End of Life Issues

The Office of Life, Peace, and Justice assists parishes with ensuring the creation and development of sacramental services and ministries to Catholics in all nursing homes and assisted living facilities located in all civil parishes in the Diocese of Baton Rouge.  It is the goal of our diocese that the people living in these facilities have regular opportunities to receive the sacraments, to receive Holy Communion, and to have people available to pray with them.  For this to be accomplished it requires not only our priests and deacons, but also volunteers to assist with the coordination of visits and services, to distribute Communion, and to lead individuals and groups in prayer.  

As with nursing home ministry, the Office of Life, Peace and Justice aims at ensuring that our Catholic brothers and sisters are ministered to when they are hospitalized or receiving hospice care.  This is accomplished by working with Church Parishes, hospitals, and hospice agencies to identify patients who would like to receive the Eucharist, who face a serious illness or surgery and would like to receive the Anointing of the Sick or who need to receive the “Last Rites” or Viaticum, in which the Church offers Holy Communion as food for their journey home.  Hospital / hospice ministry provides another opportunity for volunteers who are interested in helping to minister to the sick through distribution of Communion and opportunities to lead the sick in prayer.    

*Contact Randall Waguespack at rwaguespack@diobr.org for more information or if you, or a loved one, are in need of Anointing of the Sick/Last Rites.

• A Guide to Anointing of the Sick - created the the Diocese of Baton Rouge

• Patients Rights Council - Addressing Euthanasia, Assisted Suicide, Advance Directives, Disability Rights, Pain Control & more

• Center for Medical Ethics by LA Right to Life Federation

• Louisiana Legal Protection Regarding End of Life - provides links to LA laws, by LA Right to Life Federation