Two weeks ago I began a multi-part answer to the question posed by a parishioner: “ Who is a person to call if somebody needs the last rites before death” if the Pastor is gone? Part one noted that although the Bishop entrusts a specific group of people – members of a parish – to the care of a particular Priest as Pastor, nevertheless every Priest as part of the diocesan college or body of Priests (called the presbyterate) stands ready to meet the pastoral needs of anyone should the Pastor be unavailable. And with most Priests shepherding multiple parishes plus having responsibilities beyond their communities, the lay faithful today appreciate just how common it is to be ministered to by the “team” of diocesan Priests! Part two exhorted you to instruct your family now that you want a Priest to be notified should you experience a health crisis and reviewed the many means by which the Pastor is able to be reached. Events of last week and upcoming weeks demonstrate just how real this all is! Last Friday as I was preparing to go to the Heritage of Elmwood Nursing Home for the weekly Mass I received a phone call from the Baldwin Area Medical Center requesting a Priest for a critically ill patient. They were not able to get a response from the Pastor in Hammond and so they phoned me. I notified the Nursing Home I could not celebrate the Mass and immediately headed up to Baldwin to meet with the family and anoint their critically-ill loved one. So that call took me even beyond our Diocese of La Crosse! This Friday and Saturday I am at Saint Anthony Spirituality Center in Marathon City fulfilling my responsibilities as Director of Spiritual Formation in the Permanent Deacon Formation Program. Our incredibly generous Ellsworth neighbor, Father Nathan, covers that Saturday Vigil Mass in my absence. My duties as Dean of the Durand Deanery increase my workload next weekend as Bishop Callahan has delegated me to celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation for all the young people of our Deanery. An unresolved scheduling conflict does not allow the Bishop to come to our Deanery this year. “This is why I have Deans, Father Louis!” is what the Bishop said to me. Since I have not mastered the art of bilocation, it is physically possible for me to do these Confirmations with the help, once again, of Father Nathan who will cover the Saturday Vigil Mass at Elmwood. So in addition to our two usual Sunday Masses in Boyceville and Spring Valley, next weekend I celebrate Confirmation Masses Saturday afternoon at Ellsworth (for Ellsworth, Big River, and Prescott), Saturday evening at Menomonie (for Menomonie, Spring Valley, Elmwood, and Boyceville), and Sunday afternoon at Durand (for Durand, Lima, Mondovi, Eau Galle, Arkansaw, and Plum City). Pray specially for our parishioners who will be confirmed next Saturday, October 18, at 6:30 PM at Menomonie. All are welcome to assist at that Mass. And pray for me!

This week’s installment answering the question about so-called “last rites” begins a multi-week exploration of the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick and Viaticum. It will become clear in the coming weeks that referring to the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick and Viaticum as “last rites” betrays a misunderstanding and unnecessary limitation of the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick as reformed following the principles enunciated by the fathers of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965). But let’s start at the beginning looking at the experience of infirmity from the Old Testament to Jesus to the Church. “In the Old Testament sickness was experienced as a sign of weakness and at the same time perceived as mysteriously bound up with sin. The prophets intuited that sickness could also have a redemptive value for one’s own sins and those of others. Thus sickness was lived out in the presence of God from whom people implored healing” ( Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, 313). “The compassion of Jesus toward the sick and His many healings of the infirm were a clear sign that with Him had come the Kingdom of God and therefore victory over sin, over suffering, and over death. By His own Passion and Death He gave new meaning to our suffering which, when united with His own, can become a means of purification and of salvation for us and for others” ( Compendium, 314). “Having received from the Lord the charge to heal the sick, the Church strives to carry it out by taking care of the sick and accompanying them with her prayer of intercession. Above all, the Church possess a Sacrament specifically intended for the benefit of the sick. This Sacrament was instituted by Christ” ( Compendium, 315). In his Letter, Saint James attests to this Sacrament: “Is anyone among you sick? He should summon the priests 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 person, and the Lord will raise him up. If he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven” (5:14-15). To be continued!

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us! Saint Luke, pray for us!
Very Rev. Kevin C. Louis, STL