Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick (Extreme Unction)

Those in need of the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick would ordinarily have an immediate family member contact the parish to request a priest visit. Please call the parish office 480-488-2229 to have the receptionist contact a priest directly. A priest will return your call as soon as possible. If you call after hours, you will be prompted to leave a message on the emergency line and a priest will return your call as soon as possible.

The anointing of the sick is administered to bring spiritual and even physical strength during an illness, especially near the time of death. It is most likely one of the last sacraments one will receive. A sacrament is an outward sign established by Jesus Christ to confer inward grace. In more basic terms, it is a rite that is performed to convey God’s grace to the recipient, through the power of the Holy Spirit. It is best not to wait until the last moment to try to contact a priest. 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.