Our Lady of the Presentation Catholic Church

"Is any among you sick? He should summon the presbyters of the church, and they should pray over him and anoint [him] with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up. If he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven." (James 5:14-15)

If you are experiencing an illness, injury, impending surgery, or weakness due to age, there is a powerful help available for you here in the Catholic Church. 

Jesus reached out to the sick throughout His ministry and passed on to His priests the power and duty to do the same.

The Anointing of the Sick is a sacrament of the Church in which the priest prays, lays hands, and anoints the sick person with blessed oil. It may be preceded by the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) and followed by the Eucharist. The sacrament may be repeated if the recipient suffers from a different illness or injury or if the same illness or condition becomes more serious.  It is fitting that one who will undergo a serious operation may receive the anointing as well.

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Elderly people may be anointed if they have become weakened, even though no serious illness is present.

This sacrament is a ritual of healing appropriate not only for physical but also for mental and spiritual sickness.

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We want you to be spiritually fortified and experience the peace that God alone can give. Turn to God, our Father, and to Jesus, our Savior, with your physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.
 

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In case of serious illness or sudden death, notify the rectory immediately at 301.349.2045. Please notify us of any sick, homebound, or hospitalized so that we may arrange to bring them the Eucharist or Sacrament of the Sick.

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The Saints on the Annointing of the Sick

“O God who sanctifiest this oil as Thou dost grant unto all who are anointed and receive of it the hallowing wherewith Thou didst anoint kings and priests and prophets, so grant that it may give strength to all that taste of it and health to all that use it.” Hippolytus of Rome, Apostolic Tradition, 5:2 (c. A.D. 215) .

“[A] priest is to be called in, who by the prayer of faith and the unction of the holy oil which he imparts will save him who is afflicted [by a serious injury or by sickness].” Cassiodorus, Complexiones (A.D. 570).

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He summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two… They anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them. (Mark 6:7, 13)