The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis has assembled a team of 12 priests ready to administer last rites— confession, communion, and anointing of the sick— to COVID-19 patients.
All the priest-volunteers on the “Anointing Corps,” which launched early this month, are under 50, and most are parochial vicars. The team has anointed at least a dozen patients so far, the archdiocese said May 12.
Auxiliary Bishop Andrew Cozzens, who is spearheading the initiative, told CNA that priests from the Anointing Corps have been called to several nursing homes already.
“The nursing homes, I think, have just been happy that we’re handling it professionally,” Cozzens said.
On some occasions, he said, the anointing priest has been able to “live-stream” the anointing of the sick person to their family outside the nursing home, since they are not able to be there in person.
The Archdiocese of Chicago in early April assembled a team of 24 priest volunteers— all under age 60, and without pre-existing medical conditions— to administer anointing of the sick to Catholics with COVID-19 during the coronavirus pandemic.
The key for the St. Paul and Minneapolis “Anointing Corps”, he said, has been their training and professionalism. In addition to the priests, their archdiocesan team has triage nurses working on it, he said— people who know how to communicate effectively with hospital staff.
“We haven’t been able to get into every nursing home— nor every hospital— because of the protocols, but we’ve been making a lot of progress,” Cozzens said.
The priests on the team have received the same personal protective equipment training as the doctors and nurses, he said.
“The key for us has been convincing the hospitals and nursing homes that we have a really good protocol, and that our priests are trained and know what they’re doing.”
Several of the hospitals and nursing homes where priests have performed anointing, Cozzens said, have been especially welcoming of and grateful for the priests’ ministry.
Most care centers have been helpful in providing the PPE that the priests need in order safely to enter the room and physically touch the patient when anointing them.
“The ones that are really helpful understand the importance of care at the time of death, and have been understanding that for us as Catholics, actual sacramental contact at the time of death is really important. And they’ve been understanding of that reality, and have provided us what we need to be able to do that.”
Cozzens encouraged other local Churches wanting to create their own anointing teams to consult with medical experts and make sure the priests are well trained in what they are being asked to do.
“Having a professional and consistent approach has been the key to hospitals letting us in,” he said.
Father Joseph Gifford, associate pastor of Church of All Saints in Lakeville typically serves as a nursing home chaplain.
His ministry as a chaplain normally would consist of celebrating Mass for the Catholic residents at four or five area nursing homes once or twice a month. In addition, Father Gifford would normally often be called to hear confessions and administer the anointing of the sick to residents.