Praying with the Sick and Dying

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Praying With the Sick and the Dying
by Jim Wickman

From Prayer and Worship (vol. 15, no. 4), printed with permission from the Office for Prayer and Worship, Archdiocese of Milwaukee, P.O. Box 070912, 3501 South Lake Drive, Milwaukee, WI 53207-0912.

Through these prayers, Christ seeks to bring the sure and certain hope of his resurrection to this moment. Through these prayers, and through you, Christ walks again into the upper room that is locked with fear and says, "Peace be with you!"

– United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

Praying with those who are sick and those who are dying is one of the most crucial ministries of the parish. And yet, how many are fully equipped to do it well? How many of our parish ministers and parishioners are well trained in this type of prayer? This article will explore and uncover the prayers that the Church has given us to pray with the sick and the dying.

Please note that this article will not examine the sacraments of Anointing of the Sick and the Rite of Reconciliation, rites that are led exclusively by the priest. Instead, the focus will be on the ritual and prayer that may be led by various ministers, including lay people and family members. There is a great need for understanding of these prayers throughout the parishes and a strong desire for training in the proper use of them.

Who are the ministers of these rites?

There are four different kinds of ministers mentioned in these ritual texts. First, the priest, who can perform all of the rites, give blessings, hear confessions and minister the anointing of the sick. Second, the deacon, who as an ordained minister can perform many of the rites, but does not hear confession or minister the anointing of the sick, because of its close connection with the sacrament of reconciliation. Third, the lay chaplain or lay pastoral minister, who has the skills and training to bring comfort and peace, and is able to lead some of the prayers as outlined by the Church. This category includes the extraordinary minister, as he or she is to be trained in this ministry by the parish. Finally, the friend or relative: this person, while not trained for this ministry, can benefit by using some of the prayers from the ritual that the Church has given for their loved one.

Throughout these rituals, the words “priest,” “deacon,” and “minister” are used with good reason. Those parts that may be led by only the priest or deacon are marked as such. Those that are marked as “minister” may be led by any lay minister or family member, including the extraordinary minister or the minister to the homebound from the parish.

What are the rites that the Church gives us?

The Pastoral Care of the Sick (PCS) is the official rite book of the Roman Catholic Church for praying with those who are sick and those who are dying. It consists of three sections: I: The Pastoral Care of the Sick; II: The Pastoral Care of the Dying; and III: Readings, Responses and Verses. The introduction gives us the theology of the Church regarding those who are ill. The Church believes that they participate in the sufferings of Christ, and they serve as witnesses of the Paschal Mystery to the rest of the community. “From Christ’s words [those who are suffering] know that sickness has meaning and value for their own salvation and for the salvation of the world” (#1 PCS).

What are the rites for Communion to the sick and homebound?

Administration of Communion to the Sick (ACS) is a ritual for bringing communion to those who are homebound, in hospitals or nursing homes, or otherwise unable to join in the Sunday assembly. This is common in most parishes, as those who are sick are united with the rest of the Church through the Body of Christ brought to them. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has printed a new copy of this rite, intended to be used mainly by the extraordinary minister or lay chaplain. This new version is in a bilingual format, Spanish and English. All extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion who minister Communion to the sick should have a copy of the official rite and use it.

The rite itself consists of two sections. First, Communion in Ordinary Circumstances, celebrated at the home of a sick person with friends and family. The shorter rite is second, Communion in a Hospital or Institution. The minister should use his or her best judgment regarding when the longer or the shorter rite should be used. However, please keep in mind that one of these rites must always be used, as the extraordinary minister should never just walk up to the sick person and give him or her Communion without accompanying ritual and prayer. This would serve to reduce the reception of the Eucharist into something “magical” instead of a sharing in the Body of Christ with its relation to the full Eucharistic community. Receiving Holy Communion is significant for those who are ill, for it is a “union with Christ in his struggle with evil, his prayer for the world, and his love for the Father, and union with the community from which they are separated” (#73 ACS).

How do we pray with the dying?

Pastoral Care of the Dying (PCD) is another small booklet filled with material taken from the larger work, Pastoral Care of the Sick. It contains prayers for the dying and those circumstances encountered when praying with the dying. The book makes clear distinctions between prayers that are led by the lay minister and those that are led only by the priest or deacon.

hose who are present will draw consolation from these prayers and come to a better understanding of the paschal character of Christian death.

The first section of this book is the Commemoration of the Dying. These texts are intended to help the dying person to face the natural human anxiety about death by drawing parallels with Christ in his patient suffering and death. Even if the dying person is not conscious, those who are present will draw consolation from these prayers and come to a better understanding of the paschal character of Christian death (#215 PCD). Here one finds short scripture texts, readings, litanies, prayers of commendation, and several prayers for immediately after death has occurred.

What is viaticum?

The second section contains a rite for Viaticum Outside of Mass. The celebration of Viaticum is the Eucharist as food for passage through death to eternal life, food for the journey. Unlike the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, which is celebrated at the beginning of a serious illness, viaticum is celebrated when death is close, and is understood as the last sacrament of Christian life (#175 PCD). Whenever possible, the dying should receive viaticum within Mass. Since this is not often feasible, the rite here is followed in the home, hospital, or nursing home outside of Mass. Unique elements of this ritual include the renewal of baptismal vows, a pledge that the Eucharist being received by the dying person is food for the passage through the use of special words proper to this rite (“May the Lord Jesus Christ protect you and lead you to eternal life”), and a special effort to make this a communal celebration involving family, friends, and even members of the community. This ritual may properly be led by the lay pastoral minister or extraordinary minister who is trained. Also, the dying person may receive viaticum more than once, as he or she lingers at the point of death.

iaticum is celebrated when death is close, and is understood as the last sacrament of Christian life.

The final section of Pastoral Care of the Dying contains Prayers for the Dead, for use by a minister (lay or ordained) who is called to attend to a person who is already dead. A priest, if he is called, is not to administer the sacraments of anointing or of penance in this situation. It may be necessary to explain to the family that sacraments are celebrated for the living, and that the Church believes that the dead are helped by these prayers. An interesting addition here is the suggestion of a symbolic gesture, such as tracing the sign of the cross on the forehead of the deceased person by all those who are in attendance at the time of death at the end of the prayer for the one who has just died (#231 PCD).

The purpose of collecting these two small booklets from the larger material is to make the prayers more accessible to ministers and family members. It is important to encourage their use, so they will become better known. Most ministers are not comfortable with “making something up” when they pray or lead prayer in these circumstances. So it is beneficial to take advantage of what the Church has given us in these resources for prayer with the sick and dying.

Additional Issues

Of course, a short article such as this is not able to fully explore the entire topic. Several issues remain, including proper training for the extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, confidentiality when visiting people at home or in an institution, knowing the difference between a pastoral visit and a social visit, and volunteer ministers working with professional ministers—particularly in hospital or institution settings. However, when we are discussing liturgy and prayer, the ritual is the place to begin. The booklets can be purchased from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Web site (www.usccb.org) or by calling the archdiocesan Prayer and Worship Office at 414-769-3349. As parishes move forward in developing a ministry that benefits those who are seriously ill, let us pray that the needs will be met with full understanding, deep love, and genuine concern.