"Is any among you sick? Let him call for the presbyters of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing 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; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven". (James 5:14-15)

Anointing of the Sick is administered by a priest to a baptized person who begins to be in danger of death because of illness or old age, through prayer and the anointing of the body with the oil of the sick. The proper effects of the sacrament include a special grace of healing and comfort to the Christian who is suffering the infirmities of serious illness or old age, and the forgiving of the person’s sins (CCC: 1499, 1520, 1523, 1526–1532).

Anointing of the sick is a sacrament which shares God's grace and other spiritual gifts to help in the healing of a person in a time of physical illness. The sacrament of Anointing of the Sick is given to those who are seriously ill by anointing them on the forehead and hands with duly blessed oil - pressed from olives or from other plants - saying, only once: "Through this holy anointing may the Lord in his love and mercy help you with the grace of the Holy Spirit. May the Lord who frees you from sin save you and raise you up."

The special grace of the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick has as its effects:
- the uniting of the sick person to the passion of Christ, for his own good and that of the whole Church;
- the strengthening, peace, and courage to endure in a Christian manner the sufferings of illness or old age;
- the forgiveness of sins, if the sick person was not able to obtain it through the sacrament of Penance;
- the restoration of health, if it is conducive to the salvation of his soul;
- the preparation for passing over to eternal life.

If you or a loved one is going to have surgery, seriously sick, or in grave danger of dying, call the cluster office at (319) 228-8131 and notify Fr. Jake Dunne or email him at DBQ150@dbqarch.org.  If they are in Mercy Hospital, there is a chaplain at Mercy who can anoint them.  Ask the nurses to contact the chaplain. There is also a priest who covers St. Luke's Hospital.