THEOLOGOS 1/2015 | ŠTÚDIE On June 5, 1960 Pope John XXIII appointed ten working committees with the purpose of more detailed work to prepare the Council Among these committees was the Committee for the Preparation of the Liturgy – Pontifica Commissio de Sacra Liturgia Praeparatoria In November 1960, it was divided into 13 subcommittees, each of which was given the task to develop one of the branches of the schema – later the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy The Sacrament of the Sick was developed by the fifth subcommittee.6 Each subcommittee received a major recommendation, as well as general standards of conduct,7 which was prepared by the Sacred Congregation of Rites In effect the work had to wait until April of 1961 Material relating to the Sacrament of the Anointing, entitled De oleo infirmorum, was presented during the meeting It contained only two points, actually two postulates First: the sacrament should be called „anointing of the sick“ or „oil of the sick“ and that it was not designed for the dying, but for those suffering badly; the second postulate was that the oil of the sick could be repeated for long term illness,8 each of these were explained by the subcommittee Because „the justification of the Subcommittee accounted for a concise program of work on the revision of existing pastoral practice regarding the sacrament of the sick“9, it is worth quoting if only very briefly From the first sentences it can be substantiated that this sacrament originally had a completely different name: oleum benedictum, oleum infirmorum However, this approach varies from the twelfth century, when it begins to change to extrema unctio The name of the sacrament announces the approach of death In the Letter of St James the emphasis is simply to „raise“ both physically and spiritually This is indicated as the fruit of the anointing Such an approach can be found to some extent in the Roman Ritual, where a formula prayer is administered in the final part of the sacramental rite, expressing the hope for recovery Therefore, it would be much better to call it oleum infirmorum, or unctio infirmorum, because here it is not only referring to the thing but also the action Going further, the committee clarified that the anointing, in accordance with the The composition of its members – relator – M Righetti, consultants – A Chavasse, C G Calewaret, C Vagaggini General standards dictated above all: the fuller customizable structure of rites to contemporary religious and social conditions; direction, so that the faithful could better understand and accept the rite of the sacrament For more on the general standards of conduct see: J STEFAŃSKI, Sakrament , s. 32 “Sacrosancta Synodus declaret hoc sacramentum, quod deinceps Unctio infirmorum vel Oleum infirmorum vacabitur non esse sacramentum morientium, sed graviter ægrotantium; Oleum infirmorum in diuturna infirmitate potest iterani.“ Latin text of postulates from: J STEFAŃSKI, Sakrament , dz cyt., s. 33 J STEFAŃSKI, Sakrament , dz cyt., s. 33 13