APRIL 2, 2006

Almost 30 years ago, I took specialized training and received certification as a hospital chaplain for general health care facilities. At that time, it was my custom to visit patients after evening visiting hours, when all was quiet, no one else was around, and the patients were guaranteed to be in their rooms. Moreover, since they were anxious and had trouble sleeping, they usually were very receptive to a visit by the priest and a celebration of the sacramental Anointing of the Sick as well as confession and communion. The most grateful were those who were to be operated on the next day.

Even as a parish priest, I would visit my own parishioners in hospitals on a similar schedule. Hospitals would make accommodations like special parking, allowing the priest to visit outside of hours, even going so far as to notify the rectory when a parishioner was admitted. All that has changed!

Today, confidentiality rules prevent notification of the parish without a special request; there is no quick accommodation for parking for the priest; and he is restricted by the hospital's regular schedule. Furthermore, today people are in and out of the hospital so quickly that it has become impossible for either the parish priest or even the hospital chaplains to see them. This is especially true in operation scheduling, now that the norm has become to admit the persom immediately prior to the procedures - that very day, in fact. And so, many of our people undergo illness and surgery without the benefit of the sacraments and their spiritual and physical strengthening.

All of the things I have trained for have changed, and now it seems that if the local parish does not offer a degree of pastoral care for the sick, they will not have the chance to receive it when they need it most, especially pre-op. We therefore need to make regular, weekly accommodations to celebrate and administer the Sacrament of the Sick on-site at the parish, just as we do for confessions.

To implement this, we will begin to offer the anointing each Sunday following the 7:30 AM Mass at the Church at St. Mary. We would list the time as 8:30 in the bulletin and other schedules. With this proposal, someone could attend the early Mass and stay, or come for the anointing and then attend another Mass. The ceremony would be simple; there would be no pre-registration or anything like that. All one would have to do is be in the front pews, and let the priest know they wish to be anointed. If there were anointees, the priest would already be there for it. If not, we just proceed. To be eligible for the anointing, one would have to be in some illness or medically vulnerable position; for example,going into the hospital for an operation or procedure later in the week. We would probably do a little catechesis on the sacrament; maybe publish a little brochure, so that everyone understands what it is we are doing. Of course, it would be up to the person to determine if they need the sacrament. Obviously, no one would receive it every week, but it would be there when needed for one and all.

We hope to begin this practice on the Sunday following Easter. But if anyone has need of the Sacrament before it becomes part of our regular routine, do not hesitate to ask the priest to anoint you. In fact, feel free to request the anointing at any of our Masses, Sunday or weekday. It is a wonderful gift of grace, and we should use it liberally.

We trust our people will take advantage of this and are able to plan ahead to receive this sacrament prior to any hospitalizations or operations. Evenif one is not hospitalized, but has a significant illness, he or she can present himself for the sacrament on any given Sunday. It would be a nice gesture as well if maybe some family or neighbors would occasionally make the effort to bring a shut-in to Mass on some Sunday to receive the sacrament.