Last rites

Christian prayers and ministrations given before death

This article is about Christian ministrations to the dying. For last rites in Islam, see Islamic funeral and Salat al-Janazah. For other uses, see Last Rites (disambiguation).

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "Last rites" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (February 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

Administering the last rites (Dutch School, c. 1600)

The last rites, also known as the Commendation of the Dying, are the last prayers and ministrations given to an individual of Christian faith, when possible, shortly before death.[1] The Commendation of the Dying is practiced in liturgical Christian denominations, such as the Roman Catholic Church and the Lutheran Church.[2] They may be administered to those mortally injured, terminally ill, or awaiting execution. Last rites cannot be performed on someone who has already died.[3] Last rites, in sacramental Christianity, can refer to multiple sacraments administered concurrently in anticipation of an individual's passing (such as Holy Absolution and Holy Communion).[2][4]

## Catholic Church

[edit]

See also: Viaticum and Anointing of the Sick in the Catholic Church

Princess Maria Amélia of Brazil receiving her last rites, 1853 A Catholic chaplain, Lieutenant Commander Joseph T. O'Callahan, administering the last rites to an injured crewman aboard USS Franklin, after the ship was set afire by a Japanese air attack, 19 March 1945

The Latin Church of the Catholic Church defines Last Rites as Viaticum (Holy Communion administered to someone who is dying), and the ritual prayers of Commendation of the Dying, and Prayers for the Dead.[5]

The sacrament of Anointing of the Sick is usually postponed until someone is near death. Anointing of the Sick has been thought to be exclusively for the dying, though it can be received at any time. Extreme Unction (Final Anointing) is the name given to Anointing of the Sick when received during last rites.[6] If administered to someone who is not just ill but near death, Anointing of the Sick is generally accompanied by celebration of the sacraments of Penance and Viaticum.

The order of the three is important and should be given in the order of Penance (confessing one's sins), then Anointing of the Sick, and finally the Viaticum.[7] The principal reason Penance is administered first to the seriously ill and dying is because the forgiveness of one's sins, and most especially one's mortal sins, is for Catholics necessary for being in a state of grace (in a full relationship with God). Dying while in the state of grace ensures that a Catholic will go to heaven (if they are in a state of grace but still attached to sin, they will eventually make it to heaven but must first go through a spiritual cleansing process called purgatory).

Although these three (Penance, Anointing of the sick, and Viaticum) are not, in the proper sense, the Last Rites, they are sometimes spoken of as such; the Eucharist given as Viaticum is the only sacrament essentially associated with dying.[8] "The celebration of the Eucharist as Viaticum is the sacrament proper to the dying Christian".[9]

In the Roman Ritual's Pastoral Care of the Sick: Rites of Anointing and Viaticum, Viaticum is the only sacrament dealt with in Part II: Pastoral Care of the Dying. Within that part, the chapter on Viaticum is followed by two more chapters, one on Commendation of the Dying, with short texts, mainly from the Bible, a special form of the litany of the saints, and other prayers, and the other on Prayers for the Dead. A final chapter provides Rites for Exceptional Circumstances, namely, the Continuous Rite of Penance, Anointing, and Viaticum, Rite for Emergencies, and Christian Initiation for the Dying. The last of these concerns the administration of the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation to those who have not received them.[10]

In addition, the priest has authority to bestow a blessing in the name of the Pope on the dying person, to which a plenary indulgence is attached.[11]

## Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches

[edit]

Russian Orthodox priest administering the last rites to a soldier on the field of battle

In the Eastern Orthodox Church and those Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the Byzantine Rite, the last rites consist of the Sacred Mysteries (sacraments) of Confession and the reception of Holy Communion.

Following these sacraments, when a person dies, there are a series of prayers known as The Office at the Parting of the Soul From the Body. This consists of a blessing by the priest, the usual beginning, and after the Lord's Prayer, Psalm 50. Then a Canon to the Theotokos is chanted, entitled, "On behalf of a man whose soul is departing, and who cannot speak". This is an elongated prayer speaking in the person of the one who is dying, asking for forgiveness of sin, the mercy of God, and the intercession of the saints. The rite is concluded by three prayers said by the priest, the last one being said "at the departure of the soul."[12]

There is an alternative rite known as The Office at the Parting of the Soul from the Body When a Man has Suffered for a Long Time. The outline of this rite is the same as above, except that Psalm 70 and Psalm 143 precede Psalm 50, and the words of the canon and the prayers are different.[13]

The rubric in the Book of Needs (priest's service book) states, "With respect to the Services said at the parting of the soul, we note that if time does not permit to read the whole Canon, then customarily just one of the prayers, found at the end of the Canon, is read by the Priest at the moment of the parting of the soul from the body."[14]

As soon as the person has died the priest begins The Office After the Departure of the Soul From the Body (also known as The First Pannikhida).[15]

In the Orthodox Church Holy Unction is not considered to be solely a part of a person's preparation for death, but is administered to any Orthodox Christian who is ill, physically or spiritually, to ask for God's mercy and forgiveness of sin.[16] There is an abbreviated form of Holy Unction to be performed for a person in imminent danger of death,[16] which does not replace the full rite in other cases.

## Lutheran Churches

[edit]

Main article: Lutheran sacraments § Anointing of the Sick

In the Lutheran Churches, last rites are formally known as the Commendation of the Dying, in which the priest "opens in the name of the triune God, includes a prayer, a reading from one of the psalms, a litany of prayer for the one who is dying, [and] recites the Lord’s Prayer".[2] The dying individual is then anointed with oil and receives the sacraments of Holy Absolution and Holy Communion.[2]

## Anglican Communion

[edit]

Main article: Anointing of the sick § Anglican churches

The proposed 1928 revision of the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer would have permitted reservation of the Blessed Sacrament for use in communing the sick, including during last rites. This revision failed twice in the Parliament of the United Kingdom's House of Commons.[17]

## See also

[edit]

* Anointing
* Deathbed confession
* Deathbed conversion
* Excommunication

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Definition of THE LAST RITES". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
2. ^ a b c d "Liturgies for the end of life" (PDF). Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. 2017. p. 4. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
3. ^ Kerper, Rev. Fr. Michael (July–August 2016), vonHaack, Sarah J. (ed.), "When can Last Rites be given?", Dear Father Kerner, Parable, vol. 10, no. 1, Manchester, N.H.: Diocese of Manchester, pp. 10–11, USPS 024523, archived from the original on 6 May 2021, retrieved 15 November 2020, "The priest was correct: only a living person can receive a sacrament, including the sacrament of the sick."
4. ^ Dotan Arad; Kathleen Ashley; Martin Christ; Hildegard Diemberger (10 December 2018). Domestic Devotions in the Early Modern World. BRILL. p. 86\. ISBN 978-90-04-37588-8.
5. ^ "M. Francis Mannion, "Anointing or last rites?" in Our Sunday Visitor Newsweekly". Archived from the original on 16 July 2018. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
6. ^ "Catechism of the Catholic Church - The anointing of the sick". www.vatican.va.
7. ^ Arnold, Michelle (29 December 2017). "A Guide to the Last Rites". Catholic Answers. Archived from the original on 4 June 2018.
8. ^ Stolz, Eric. "Anointing of the Sick/Last Rites". St. Brendan Catholic Church. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
9. ^ "Sacramental Guidelines" (PDF). Diocese of Gallup. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 November 2010. Retrieved 4 December 2010.
10. ^ "Other Sacraments – St Patrick's Catholic Parish Mortlake". stpatsmortlake.org.au. Retrieved 26 April 2025.
11. ^ Armentrout, Don S.; Slocum, Robert Boak (1999). An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church: A User-Friendly Reference for Episcopalians. Church Publishing, Inc. ISBN 978-0-89869-211-2.
12. ^ Hapgood, Isabel Florence (1975), Service Book of the Holy Orthodox-Catholic Apostolic Church (Revised ed.), Englewood, NJ: Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese, pp. 360–366
13. ^ A Monk of St. Tikhon's Monastery (1995), Book of Needs (Abridged) (2nd ed.), South Canaan PA: St. Tikhon's Seminary Press, pp. 123–136, ISBN 1-878997-15-7
14. ^ A Monk of St. Tikhon's Monastery, Op. cit., p. 153.
15. ^ A Monk of St. Tikhon's Monastery, Op. cit., pp. 137–154.
16. ^ a b Hapgood, Op. cit., pp. 607–608.
17. ^ Wohlers, Charles. "The Proposed Book of Common Prayer (1928) of the Church of England". Society of Archbishop Justus. Retrieved 10 May 2021.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Anointing of the Sick (Catholic Church).

* Extreme Unction article in The Catholic Encyclopedia (1909)
* Preparation for Death article in The Catholic Encyclopedia (1909)
* Higgins, Jethro (6 March 2018). "Last Rites and the Anointing of the Sick". Oregon Catholic Press. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
* Sacramental Catechesis: An Online Resource for Dioceses

* v
* t
* e

Catholic Church

* Index
* Outline
* Glossary
* Lists of Catholics

History
Timeline
Ecclesiastical
Legal|

| Early Church|

* Jesus Christ
* Ministry
* Crucifixion
* Resurrection
* Great Commission
* Apostles
* Succession
* Petrine primacy
* Church Fathers
* Apostolic Fathers
* History of the papacy
* Primacy

|

Great Church|

* Ante-Nicene period
* Constantine
* First seven ecumenical councils
* Nicaea I
* Chalcedon
* Late antiquity
* Biblical canon
* Monasticism

Middle Ages|

* Islamic conquests
* Pope Gregory I
* Papal States
* Schism (1054)
* Investiture Controversy
* Crusades
* Schism (1378)
* Inquisition
* Universities
* Scholasticism
* Age of Discovery

Modern era|

* Protestantism
* Protestant Reformation
* Catholic Reformation
* Trent
* Thirty Years' War
* Enlightenment
* French Revolution
* Nazism
* Vatican II
* Communism
* Sexual abuse scandal
* Islam
* COVID-19 pandemic

Theology
Bible
Tradition
Catechism|

| General|

* God
* Trinity
* Kingdom
* Body
* Divine grace
* Dogma
* Nicene Creed
* Original sin
* Saints
* Salvation
* Sermon on the Mount
* Ten Commandments
* Vulgate
* Official Bible
* Sixtine Vulgate
* Sixto-Clementine Vulgate
* Nova Vulgata
* Worship

|

Ecclesiology|

* Communitas perfecta
* Councils
* Ecumenism
* Four marks
* One true church
* Catholic
* Infallibility
* Mystici Corporis Christi
* People of God
* Three states
* Subsistit in
* In canon law

Sacraments|

* Baptism
* Confirmation
* Eucharist
* Penance
* Anointing of the Sick
* Last rites
* Holy orders
* Matrimony

Mariology|

* Assumption
* History
* Immaculate Conception
* Mariology of the popes
* Mariology of the saints
* Mother of God
* Perpetual virginity
* Veneration
* See also:
* Josephology

Philosophy|

* Natural law
* Moral theology
* Personalism
* Social teaching
* Philosophers
* Philosophy of canon law
* See also:
* Science
* Evolution
* Separation of church and state
* Relations
* Politics

Saints|

* Holy Family
* Mary
* Joseph
* Patriarchs
* Prophets
* Archangels
* Martyrs
* Doctors of the Church
* Evangelists
* Confessors
* Disciples
* Virgins

Organisation
Hierarchy
Canon law
Laity
Precedence
By country|

| Holy See
(List of popes)|

* Pope Leo XIV
* Ecumenical councils
* College of Cardinals
* List
* Advisers
* Roman Curia
* Dicasteries
* Synod of Bishops
* Properties

|

Vatican City|

* Index
* Outline
* Apostolic Palace
* Lateran Treaty
* Roman Rota
* St. Peter's Basilica
* Swiss Guard
* Vatican Museums

Polity (Holy orders)|

* Diocese
* Episcopal conference
* Eparchy
* Bishop
* Patriarch
* Major
* Primate
* Metropolitan
* Archbishop
* Diocesan
* Coadjutor
* Auxiliary
* Titular
* Emeritus
* Parish
* Priest
* Deacon

Consecrated life|

* Religious:
* Superior
* Abbot, Abbess
* General
* Provincial
* Prior, Prioress
* Grand master
* Brother
* Friar
* Monk
* Sister
* Nun
* Hermit
* Novice
* Master
* Oblate
* Postulant

Particular churches
sui iuris|

* Latin Church
* Eastern Catholic Churches
* Albanian
* Armenian
* Belarusian
* Bulgarian
* Chaldean
* Coptic
* Croatian and Serbian
* Eritrean
* Ethiopian
* Georgian
* Greek
* Hungarian
* Italo-Albanian
* Macedonian
* Maronite
* Melkite
* Romanian
* Russian
* Ruthenian
* Slovak
* Syriac
* Syro-Malabar
* Syro-Malankara
* Ukrainian

Catholic liturgy|

* Eastern Catholic liturgy
* Alexandrian
* Antiochian
* Armenian
* Byzantine
* East Syriac
* West Syriac
* Malankara
* Latin
* Ambrosian
* Braga
* Mozarabic
* Roman
* Paul VI
* Tridentine
* Anglican
* Zaire

Culture|

* Art
* Marian
* Artists
* Writers
* Church buildings
* Altarpieces
* Folk
* Library
* Museums
* Music
* Distinctions
* Role in civilisation
* See also:
* Criticism of the Catholic Church
* Anti-Catholicism

Media|

* Holy See Press Office
* Vatican Media
* Vatican News
* Vatican Television Center
* Vatican Radio
* Vatican Press [it]
* L'Osservatore Romano
* Acta Apostolicae Sedis
* Annuario Pontificio

Religious orders,
institutes, societies|

* Assumptionists
* Annonciades
* Augustinians
* Basilians
* Benedictines
* Bethlehemites
* Blue nuns
* Camaldoleses
* Camillians
* Carmelites
* Carthusians
* Cistercians
* Clarisses
* Conceptionists
* Crosiers
* Dominicans
* Franciscans
* Good Shepherd Sisters
* Hieronymites
* Jesuits
* Legionaries
* Mercedarians
* Minims
* Olivetans
* Oratorians
* Piarists
* Premonstratensians
* Redemptoristines
* Servites
* Theatines
* Trappists
* Trinitarians
* Visitandines

Associations
of the faithful|

* Confraternities
* Lay
* Marian
* Youth
* Workers
* Third orders
* Saint Dominic
* Lay Carmelites
* Discalced
* Saint Francis
* Secular
* Military orders
* Fimcap
* Catholic Action
* Charismatic Renewal
* Communion and Liberation
* Sant'Egidio
* Focolare
* International Alliance of Catholic Knights
* Scouting
* Legion of Mary
* Neocatechumenal Way
* Opus Dei
* Schoenstatt

Charities|

* Aid to the Church in Need
* Caritas
* Catholic Charities USA
* Home Missions
* Relief Services
* CIDSE
* Pax Christi
* Society of Saint Vincent de Paul

* See also:
* Health care
* Schools
* Universities

* Catholic Church portal
* Category

* v
* t
* e

Lutheranism

Luther's Small Catechism|

* The Ten Commandments
* Apostle's Creed
* Lord's Prayer
* Sacrament of Holy Baptism
* Confession
* Sacrament of the Eucharist

Chief articles of faith
in the Augsburg Confession|

* I. God
* II. Original Sin
* III. The Son of God
* IV. Justification By Faith
* V. The Office of Preaching
* VI. Of The New Obedience
* VII. Of The Church
* VIII. What the Church Is
* IX. Of Baptism
* X. Of the Lord's Supper
* XI. Of Confession
* XII. Of Repentance
* XIII. Of the Use of the Sacraments
* XIV.
* XV. Ecclesiastical Usages
* XVI. Of Civil Affairs
* XVII. Of Christ's Return to Judgment
* XVIII. Of Free Will
* XIX. Of the Cause of Sin
* XX. Of Good Works
* XXI. Of the Worship of the Saints

Practices|

* Divine Service
* Confirmation
* Common table prayer
* Sign of The Cross
* Matins
* Vespers
* Easter Vigil
* Liturgical Calendar
* Wreath of Christ

Movements|

* Gnesio-Lutherans
* Crypto-Calvinism
* Philippists
* Sacramentarians
* Ubiquitarians
* Lutheran orthodoxy
* Pietism
* Laestadianism
* Old Lutherans
* Neo-Lutheranism
* High Church Lutheranism
* Evangelical Catholicism
* Confessional Lutherans

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template