Last Rites, Viaticum, and Calling a Priest

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 order: the sacrament of Penance, where the person is able to make a confession; Anointing of the Sick; and then the Eucharist, received as Viaticum.

The word Viaticum comes from Latin for provision for a journey. The Catechism calls Communion received at this moment "the seed of eternal life and the power of resurrection," and says plainly that "the Eucharist should always be the last sacrament of the earthly journey."

That ordering has a practical consequence that catches families out. Because anointing normally comes before Viaticum, and because Viaticum requires the person to be able to receive Communion, 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 costs nothing. A priest who comes and finds the person stable will not be annoyed; anointing can be repeated, and a visit that turns out to be premature is a visit that reassured a frightened person. The Ethical and Religious Directives ask Catholic facilities to give people "appropriate opportunities to prepare for death," and note that all Catholics capable of receiving Communion should receive Viaticum while in danger of death and "still in full possession of their faculties."

• Only a priest can hear a confession and give absolution.
• Only a priest or bishop can anoint.
• A deacon, or a properly appointed lay minister of Holy Communion, can bring Viaticum.

This distinction 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.

Anointing is a sacrament for the living and is not administered after death. That does not mean there is nothing to call about. A priest will come to pray with the family, lead prayers for the dead, and help you begin thinking about the funeral. Many families find that visit matters more than they expected.

You do not need to have got 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 ward 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.