It's also called 'last rites' and 'holy unction' or sometimes/more modernly 'the annointing of the sick' and used to be reserved for those on the brink of death - or sometimes freshly dead, tho that's not quite cannon.
In todays catholic church, it's not so much a brink of death thing, but a 'hope this helps' sort of thing and can be used in various degrees of illness - that is, it's no longer restricted to the immediately terminal.
My mom's an ex nun who teaches sunday school - I pick stuff up.
I don't know what the joke would have been, some sort of pun I suppose.
I would think that it is more difficult to determine whether or not someone is "on the brink of death", rather than just that they're very ill, so it makes more sense as a "hope this helps" thingie.
Re: Extreme unction
In todays catholic church, it's not so much a brink of death thing, but a 'hope this helps' sort of thing and can be used in various degrees of illness - that is, it's no longer restricted to the immediately terminal.
My mom's an ex nun who teaches sunday school - I pick stuff up.
I don't know what the joke would have been, some sort of pun I suppose.
- Karen
Re:extreme unction
Now I have to figure out a joke that hooks that to a bucket of semen, other than the painfully obvious. We were discussing church desecration, right?
Re: extreme unction
Welcome to X-TREEEEEEME UNCTIONNNNNNN!
Re: Extreme unction