He said he’d like to volunteer to travel to hospitals throughout his diocese to anoint those with the virus and believes each diocese would be wise to select a team of priests to serve in only this capacity.ĭue to what bishops cite as safety and health concerns, Masses and churches throughout America have been shuttered. The priest moved out of his rectory and lives temporarily in isolation. “After the anointing, he was in the Lord’s hands.” “It brought great comfort and closure to the family,” the priest said. Thus the sick person is able not only to bear suffering bravely, but also to fight against it.“ (Ritual #6). “It’s hard to describe what happened in that room, but I can say it felt like I was helping this suffering man to prepare for death and to meet the Lord, giving him the spiritual nourishment he needed that night.”Ĭontinues the Ritual: “ This sacrament gives the grace of the Holy Spirit to those who are sick: by this grace the whole person is helped and saved, sustained by trust in God, and strengthened against the temptations of the Evil One and against anxiety over death. “It got very emotional in there what I was doing, the anointing, became very real,” he said. It was quiet as he began to anoint the man. The gentlemen who lay before him was unresponsive. The priest walked into the hospital room at nightfall with a small kit, wearing his PPE gear. I just wanted to do what God wanted and I knew God just wanted me to do my job.”Ĭontinues the Ritual: “Those who are seriously ill need the special help of God’s grace in this time of anxiety, lest they be broken in spirit and, under the pressure of temptation, perhaps weakened in their faith.” (Ritual #5). I just knew as a priest that this suffering man needed the sacrament of anointing.
I have no one to endanger except the Lord, and you can’t pass on the virus to Him,” the priest said. “It’s funny, the other thing that helped me decide was the freedom of celibacy. The Ritual for the Anointing states, “The Lord Himself showed great concern for the bodily and spiritual welfare of the sick and commanded his followers to do likewise.” (Ritual #5) “But what I kept coming back to was unsophisticated: this is my role as a priest.” What to do right then did not come easily I wish I could say it did,” the priest said in an interview on Palm Sunday morning. “All of a sudden, there was a lot of tension in my heart. The priest agreed to oblige all protocol. The proper usage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) was explained. He listened as administrators explained in detail the extra safety measures that must be followed during the pandemic. Momentarily shaken, if not, admittedly, spiritually weakened, the priest called the hospital. “Let me see what I can do,” the priest replied. He’s elderly and we’ve been told he’s dying.” Send your audio and email feedback in Imperfect Living by Greg and Jennifer Willits is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.PRAYER PLEDGE: Rally around the daily Rosary to stop the coronavirus Sign the petition here.Īp( LifeSiteNews) – It was mid-afternoon last week when a phone rang in an American Catholic rectory. Send your audio and email feedback in Imperfect Living by Greg and Jennifer Willits is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International LicenseĬopyright © 2005-2020 Greg and Jennifer Willits We're "imperfectliving" on Facebook Twitter and Instagram. * 0:00 - They've been married for quite awhile.* 0:36 - On this week's show* 1:04 - THANKS to our sponsor: Select Internation Tours and Cruises - Interested in going on pilgrimage with us? Visit Select International Tours* 1:49 - We have awesome co-producers (click here to become one!)* 1:57 - Summer Schedule reminder* 2:20 - Kevin Wells and The Priests We Need to Save the Church* 47:57 - Links in the shownotes* 48:26 - Join our co-producer community* 48:55 - Subscribe to Catechism Class* 49:16 - Wrap it up
An amazing conversation with Kevin Wells about his critically needed book, "The Priests We Need to Save the Church."Īdventures in Imperfect LivingEPISODE 380 SHOWNOTES & LINKS