Healing through the laying on of hands has been part of the Christian tradition since Christ began his healing ministry. Through the centuries, the popularity of healing services, which include ...

1527 The sacrament of Anointing of the Sick has as its purpose the conferral of a special grace on the Christian experiencing the difficulties inherent in the condition of grave illness or old age.

It reads, “Every priest and a priest alone validly administers the anointing of the sick.” The sacrament involves the laying on of hands in silence, prayers and then the anointment with oil.

Father Michael Trail had administered the anointing of the sick many times in his first three years as a priest in the Archdiocese of Chicago. Usually, he would sit at the bedside and hold the ...

Pope: Anointing the sick doesn't bring bad luck, it brings Jesus Pope Francis smiles as he arrives to lead his general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican Feb. 26.

The sacrament of the sick — formerly called last rites or extreme unction — involves the anointing of the recipient’s eyes, ears, nostrils, lips, hands and feet.