Spiritual Care Tool-Kit
Religion: Catholic
Catholicism is the largest of the three major branches of Christianity. Catholics believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ and that God has created every person for eternal life.
Prayers/Readings
- Catholic clergy may visit and pray with the patient throughout their illness and request a priest visit to hear confession and give communion (Eucharist).
- The priest may also offer the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, a healing ritual that is appropriate at any time in the patient’s illness.
Pre-death rituals
- The priest may also offer the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, a healing ritual that is appropriate at any time in the patient’s illness.
Post-death rituals
- Clergy will be notified. At arrival, clergy will read Scripture and offer up a prayer of God’s comfort and peace for the family.
- After death, Catholics believe their bodies should be treated with respect. Bodies may be buried or cremated in accordance with their wishes or the wishes of their family.
- Once a patient passes away, there is typically a mourning period with a wake or vigil where family and friends gather in prayer to remember the deceased.
- A Funeral Mass is then performed to reaffirm that life has not ended. Instead, it is a memorial to Christ’s sacrifice and a reminder that we are all one with Christ in Life, Death, and Resurrection.
- The Committal is the final farewell to the deceased at the time of internment.
Special Considerations
- Medical Aid in Dying position – Catholicism prohibits assisted suicide and euthanasia because they believe that life is sacred. “Euthanasia is an action or omission that of itself or by intention causes death in order to alleviate suffering. Catholic health care institutions may never condone or participate in euthanasia or assisted suicide in any way. Dying patients who request euthanasia should receive loving care, psychological and spiritual support, and appropriate remedies for pain and other symptoms so that they can live with dignity until the time of natural death.” – Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services.
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