Page 6 - The Sacraments

Souls Reaching
for Christ
Anointing of the Sick
Fr. George “Chip” Hines
A priest shares his experiences from both sides of the sacrament
When I was asked to write this article, the first thought I had was Oh sure, I get the hard one to write about. However, as I be- gan formulating what I wanted to say, I realized that, in fact, I had received a rich assignment.
Most people, when talking to me about the sac- raments, will bring up Baptism and Eucharist. If I converse with them long enough, they may also mention Penance and Matrimony, perhaps
Confirmation. But Holy Orders or Anointing of the Sick seem to be way down on the list in many people’s minds, if mentioned at all. (My job isn’t to talk about Holy Orders here, but remember that none of the seven sacraments happen without Holy Orders. So, please pray for more priests and dea- cons! But I digress.)
Anointing of the Sick is often a misunderstood sacrament. I would guess that some Catholics still do not know it by this name. Many would probably call it “last rites.” If they are older Catholics, able to
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