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Rites


A rite or ritual is an established, ceremonial, usually religious, act. Rites in this sense fall into three major categories:

Within Christianity, "rite" often refers to what is also called a sacrament but should refer to the ceremonies associated with the sacraments. In Roman Catholicism, for example, the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick is one of the three that are sometimes referred to as "the last rites", because they are administered to someone who was dying. The other two are Penance and Eucharist (administered as Viaticum in the case of a dying person). Since the Second Vatican Council, Anointing of the Sick is administered to those who are seriously ill but not necessarily in immediate danger of death.

The term "rite" became widely used after the Second Vatican Council when the traditional sacraments were done away with and replaced with "rites." While "rite" is often used synonymously with "sacrament," it is technically incorrect to say that one received a "rite" because the sacrament is what is received. The ritual consists of the prayers and actions that the minister of the sacrament performs when administering a sacrament. Therefore, it is incorrect to say that one has received "the last rites" as that person has really received "the last sacraments" by a minister following a ritual that has performed the "sacramental rite."

The 39 Articles the Anglican Communion and the Articles of Religion of the Methodist Church state "there are two Sacraments ordained of Christ our Lord in the Gospel, that is to say, Baptism and the Supper of the Lord". The word rite is often applied to what are also sometimes known as the five lesser sacraments: "confirmation, reconciliation (confessions of sins), matrimony, holy orders and anointing of the sick".


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