Sacrament of healing question

So I have an honest question.

Do any of you have the practice where people lots of bottles of oil and big bags of flour for the Unction service? They are all blessed and people take them home. I was never sure what they do with that - I know that some use it to cook or to make little breads or something. Is it common in other sister Churches?

Here in US, we do the service once during the Great Lent, and rarely for people who are very sick whenever necessary. In Romania, however, some parishes do this weekly and if you count it up we're talking hundreds of bottles of oil a month. What is that?

Now one question is if it is a Sacrament, can it really be taken home?

yes, they can be blessed and brought home. whether or not they should is a different question.

but yes, you can bring it home.

We no longer have the Unction service. It’s apparently not really part of the Holy Week services in the Slavic tradition according to our diocese folks (not exactly sure whose decision it was) so we quit doing it a few years ago. When we did do it, we were required to fast from after lunch.

Interesting to hear of the differences. Father actually got permission from the bishop to add it prior to Nativity for the same reasons we can receive it before Pascha.

As to taking it home, he explained today that they used to allow people to take home a q-tip soaked in the Holy Unction for people who couldn't come in, but because it was a sacrament that wasn't proper and instead he would go anywhere needed to abointcpeople. He did mention the other kinds of oil that can be blessed and used by anyone on anyone.

Oh, we don't have it during Holy Week, never I don't think. It's typically halfway through the Lent or close to that - no fixed date, an it is not mandatory it is up to the parish and the priest.

~Anastasia~ said:

FWIW, we don't have to fast for other Sacraments in our jurisdiction/parish/metropolis? - only the Eucharist (and presumably baptism). But if your priest said to ... I'd hold off till last then ask him before receiving Holy Unction what he advises. Or during Confession if you're having that first.

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Glory to God, I went to Confession, father said it was OK, he there was no way he was making miss Holy Unction, I feel blessed, a recharge of faith. As far as taking some Holy Unction home, father said unless he takes some to the infirmed or sick, it can't leave the Church, since it a sacrament. I guess in the past, people used to be allowed to take some Holy Unction home, from what I heard.

I can't wait till Pascha for the midnight service, and receive the holy gifts.

All4Christ said:

We have a separate line for that - I guess it depends on the church?

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I got the oil after all in the Church received Holy Unction

Orthodoxjay1 said:

Glory to God, I went to Confession, father said it was OK, he there was no way he was making miss Holy Unction, I feel blessed, a recharge of faith. As far as taking some Holy Unction home, father said unless he takes some to the infirmed or sick, it can't leave the Church, since it a sacrament. I guess in the past, people used to be allowed to take some Holy Unction home, from what I heard.

I can't wait till Pascha for the midnight service, and receive the holy gifts.

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Glad it worked out. I can't imagine our priest telling anyone not to receive.

If we were careless to prepare for the Eucharist he would probably say to refrain that time, and then to prepare better from then on.

I once arrived very late to the Divine Liturgy. It was very stormy and my drive is normally about an hour. It had taken much longer and I arrived after the reading of the Gospel. (Technically you are supposed to hear the Gospel if you plan to receive the Eucharist.) I went up last for the Eucharist and told Father I was late and asked whether I should receive. He asked if I was late only because of the storm, and if I had prepared otherwise. I had, and he allowed me to receive the Eucharist. Somehow, it was one of the most moving times I've ever received. I felt very accepted and forgiven.

Other times I've seen people arrive just at the end of the Liturgy after dismissal, having made a special trip to Church to receive on a feast day (for their name day). We had changed the time of our weekday Liturgy to make it earlier. They went up and talked to Father - he had not yet consumed the remainder of the Gifts. I think he allowed them to receive as well.

In our parish, in the past, a small amount had been allowed to be taken home.

This year, it was communicated that Father will keep the blessed Chrism available for those who could not be there yesterday (we had two Unction services yesterday).
For those wanting (insisting) to take some home, it was also communicated they would need to wait until after the service conclusion to approach Father to receive it and the instructions for proper use.

~Anastasia~ said:

Glad it worked out. I can't imagine our priest telling anyone not to receive.

If we were careless to prepare for the Eucharist he would probably say to refrain that time, and then to prepare better from then on.

I once arrived very late to the Divine Liturgy. It was very stormy and my drive is normally about an hour. It had taken much longer and I arrived after the reading of the Gospel. (Technically you are supposed to hear the Gospel if you plan to receive the Eucharist.) I went up last for the Eucharist and told Father I was late and asked whether I should receive. He asked if I was late only because of the storm, and if I had prepared otherwise. I had, and he allowed me to receive the Eucharist. Somehow, it was one of the most moving times I've ever received. I felt very accepted and forgiven.

Other times I've seen people arrive just at the end of the Liturgy after dismissal, having made a special trip to Church to receive on a feast day (for their name day). We had changed the time of our weekday Liturgy to make it earlier. They went up and talked to Father - he had not yet consumed the remainder of the Gifts. I think he allowed them to receive as well.

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Once when I was in Ireland, I visited a Romanian Orthodox Church. I tried to contact them ahead of time but they didn’t have a website or contact details easily found. I didn’t know that in that church you needed to confess each time. I had confessed recently but when I went up for the Eucharist, he asked me some questions and offered to have confession with me afterwards and partake of the Eucharist after confession. It was a beautiful time even with the difficulty of some language barriers and the unusual event to confess to someone I didn’t know. I really appreciated him helping me be able to receive the Eucharist even with the different practices.