The Holy Wednesday Unction service is when the whole parish gathers to receive the Mystery of Holy Unction, anointing with blessed oil for the healing of soul and body. It’s not just for people who are dying. It’s for all of us.
Most Antiochian parishes celebrate this service on Holy Wednesday evening during Holy Week. The timing connects to something that happened in the Gospels: a sinful woman anointed Christ with expensive myrrh, and He forgave her sins because of her faith. We remember her act of love and repentance as we prepare for the crucifixion and resurrection.
What Happens During the Service
The service is long and beautiful. Seven Gospel readings, seven epistles, seven prayers over the oil. The number seven represents completeness, the fullness of the Church’s healing ministry. Traditionally seven priests would serve together, but most parishes don’t have seven priests standing around, so one or a few will do.
Between the readings you’ll hear psalms and hymns asking for God’s mercy and healing. After the seventh Gospel, the priest holds the open Gospel book over the heads of the faithful while praying. Then comes the anointing itself.
The priest anoints each person with the Oil of the Sick, making the sign of the cross on your forehead, eyes, ears, nostrils, lips, chest, and hands. He says something like this: “The Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ: for the healing of the soul and body of [your name], always: now and ever, and unto ages of ages.” You respond, “Amen.”
That oil was blessed earlier during the Divine Liturgy on Holy Wednesday morning. In Antiochian practice, people bring olive oil from home, and the priest blesses it during the consecration of the gifts. The oil becomes a means of grace, a channel for the Holy Spirit’s healing power.
Why We All Need It
Here’s what surprises people coming from Protestant backgrounds: this isn’t last rites. It’s not reserved for the dying or the desperately ill. We’re all sick in some way. Maybe your back hurts from years at the plant. Maybe you’re carrying depression or anxiety. Maybe you’re struggling with a sin you can’t seem to shake. Maybe you’re just worn down by life in a fallen world.
The Church offers this Mystery because Christ came to heal. Not just souls, not just bodies, but the whole person. We don’t separate spiritual health from physical health the way modern medicine does. When the priest anoints you, he’s asking God to heal whatever needs healing, and God knows better than you do what that is.
Sometimes people get physically healed. Sometimes they don’t, but they receive the grace to bear their suffering with patience. Sometimes they’re healed of something they didn’t even know was broken. The Mystery works however God wills it to work.
Who Can Receive It
Any Orthodox Christian in good standing can receive Holy Unction. If you’re a catechumen, you’ll need to wait until after your baptism and chrismation. If you’ve been away from confession for a long time, talk to your priest first.
Some parishes also offer individual anointing for the sick throughout the year. If you’re hospitalized or homebound, the priest can bring the Mystery to you. But the Holy Wednesday service is special because it’s communal. The whole parish stands together, acknowledging that we’re all in need of healing, all dependent on God’s mercy.
The Bigger Picture
This service sits right in the middle of Holy Week for a reason. We’re walking toward the cross. On Holy Wednesday we remember Judas agreeing to betray Christ for thirty pieces of silver, and we remember that woman who poured out expensive perfume in an act of extravagant love. Betrayal and devotion. Greed and generosity.
The anointing reminds us that Christ’s passion brings healing. His suffering isn’t pointless, it’s the source of our restoration. When you’re anointed on Holy Wednesday, you’re connecting your own suffering, your own brokenness, to His. And you’re receiving the promise that His resurrection will be yours too.
If you’ve never been to this service, come. Bring a small bottle of olive oil if your parish does it that way. Stand with your parish family and let the priest anoint you. Let yourself be healed.
