Built of Living Stones 109: The Rite of Anointing of the Sick

Not much to say on anointing of the sick, other than the issue of accessibility:

§ 109 § The Rite of Anointing and Pastoral Care of the Sick provides for the communal celebration of the sacrament in a parish church or chapel. As noted earlier (Cf. additional sections in this document on accessibility, pp. 16, 23, 24, 29, 32, 38, 39, 68, 69, and 76ff) the church building must be accessible to those with disabilities, including those in wheelchairs and those who must travel with a breathing apparatus. Since many of those to be anointed may be unable to approach the priest, the parish will want to provide an area where the priest is able to approach persons with disabilities with ease and grace. Often this is possible in a section of the church that has flexible rather than fixed seating.

Flexible seating may be helpful. It might also serve to have wider accessibility on certain rows of permanent seating as well. Removing a pew here and there: at or near the front and halfway from altar to entrance may also improve accessibility for the ministers of the sacrament. Consulting with parishioners and community members who might be affected by this situation makes good sense.

All texts from Built of Living Stones are copyright © 2000, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

About catholicsensibility

Todd lives in Minnesota, serving a Catholic parish as a lay minister.
This entry was posted in Built of Living Stones, USCCB documents. Bookmark the permalink.

2 Responses to Built of Living Stones 109: The Rite of Anointing of the Sick

  1. I am a bit busy here at work, but we had our semi-annual anointing mass yesterday – it was, as always, beautiful. I had written about the prior mass in a recent issue of National Catholic Reporter.

    This is one of the most amazing things that this parish does.

  2. Inna Reddy says:

    May God bless you for your works. Have a nice day

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