Illness, and the suffering that comes with it, are part of human life. We all face the despair and finality that results from infirmity, but we have great hope because we know that Christ has always been compassionate toward the sick. Scripture teaches us that Christ heals all sicknesses. In the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, the ill person is anointed with blessed oil, while the Priest calls upon the Lord, asking him to save and raise up the one being anointed. “The Anointing of the Sick is not a sacrament for those only who are at the point of death. Hence, as soon as anyone of the faithful begins to be in danger of death from sickness or old age, the fitting time for him to receive this sacrament has certainly already arrived.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 1514) Each time that we fall gravely ill or before a major/life-threatening surgery, we may receive the Anointing of the Sick. The sacrament unites the sick person to Christ’s Passion, strengthens the courage to endure the suffering of the illness, forgives sins that the sick person may have that have not been confessed, and prepares the sick person for the passing over to eternal life. 

 

Ministry to the Sick & Homebound

• Temporary cases: Temporary homebound parishioners are brought Holy Communion on a schedule agreed upon between the parishioner and the Eucharistic Minister. Temporary cases include people who are unable to attend Mass for an extended, but not permanent, period of time (i.e. major surgery). If you or your family member is a parishioner of Saint Francis Parish and is temporarily unable to attend Mass and would like to receive Holy Communion at home, please contact the Parish Office (610-433-6102). 

• Permanent cases: Homebound parishioners are brought Holy Communion by a parish Eucharistic Minister on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of every month between the times of 9:30AM and 12PM. These permanently homebound parishioners are those people who are no longer able to get to Mass on the weekends due to major illness, inability to drive, and the like. These people are only able to leave their homes for doctor’s appointments. If you or your family member is a parishioner of Saint Francis Parish, is permanently homebound & unable to attend Mass, and would like to receive Holy Communion at home, please contact the Parish Office (610-433-6102).

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To set up home visits and anointings please contact Rev. Joseph Ganser:

 -484-268-2635

-jganser@allentowndiocese.org