From a reader…. (edited):
Father,
My sister has been in an Assisted Living Center for some time and was just today transferred to hospice. Her daughter’s family are Nons and her husband is even actually antagonistic to any religious belief.
I was contacted today about my sister’s condition and called the Care Center to request a priest for my sister’s last rights. To my surprise, they had no priest listed and were of no help. They could/ would not even give me the name of a nearby Catholic Church. I went online and called two Catholic Churches. St. ___ had no priest available as theirs was on vacation until the end of the month. They referred me to St. ___. I was connected to ___, who also had no priest as theirs was also on vacation. However, after I asked if my life long Catholic sister might actually not receive the last rights, she said she would find a priest. She called back a short time later and told me that a retired priest agreed to visit my sister. I just received a call from the Care Center that Father ___ was with my sister!!
I suggested to the Care Center that they should alert Father to how many Catholic residents were there and in need of a priest. They indicated that they would do so.
It never entered my mind that Catholic residents of Nursing homes, Assisted Living and Hospice Centers might have no access to the support of a priest.Please ask your readers to follow up with their loved ones in the various care centers. I cannot express how relieved I am that I discovered this in time. Do not take no for an answer. It took me several hours but a priest was found. What a sad state for our Church.
-signed-
