« Bishop Matthew of Sourozh performed the fourth Sacrament of Unction at the Dormition Cathedral in London »

On Thursday evening, March 30th, 2023, the fourth Sacrament of Consecration (Unction) was performed at the Dormition Cathedral in London, which was led by the Rector of the church, Right Reverend Bishop Matthew of Sourozh.

His Grace was assisted by Archpriest Maxim Nikolsky, Dean of the Diocesan District of South East England Archpriest Vitaly Polishchuk, Priest Vasily Gandzyuk and Protodeacon Vadim Santsevitch.

After the Sacrament, His Grace Vladyka addressed the clergy and parishioners with words of spiritual edification.

Unction is the Sacrament in which, when the body is anointed with oil, the grace of God is called upon a person, healing spiritual and bodily ailments.  The history of the Sacrament goes back to the Apostles, who, having received from Jesus Christ the power to heal diseases, “anointed many sick people with oil and healed them” (Mark 6:13).

During the Sacrament, seven texts from the Apostolic Epistles and seven from the Gospel are read.  After each reading, the priest anoints the forehead, cheeks, chest and hands of the unctioned person with consecrated oil.  At the end of the last reading of the Holy Scriptures, the priest places the opened Gospel on the head of the sick man and prays for the forgiveness of his sins.

In the Sacrament of Unction, a person receives forgiveness of forgotten or unvoluntary sins, therefore, not only sick people, but also healthy people try to resort to it at least once a year.

The consecration of the oil requires faith and repentance from a person.  After or before the Sacrament of Unction, Orthodox believers, as a rule, try to confess their transgressions and take the Holy Communion.  Those wishing to be healed of a disease, must first of all get rid of their sins.

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