Oil of the sick
Oleum infirmorum
- Known today as
- Olive oil blessed by the bishop at the Chrism Mass of Holy Thursday for anointing the sick.
- Kind
- Sacramental, in 1 older authority
- Earliest authority here
- The Catholic Encyclopedia (New York, 1907–1914)
Revised October 1, 2026: An authority added from a text read in full. Version 1, first published September 28, 2026.
Oil of the sick: what was it used for?
The matter of the sacrament of Extreme Unction, now the Anointing of the Sick, after the Letter of James: “Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.”
Oil of the sick: what does modern science say?
Blessed each year at the Chrism Mass.
Oil of the sick: what lore surrounds it?
Before the sacrament was reserved to the priest, the faithful took blessed oil home to anoint their own sick.
Oil of the sick: what did the older authorities say?
- The Catholic Encyclopedia
- The Catholic Encyclopedia finds the oil of the sick in St. James and in a second-century gold leaf from Beirut bearing an exorcism “pronounced in the dwelling of him whom I annointed.” In the early centuries it “might be blessed not only by priests, but also by laymen of high repute for virtue, and even by women”; St. Monegundus on his death-bed “blessed oil and salt which were afterwards used for the sick.” The Council of Châlons (813) confined it to oil blessed by the bishop, while in the East the custom persists “of having the oil blessed in the house of the sick person, or in the church, by a priest, or, if possible, by seven priests.” The prayer of Serapion asks that the oil be “a medicine of life and salvation, for health and soundness of soul, body, spirit.”
Sources
- [21] Herbermann, C. G., et al. (eds.) (1907–1912). The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Online at newadvent.org. Articles: Agnus Dei (H. Thurston); Amulet (M. Hassett); Ash Wednesday (H. Thurston); Bells (H. Thurston); Holy Oils (H. Leclercq); Paschal Candle (H. Thurston); Scapular (J. Hilgers). Read in part · the text read
- [116] United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The Blessing of the Oils and the Consecration of the Chrism. usccb.org. Book, seen in reviews
- The Catholic Encyclopedia (New York, 1907–1914), “Holy Oils.” newadvent.org/cathen/07421b.htm Standard reference work
- The Catholic Encyclopedia (New York, 1907–1914), “Extreme Unction.” newadvent.org/cathen/05716a.htm Standard reference work
Verification
- Checked
- October 1, 2026
- Passes
- Every dated or regulatory claim checked by category across the database
- Each quotation from the older authorities checked word for word against the text, read in full
- Sources
- 4 cited: 1 read in part, 2 standard reference work, 1 book, seen in reviews.
- Corrections
- None were needed.
What was checked, how, and what was found is set out on the Verification page. A checked source is one whose record was found; it does not make the entry medical advice.
Cite This Entry
Version 1 · first published September 28, 2026 · last revised October 1, 2026
- Chicago
“Oil of the sick.” In Materia Medica, edited by B. C. P. Statema. Version 1. The Thinking Press, 2026–. Last modified October 1, 2026. https://thethinkingpress.org/materia-medica/oil-of-the-sick.
- MLA
“Oil of the sick.” Materia Medica, edited by B. C. P. Statema, version 1, The Thinking Press, 1 Oct. 2026, thethinkingpress.org/materia-medica/oil-of-the-sick. Accessed 8 Oct. 2026.
- APA
Oil of the sick. (2026, October 1). In B. C. P. Statema (Ed.), Materia medica (Version 1). The Thinking Press. Retrieved October 8, 2026, from https://thethinkingpress.org/materia-medica/oil-of-the-sick
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See Also
Also in The Catholic Encyclopedia
Palm and olive branches in The Catholic Encyclopedia · Oil of catechumens in The Catholic Encyclopedia · Paschal candle in The Catholic Encyclopedia · The Miraculous Medal in The Catholic Encyclopedia · everything The Catholic Encyclopedia names →
Nearby in the alphabet
Olive oil and holy water (Fine olive oil) · Olive-wood ash lye (Lye made by steeping the ash of olive wood in river water) · Oil of bricks · Onion (Allium cepa) · Oak galls (Round growths raised on oaks by gall wasps) · Onycha and stacte (Ingredients of the Temple incense (Exodus 30) · Nutmeg and clove (Myristica fragrans and Syzygium aromaticum)
Historical description, not medical advice.