Holy Unction isn’t just for the dying. That’s the first thing you need to know, because most people coming from a Protestant or Catholic background think of anointing as “last rites”, something you get once when you’re about to meet your Maker. But the Orthodox Church offers this Mystery for healing throughout your life.
The most common time you’ll encounter Holy Unction is on Holy Wednesday evening during Holy Week. Most Antiochian parishes hold a communal service that afternoon or evening, and everyone who wants healing, physical, spiritual, or both, comes forward to be anointed. You don’t have to be sick. You don’t have to be dying. You come because you’re human, and humans need healing.
But Holy Wednesday isn’t the only time.
A priest can celebrate Holy Unction whenever there’s genuine need. Someone in the hospital after a refinery accident? The priest brings the holy oil. Someone battling cancer, depression, chronic pain? Holy Unction is offered. St. James wrote, “Is any among you sick? 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.” The Church takes that seriously. Any sickness, body, mind, or soul, can be an occasion for this Mystery.
Some parishes offer it during fasting seasons or on feast days of healing saints like St. Panteleimon. Others make it available by request throughout the year. Your priest is the one to ask about scheduling outside of Holy Week. If you can’t make it to church because you’re bedridden or hospitalized, he can bring it to you.
You can receive Holy Unction more than once. The Antiochian Patriarchate’s own materials say the Church “hopes that it will be practiced over and again.” It’s not a one-time sacrament like Baptism. If you received it last Holy Wednesday and you’re facing surgery this fall, you can receive it again. If you were anointed during a bout of pneumonia and later struggle with something else, you can be anointed again. There’s no limit, no quota.
The full service traditionally involves seven priests, seven Gospel readings, seven prayers. In practice, most parishes don’t have seven priests standing around, so the service is adapted. One priest reads all seven sections. What matters isn’t the number of clergy but the prayer of the Church and the anointing with holy oil blessed for healing.
People often ask if they should go to Confession first. It’s a good idea, especially during Holy Week when Unction is part of your preparation for Pascha. The Mystery includes prayers for the forgiveness of sins, healing and forgiveness are bound together in Orthodox understanding. We don’t separate body from soul the way modern medicine does. But talk to your priest about preparation. Some people fast beforehand. Some don’t, depending on their health. There’s pastoral flexibility here.
If you’ve never been to a Holy Unction service, expect something quieter than Divine Liturgy but no less powerful. The priest reads Scripture passages about healing. He prays over the oil. Then people come forward, and he anoints their forehead, chin, cheeks, hands, making the sign of the Cross with oil while calling on God’s mercy. It’s intimate. It’s ancient. And it’s for you, whether you’re facing something dire or just carrying the ordinary brokenness of being alive in Southeast Texas in 2025.
Don’t wait until you think you’re sick enough. The Church offers this Mystery because she knows we all need healing, and God’s grace isn’t rationed. If Holy Wednesday rolls around and you’re wondering whether you should go forward, go forward. If you’re facing something hard and you think Holy Unction might help, ask your priest. That’s what it’s there for.
