“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).
The sacrament of Anointing of the Sick has the purpose of conferral of a special grace on the Christian experiencing the difficulties inherent in the condition of grave illness or old age. The proper time for receiving this holy anointing has certainly arrived when the believer begins to be in danger of death because of illness or old age. Each time a Christian falls seriously ill, the individual may receive the Anointing of the Sick.
Only a priest can give the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, using oil blessed by the bishop. The celebration of the Anointing of the Sick consists essentially in the anointing of the forehead and hands of the sick person or other parts of the body, the anointing being accompanied by the liturgical prayer of the celebrant asking for the special grace.