When Father Joseph Johnson speaks about the sacrament of the anointing of the sick with an elderly or ill parishioner, he sometimes has to get creative.

“What I’ll say initially is, ‘I have this really special blessing that the Church offers to someone in your situation,’” said Father Johnson, pastor of Holy Family in St. Louis Park.

Why this approach? Because Father Johnson, like many other local priests, knows that conversation about the sacrament can actually be received with a great amount of fear, especially by those of an older generation, who associate the anointing with the last rites and dying.

That was how the sacrament was emphasized in a previous era, when it was often referred to as “extreme unction” and was reserved for the very end of life. But as part of the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council, the sacrament was re-grounded in its scriptural origins and in the early Church’s understanding and practice.

“We realized that anointing of the sick in earlier manifestations was not reserved to those only at death’s door,” explained Father Tom Margevicius, the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ director of worship and an instructor of liturgical theology at The St. Paul Seminary.

The Vatican II document “Sacrosanctum Concilium” teaches that “the fitting time for (a Catholic) to receive this sacrament has certainly arrived” when he or she “begins to be in danger of death from sickness or old age.” It also teaches that the sacrament is more appropriately called “anointing of the sick” than “extreme unction.”

Experienced pastors say there is some discernment involved in determining who might be eligible to receive the sacrament, which has received a boost in attention due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While the sacrament is not necessarily reserved for those in their last moments of life, there is a connection with mortality and risk. Facing a surgery involving general anesthesia, receiving a diagnosis of a serious illness, or crossing into one’s “senior” years are generally accepted indicators that the sacrament can be worthily received. If in doubt, priests suggest it’s always better for someone to request the sacrament.

“You don’t have to wait until grandma has two-and-half breaths left, at 2 a.m. in the morning, before you say, ‘Let’s call the priest,’ who lives 20 minutes away,” quipped Father Johnson.

The sacrament is alluded to in Mark’s Gospel, but is more explicitly rooted in the Letter of James (5:13-15). James instructs “the presbyters of the Church” to “pray over and anoint” a sick person with oil “in the name of the Lord,” a pattern the Church follows when ministering this sacrament today.

Like any other sacrament, Father Margevicius says that the Church’s celebration of the anointing “is a way to ensure that what happened while Jesus was alive on earth happens today. He healed people. The Church continues to heal people.”

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 1520-1523) teaches that this healing is primarily spiritual. The anointing unites the recipient to Christ in his passion, for his or her own good and the good of the Church, and gives the graces “of strengthening, peace and courage” to face difficulties associated with illness or old age, as well as final perseverance. The sacrament also absolves the recipient of their sins if he or she is unable to go to confession, which explains both why ministering of the sacrament is reserved to bishops and priests, and also why babies and young children who cannot be held culpable for their actions have no need to, and should not, receive it.

The Church also teaches that, “if such is God’s will,” reception of the sacrament can result in bodily healing. But as Father Margevicius points out, not even the healing miracles of Christ were primarily about preserving bodily health indefinitely. They always pointed to something more enduring.

“Maybe this [illness] will go away, maybe this is the beginning of the end; but maybe this sacrament gives you peace to face whatever comes, and hope to live in eternal life. That would be a great fruit,” Father Johnson said.

Archdiocesan priests say there’s still more work to be done to help those who could benefit from the sacrament receive it more easily. Across the board, they recommend “calling sooner rather than later,” and even being proactive about scheduling an anointing in the parish.

“We are blessed to have some priests dedicated to hospital ministry who can be available,” said Father Jim Livingston, pastor of St. Paul in Ham Lake and a former hospital chaplain. “But it’s very nice to gather a family around a loved one after Mass, and lead them in praying for the one they love and giving the sacrament in a peaceful setting.”

Father Livingston added that long-term conversion and catechesis among the laity is needed to appreciate the sacrament more deeply, but also said that priests have a special obligation to make themselves available to offer the anointing.

Father Louis Floeder, ordained a priest only a year ago, already has found anointing of the sick to be a powerful part of his ministry; he’s one of 12 local priests who have been trained to anoint Catholics with COVID-19. But even in more routine anointings, such as his monthly visit to a nursing home, he’s struck by the power of the sacrament.

“Everyone I anoint has a family, a story and a history, and their soul is just as precious as my mom’s or anyone else’s,” he said. “They’re not necessarily looking for me to do anything ‘beyond.’ I just go, I’m a priest, and the Church is with them.”

A GIFT FROM THE CHURCH

Amy Wivell is someone who’s received this fruit in a powerful way. She was first anointed in 2015, when she was just 27 years old. Wivell was scheduled for a surgery to remove a growth in her abdomen, when her mother, the pastoral care coordinator at Nativity of Our Lord in St. Paul, suggested she receive the sacrament. After a Sunday Mass, Wivell came up to the altar, where she was anointed by Father Patrick Hipwell, in what she remembers as “a powerful experience.”

“It felt good to have my spiritual life and faith taken care of going into a medical procedure like that,” she recalls. “There were just a lot of unknowns.”

When Wivell came out of surgery, the challenges — but also the graces — really began. Doctors informed her that she had Stage IV of a rare form of ovarian cancer. They told her to enjoy each day as if it were her last.

Despite the diagnosis, Wivell says she experienced great peace and confidence, which she believes was a fruit of the sacrament. People were shocked at how hopeful she was in the midst of it all.

“I never thought for a second that I would not be OK. God will take care of me. He always has. And this will be no different,” she said.

In the weeks following the diagnosis, what actually upset her the most was the possibility of losing her hair due to chemotherapy. “I was basically given a death sentence, and I was like, ‘But my hair!’” she recalls.

Wivell eventually beat the cancer, and believes the anointing of the sick also had something to do with that. In December 2019, however, doctors discovered the cancer had come back. So before going in for another surgery, she received the sacrament again, this time ministered by Father Nick Hagen.

“I was extremely grateful to receive that sacrament, because I was really afraid,” said Wivell, who is still receiving treatment for the disease. “It will help me get through this, however it is that I’m supposed to come out of it.”

Nancy Shatek-Suek, Wivell’s mother, is committed to helping others experience the same comforting grace through the anointing of the sick. Through her work at Nativity, she organizes two anointing Masses per year. They are well attended; the priests come around to each person to anoint them, and Mass is followed by a lunch put on by the local chapter of the Council of Catholic Women.

Dom Eiden, 83, and a longtime Nativity parishioner, has helped with the anointing Masses for about 25 years. He also receives the anointing himself, something he’s been doing since he turned 65.

“It brings into your heart a feeling of comfort and security,” he explained. “You’re closer to God. To me, it’s a gift that’s being offered by the Church. So I take advantage of it. I’m grateful for it.”