseen grave situation should prompt an immediate call for a priest.  Please realize, however, that most priests lead a busy daily schedule and are not usually sitting around just waiting for an emergency call. We try to act promptly, but sometimes we are in a meeting, teaching a class, hearing a confession, answering an important phone message, etc., and may not be able to drop everything we are doing instantly. If we hear that it is an emergency situation, we will do our best to respond as soon as possible.

If a patient is terminally ill or in a hospice situation, it is certainly appropriate to call for the priest to administer the last rites.  The last rites of the Church include the opportunity for the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation (confession), Holy Communion (Viaticum), and the Anointing of the Sick (formerly Extreme Unction). Ideally, these sacraments can be most beneficial when the person is conscious and is able to respond. Please do not wait until the person is at the point of death or unconscious before calling for the priest, especially if the illness is prolonged. The sacraments are available to bring spiritual consolation and comfort to the patient. Remember, the sacraments are intended for the living.

Additionally, there are times when a person should ask for the Anointing of the Sick.  According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

The Anointing of the Sick "is not a sacrament for those only who are at the point of death.  Hence, as soon as anyone of the faithful begins to be in danger of death from sickness or old age, the fitting time for him to receive this sacrament has certainly already arrived."

If a sick person who received this anointing recovers his health, he can in the case of another grave illness receive this sacrament again.  If during the same illness the person's condition becomes more serious, the sacrament may be repeated.  It is fitting to receive the Anointing of the Sick just prior to a serious operation.  The same holds for the elderly whose frailty becomes more pronounced. (#1514 & 1515)

It is not unusual to find some people unwilling to request this sacrament for themselves or to hesitate to ask for it for their family member because of fear of sending the message that death is imminent. This sacrament, in conjunction with the reception of Holy Communion and a sacramental confession, may be a great spiritual consolation and a means of healing for the sick or elderly person. Again, the sacraments are intended for the living.

Moreover, in those difficult circumstances when the person has already died when the priest arrives, the priest is certainly available to pray for the deceased and to help to comfort the family.

Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor

Dealing with Sickness and Death

Dear Parishioners,

Some questions about ministry to the sick and the homebound came up recently when talking with staff. Consequently, I thought that some clarification for the entire parish would be helpful based on our discussion.

We have a number of Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (commonly referred to as Eucharistic Ministers) in our parish.  Besides helping to distribute Holy Communion at the Masses, they may also serve regularly in two other capacities depending on the parish:  bringing Holy Communion to those in the hospital and bringing Holy Communion to the homebound. 

First of all, I note that they are intended as extraordinary ministers.  The priests and deacons are the ordinary ministers.  While we have become very accustomed to seeing the extraordinary ministers at Mass, whenever a priest or deacon is present, distributing Holy Communion is their ordinary ministry and the extraordinary ministers should properly defer to them.

If there is someone in your family who is homebound and is unable to come to Mass, an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion can be assigned to visit the home weekly to bring Holy Communion.  Please contact the parish office to arrange for this.  The minister is then asked to be the eyes of the priest in this situation.  If the person requests the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation (confession) or should receive the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick because of advanced age or illness, the minister is asked to notify the priest and he will visit the home as soon as possible.

Priests are specifically ordained for ministry of the sacraments and should be called especially for confession or anointing.  The forgiveness of sin is tied to these two sacraments and a priest—rather than an extraordinary minister or even a deacon—is required.

At the time prior to a person’s death, a priest has special authority to do what is necessary for the salvation of the person’s soul.  A priest should be called whenever a person becomes seriously ill because the sacraments are intended for the living.  While a priest can always pray with the family after a person has died, he should be called to be present—if at all possible—before death.

Additionally, most hospitals in the Diocese of Camden have a chaplain assigned to them.  However, the patient or the family needs to make the chaplain's office aware of someone wanting to see a priest or to receive Holy Communion.  Please be aware that privacy restrictions (HIPAA) can sometimes prevent priests from finding out information unless they are specifically informed by the patient or family.  Also, while I am glad to visit a parishioner in the hospital, please do not assume that your parish priest automatically knows that someone is there.  The parish emergency number should be used in this instance, usually after an attempt to contact the hospital chaplain, especially in emergency or serious circumstances. 

In one of my former assignments, a religious sister told me about how her father prayed every day for the grace of a happy death and that a priest would be present when he died.  On the day of his death, mysteriously there were so many priests who happened to visit the home, to be in the area, that she knew God answered his prayer with His super-abundant mercy.

Also in one of my former parishes, a scheduled parish appointment was cancelled and I then had the opportunity to go to the home of a long-time friend who had been seriously ill with pancreatic cancer.  When I arrived at the home I could see that he was gravely ill.  He had been given the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick and received Holy Communion on almost a daily basis when he was still able to do so.  With the family and the hospice nurse present, I began to pray with him as I held his hand.  I whispered in his ear that it was “okay to go to Jesus.”  Peacefully, he passed.

I believe Jesus was present in that home at that moment working mysterious through my priestly ministry.  Why was my parish appointment cancelled?  Why was I at the home at that particular moment in time?  Was it simply an accident or coincidence, or rather a remarkable act of God’s Providential Grace?

Pray for the grace of a happy death.  Pray and request a priest for family members or yourself when there is any serious illness. 

Time and time again, God is mysteriously present in the sacraments and working through the ministry of His priests.

Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor 

   

Let the Healing Begin

Dear Parishioners,

Let me get this over with quickly.  Sometimes it’s hard for us all to admit our faults and failings to others. 

However, I hereby admit that at times . . .

. . . I can be stubborn.

. . . I can be selfish.

. . . I can criticize others. 

. . . My sense of humor can, at times, be sarcastic and biting.

. . . I struggle with prayer.

. . . I am not as generous as I probably should be.

Need I go on?  This could develop into a pretty big list if I let it.  Only my confessor knows all the details.  Yes, I do go to confession . . . regularly.

The beginning step in any healing process, I think, is being right with God.  I base this on the story of Jesus’ healing of the paralytic. (See Mk. 2: 1-12; Mt. 9:1-8; or Lk. 5:17-26)  Before He began any type of physical healing on the paralytic, Jesus first forgave him—spiritual healing before the physical healing.  That’s why I continue to sing the praises of regular, integral confession in which sins are forgiven—spiritual healing takes place.

I am no fraudulent faith healer.  You won’t find me peddling any snake oil either.  Do I believe that Jesus can heal?  Absolutely.  I think that He (through His apostolic Church) gave us sacraments of healing like Penance and Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick for a reason.  Sometimes the healing process involves overcoming our own pride and asking for help—admitting humbly that I cannot forgive or heal myself without God's grace.  Forgiveness of sins is not something that can accurately be portrayed in some self-help book.  We need the personal forgiveness of Christ which is offered to us freely in the sacraments of the Church.  We can receive forgiveness of sins, anointing when we are seriously ill, the Holy Eucharist to fill the depths of our spiritual hungers, all completely free of charge upon asking!

Yet we must continue to do battle with those who will disagree and tell us how we are wrong:

Father, you don’t have to go to a priest.  You can confess directly to God.

Why should I pray?  God doesn’t answer my prayers.

I am too far gone.  There’s no hope for me at this point.

Religion is a bunch of nonsense and fairy tales. I’ll take my chances.

These and arguments like them somehow seem to forget (or may never have known) the personal relationship that Jesus desires for all of us, which continues to be present through His Mystical Body, the Church.  Christ (a Divine Person) became a man, a human being, with both a human and divine nature.  God became incarnate and continues to use flesh and blood people like us to further His mission and to carry out His will. 

Do this in memory of me (Lk. 22:19) . . . Whose sins you shall forgive are forgiven them (Jn. 20:23) . . . Go and baptize them (Mt. 28:19) . . . .  Do these commands of Jesus seem to imply that we should do it entirely by ourselves?  Is it just a situation of “me and God?”  Rather, is Jesus not trying to spread His mission and His message far and wide?  Is He not continually trying to bring healing and forgiveness to a wounded world through His Church?

Please take advantage of the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation.  Multiple opportunities are available for you to let the healing begin.  Put aside the pride, humble yourself, and let Jesus into your heart.  You will not regret it.

Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor

Seeking the Divine Physician

Dear Parishioners,

Next week our Parish Nursing Ministry, assisted by the Knights of Columbus Council 10220, will be sponsoring a “Healing Mass.”  To be more precise, it will be a Mass with the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick incorporated within.

Perhaps some still have recollections of the term Extreme Unction (last anointing) when a priest anointed people prior to their death.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church sheds some light on the matter:

The Anointing of the Sick “is not a sacrament for those only who are at the point of death.  Hence, as soon as anyone of the faithful begins to be in danger of death from sickness or old age, the fitting time for him to receive this sacrament has certainly already arrived.” (#1514)

 If a sick person who received this anointing recovers his health, he can in the case of another grave illness receive this sacrament again.  If during the same illness the person's condition becomes more serious, the sacrament may be repeated.  It is fitting to receive the Anointing of the Sick just prior to a serious operation.  The same holds for the elderly whose frailty becomes more pronounced. (#1515)

Many times I have had to convince people in the hospital or the homebound that they should be anointed, while alleviating the fear that they were not actively dying. I remind people that the sacraments are for the living and not to wait until the moment of death or until after a person has died to call for a priest.  When a priest is called in advance, he is able to give a gravely ill or elderly person the Last Rites which consist of the Anointing of the Sick, the opportunity for the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation (confession) and Holy Communion (Viaticum).  Priests cannot hear a person’s confession or give them Holy Communion after they have died. Additionally, even though someone may conceivably have been anointed after death, this is not the intention of the sacrament.

Also, to prevent an abuse of the sacrament, a person should not be requesting it because he or she has a sore throat or a headache, but there should actually be a “serious illness or the frailty of old age.” (Catechism, #1520)  Moreover, the sacrament should not be confused with those times when some liturgical or paraliturgical ceremony takes place where everyone in church is invited to be anointed with “blessed oil.”  This type of anointing ceremony is not the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick and can cause uncertainty and confusion in laity and clergy alike.

Finally, the Catechism (#1532) tells us what the sacrament does for the sick person: 

 The special grace of the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick has as its effects: 

- the uniting of the sick person to the passion of Christ, for his own good and that of the whole Church;
- the strengthening, peace, and courage to endure in a Christian manner the sufferings of illness or old age;
- the forgiveness of sins, if the sick person was not able to obtain it through the sacrament of Penance;
- the restoration of health, if it is conducive to the salvation of his soul;
- the preparation for passing over to eternal life.

Jesus is the Divine Physician and He can heal in mind, body and soul.  The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick is meant to help those seriously ill or elderly who are in need of the strength and healing that Jesus can provide through the instrument of the priest.  Please consider joining us to pray for and to support our sick and elderly.

Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor