Last Rites, Viaticum, and Calling a Priest

This page is for Catholic patients and families near the end of life. It explains what "last rites" means, who can give each part, and why it helps to call a priest early.

Almost nobody says "the sacraments for the dying." People say last rites, and they usually mean a priest arriving and doing something at the end. The Church's own arrangement has three parts, in this order:

1. The sacrament of Penance, where the person is able to make a confession
2. Anointing of the Sick
3. The Eucharist (Communion), received as Viaticum

The word Viaticum comes from Latin for provision for a journey. At paragraph 1524 the Catechism calls Communion received now "the seed of eternal life and the power of resurrection." Paragraph 1517 sets the order. It says "the Eucharist should always be the last sacrament of the earthly journey."

That ordering has a practical consequence that catches families off guard. Anointing normally comes before Viaticum. And Viaticum requires the person to be able to receive Communion. So waiting until someone is clearly, unmistakably dying often means waiting until Viaticum is no longer possible.

Every hospital chaplain has the same story. The family did not want to frighten the patient. They did not want to admit where things were going. They were waiting for someone to tell them it was time, and nobody did. Then the breathing changed at two in the morning and everything happened at once.

Calling early is reasonable. A priest who comes and finds the person stable is unlikely to mind. A visit that turns out to be premature is a visit that reassured a frightened person.

Ask the priest or chaplain who can do each part. Do not assume the first person who arrives can do all three.

This matters when you are trying to get someone at short notice. If the hospital tells you a chaplain is on the way, it is worth asking whether that chaplain is a priest. If not, and if confession or anointing is what is wanted, say so, and ask who the on-call priest is.

The single most useful thing a family can do is ask, on a calm afternoon, how to reach a Catholic priest at this hospital outside normal hours. Write it down. Put it in more than one phone. If the person moves to a hospice or goes home, ask the same question again on arrival, because the answer changes with the building.

Parishes are used to being called at night for this. If you cannot get anyone through the hospital, calling the nearest parish directly is entirely normal and expected.

Ask the priest what is possible after a death. Calling is still worthwhile, since a priest can pray with the family and help you think about the funeral. Many families find that visit matters more than they expected.

You do not need to have gotten everything right beforehand for any of this to be available to you. Chaplains and parish priests are not keeping score, and the Church's own texts are noticeably gentle on this point.

Ask for privacy, and ask for it specifically. In a busy hospital unit this often means the difference between a rushed few minutes at the bedside and something the family can actually be present for. Nurses generally want to help with this and are simply waiting to be asked. If there are people who should be there, say who. If there are people the patient would not want there, say that too, quietly, to the chaplain.

• NCI — Spirituality in Cancer Care (PDQ), Patient Version
• NCI — Last Days of Life (PDQ), Patient Version
• NCI — End-of-Life Care for People Who Have Cancer
• Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1524–1525
• Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1517