Holy Unction (The Mystery of Anointing of the Sick)

Holy Unction (Russian: Eleosvyashcheniye or Soborovaniye; Greek: Euchelaion, “prayer-oil”) is the Mystery of anointing the sick with blessed oil for the healing of soul and body, in obedience to the apostolic command in James 5:14-15. In Orthodox understanding, Holy Unction is emphatically not “last rites” reserved for the dying — it is a mystery of healing, available to all the sick. In widespread practice — Russian and Greek alike — it is also administered to all the faithful during Holy Week, for the healing of spiritual and physical infirmities and the forgiveness of forgotten sins.

Tradition: Pan-Orthodox (with Russian Orthodox specifics noted)

Scriptural Foundation

The principal scriptural basis for Holy Unction is the Epistle of James:

“Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders (presbyterous) of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil (aleipsantes elaio) in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.”

(James 5:14-15)

This passage establishes several key elements:

The initiative of the sick person: “Let him call for the elders” — the sick person (or their family) asks for the anointing.
The ministers: “The elders (presbyteroi) of the church” — the anointing is performed by priests (not merely by any believer).
The matter: Oil (elaion) — olive oil, blessed with prayer.
The double effect: Healing of the body (“the Lord will raise him up”) and forgiveness of sins (“if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven”).

Additionally, Mark 6:13 records that the Apostles “anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them,” indicating that the practice goes back to the ministry of the Twelve during Christ’s earthly life.

Theological Meaning

Healing of Soul and Body

Holy Unction addresses the whole person — body and soul — reflecting the Orthodox understanding that the human being is a psychosomatic unity, not a soul imprisoned in a body. Sickness of the body is often related to the condition of the soul, and the healing offered in Unction encompasses both dimensions.

The prayers of the service ask God to:

Heal the physical illness of the sick person
Forgive their sins
Restore them to health and to the community of the Church
Grant them strength in suffering

Not “Last Rites”

It is essential to distinguish Orthodox Holy Unction from the Western practice of “Extreme Unction” or “Last Rites” as it developed in the medieval Roman Catholic Church. The Roman practice came to associate the anointing of the sick primarily (and eventually almost exclusively) with preparation for death — administered to those in danger of death (in periculo mortis). The Second Vatican Council (1963, Sacrosanctum Concilium) reformed this practice, renaming it “Anointing of the Sick” and restoring its healing dimension, but the popular Western association of anointing with dying persists.

In Orthodox practice, Holy Unction has never been restricted to the dying. It is administered to anyone who is ill — whether the illness is mild or severe, physical or spiritual. It is a mystery of healing, not of preparation for death. The proper mystery for the dying is the reception of Holy Communion as viaticum (“provision for the journey”).

(Pomazansky, Orthodox Dogmatic Theology, Part II, ch. 8, “The Holy Mysteries or Sacraments,” on Holy Unction)

Forgiveness of Forgotten Sins

One of the distinctive theological elements of Holy Unction in Orthodox understanding is the forgiveness of forgotten sins — sins that the person has committed but has been unable to remember or confess in the Mystery of Repentance. The prayer of James 5:15 (“if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven”) is understood to encompass not only conscious, confessed sins but also those unremembered sins that weigh upon the soul without the person’s awareness.

This understanding gives Holy Unction a particular relationship to the Mystery of Repentance (Confession): Unction completes and supplements Confession by covering those sins that Confession, due to the limitations of human memory, could not address.

The Rite of Holy Unction

The Service

The full service of Holy Unction (Chin Eleosvyashcheniya; Akolouthia tou Euchelaiou) is one of the most beautiful and elaborate of the Orthodox liturgical rites:

Seven priests: The service is ideally performed by seven priests (sobor svyashchennikov — hence the Russian name Soborovaniye, “concelebration”), reflecting the number of elders mentioned (by implication) in James 5:14 and the symbolic significance of the number seven (completeness, the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit). In practice, the service may be performed by fewer priests — even by one, in case of necessity.
Seven Epistle readings, seven Gospel readings, seven prayers, seven anointings: The service consists of seven cycles, each including:
- A prayer
- An Epistle reading
- A Gospel reading
- A litany (petitions)
- An anointing of the sick person with holy oil
The oil: The oil (elaion) is blessed during the service with specific prayers. Wine is traditionally mixed with the oil, recalling the Good Samaritan who poured oil and wine on the wounds of the man left by robbers (Luke 10:34).
The anointing: The priest anoints the sick person on the forehead, nostrils, cheeks, lips, breast, and hands (the specific parts vary somewhat by tradition) with the blessed oil, using a brush or cotton-wrapped stick.
The Gospel book: At the conclusion of the service, the open Gospel book is placed upon the head of the sick person (or persons), and a prayer of absolution is read.

Abbreviated Forms

In cases of urgent necessity (a severely ill person who cannot endure the full service), an abbreviated rite may be used, with a single priest performing one or more anointings with abbreviated prayers.

Holy Unction During Holy Week

A Pan-Orthodox Custom with Local Variations

Holy Unction is administered communally to all the faithful during Holy Week in most Orthodox traditions, most commonly on Holy Wednesday (the day associated with the sinful woman who anointed Christ’s feet — though the connection of these events is typological, not strictly exegetical). In this communal service:

All the faithful who wish may come forward and receive the anointing — not only those who are physically ill.
The service is understood as a general healing — for physical and spiritual ailments alike — and as granting the forgiveness of forgotten sins.
This practice reflects the broader Orthodox understanding of Unction as not limited to acute physical illness.

This communal Holy Week Unction is by no means uniquely Russian: in Greek and Antiochian parishes the Euchelaion is most commonly celebrated precisely on Holy Wednesday evening, with everyone present invited to be anointed (Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, “Holy Unction,” goarch.org). The general anointing of the whole congregation is a relatively late development of Byzantine practice, attested over roughly the past two centuries. In Russian practice the communal Unction (obshchee soborovanie) is often served not only in Holy Week but also on other days of Great Lent.

ROCOR Practice

ROCOR parishes generally maintain the Russian practice of communal Holy Unction during Holy Week, following the same pattern as the Moscow Patriarchate.

Canonical Provisions

The canons relating specifically to Holy Unction are relatively few compared to other Mysteries:

James 5:14-15 serves as the primary authoritative text.
Various patristic references confirm the practice. Origen (Homilies on Leviticus 2.4; trans. Barkley, FC 83) lists among the means of forgiveness of sins the “hard and laborious” way of repentance, citing James 5:14-15 on the presbyters anointing the sick with oil.
Innocent I of Rome, in his letter to Decentius of Gubbio (AD 416), attests that the oil for the anointing of the sick is blessed by the bishop and confirms the practice as the fulfillment of James 5:14-15 — the most explicit early canonical-epistolary testimony in either East or West.
The service books (Trebnik / Euchologion) contain the full order of the service and constitute the primary liturgical authority.

Relationship to Other Mysteries

Holy Unction stands in relationship to several other Mysteries:

Confession: Unction supplements Confession by forgiving forgotten sins and addressing the spiritual dimension of illness.
The Eucharist: The sick person, if possible, should receive Holy Communion before or after Unction — the Eucharist remains the supreme means of healing and communion with Christ.
Baptism: Some Fathers describe Unction as a “renewal” or “restoration” of the baptismal grace that has been wounded by sin and sickness.

References

James 5:14-15.
Mark 6:13.
Pomazansky, Michael. Orthodox Dogmatic Theology. Platina: St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, 1994. (Part II, ch. 8, “The Holy Mysteries or Sacraments.”)
Ware, Kallistos. The Orthodox Church. London: Penguin, 1993.
Schmemann, Alexander. For the Life of the World. Crestwood: SVS Press, 1973.
The Trebnik (Book of Needs) / Euchologion, Order for the Anointing of the Sick.
Origen. Homilies on Leviticus 2.4. Trans. Gary Wayne Barkley, Origen: Homilies on Leviticus 1–16, Fathers of the Church 83. Washington, DC: CUA Press, 1990.
Innocent I. Letter to Decentius of Gubbio (AD 416).
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. “The Sacrament of Holy Unction” (goarch.org).