The Liturgy Course: The Oil for Anointing of the Sick

Those who visit the sick should help them to pray, sharing with them the Word of God proclaimed in the assembly from which their sickness has separated them.

If you've witnessed the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick lately, you know anointing isn't what it used to be.

On special anniversaries, a married couple may wish to celebrate their union with a blessing at church. Although many parishes organize a "renewal of vows," the liturgy of the Church has always avoided precisely that ceremony.

A Catholic may marry a non-Christian if the proper approvals have been made. Even a catechumen may marry a non-Christian in a Catholic ceremony.

Sometimes a Catholic engaged to a person of a different faith wishes to have the marriage in the fiance's church. Many Catholics believe that this can be done as long as a priest is present for the ceremony.

A couple who were married outside the Catholic Church, but who want the Church's approval of their marriage may do so later in a ceremony they popularly call a blessing.

When engaged couples think about music for their wedding, they often want music they've heard at the weddings of their friends.

Having a Catholic wedding doesn't have to mean having a Catholic Mass. You can celebrate a Catholic marriage in your parish church with a service that does not include a full Mass.

Newly added to the Catholic marriage rite is a prayer for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the bride and groom.