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March 1, 2026Many people think the phrase “last rites” means anointing of the sick. Later in this article, I’ll explain what the phrase actually means and that we still use the term. But first let me talk about anointing of the sick to clarify some things about this sacrament.
Every now and then I hear that a Catholic is sick in the hospital. The person could be sick for a variety of serious reasons: heart attack, stroke, cancer, bad infection, hip or knee replacement, etc. I usually ask the person who told me if he or she has been anointed. Meaning, has the person received the sacrament of the anointing of the sick?
Sometimes the person has been anointed, other times it didn’t cross the person or family’s mind, or sometimes the person does not want to be anointed. Sometimes the person is afraid of being anointed because, in their mind, they think that if they are anointed, it will cause them to die.
Before the revision of the rubrics or guidelines surrounding the sacraments after Vatican II, the books stated that someone should only receive the sacrament of the anointing of the sick (then called extreme unction) when the person was close to death. This caused priests and laity alike to assume that you have to make sure someone is almost dead before calling the priest.
However, this was not the intention when Jesus gave the Church this sacrament. We hear about this sacrament specifically in two places in the New Testament.
In Mark 6, right after Jesus sends out the 12 Apostles on mission we read: “So they went off and preached repentance. They drove out many demons, and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.” So, we see that anointing here is more about curing the sick than causing them to die. Also, in James 5 we read: “Is anyone 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 person, and the Lord will raise him up. If he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven.” As you can see there is no mention again that the sacrament will cause the person to die. Rather the sacrament gives grace and God’s healing whether that is physical, spiritual or both.
So, what does “last rites” mean?
When a Catholic is determined to be dying and the priest is called and arrives, the priest gives the person the sacraments of confession, anointing of the sick and Holy Communion (assuming the person is still capable of receiving confession and Holy Communion). There are also prayers, psalms and other rituals that correspond to a dying person that the priest does as well.
Once the person has died, and it was the last time they received these rites, only then do we call these rites the “last rites.” Just as after a person has died, we talk about their last goodbye, their last meal, a last vacation, so too after the person died, we can say he or she received the last rites. The sacraments of the Church right before the person died gave him or her the strength necessary to say “yes” to God upon death.