In 2008 I was taking care of my elderly and terminally ill mother in my home. She had left the Church in the 1940s, to marry my father, who was not Catholic but an unbaptized Jєω. She did not reject the Catholic Faith in her heart, in fact she often spoke very lovingly of the Faith, and it was one of the things that inspired me to find the True Faith and convert (which I did, via the traditional movement in existence at the time when I was a teen...the 1970s).

On Palm Sunday, I awoke to a movie about St Joan of Arc which my husband had left on the TV and gone out. I woke up to the scene where she was being told she would not be able to receive the Last Rites because they were burning her as a heretic. The look of horror that came over her face reminded me of my mother, that there was a chance she might die without being reconciled to the Faith.

I could not locate a traditional priest, and I knew her time was short. So, I contacted the local novus ordo parish and specifically asked for a very elderly priest, figuring he would have been ordained prior to 1968, when they changed the rite for ordination.

They sent over a priest who looked to be in his late 70s, and when I asked him, he said he was ordained in 1959 (which I took as a sign, since that is when I was born!)

I asked him, begged him, actually....if he would use the traditional rite for Extreme Unction, and to me surprise, he said he would, and he did! I was very emotionally upset at the time, but I do recall it sounded traditional.

My mother died two days later, on St Patrick's Day. My mom had always told me that people who die during Holy Week go straight to Heaven....I don't know where she got that from, but isn't it strange that that is when she died?

But did I do the right thing? I have wondered for the last 3 years.

Quote from: Anna1959

In 2008 I was taking care of my elderly and terminally ill mother in my home. She had left the Church in the 1940s, to marry my father, who was not Catholic but an unbaptized Jєω. She did not reject the Catholic Faith in her heart, in fact she often spoke very lovingly of the Faith, and it was one of the things that inspired me to find the True Faith and convert (which I did, via the traditional movement in existence at the time when I was a teen...the 1970s).

On Palm Sunday, I awoke to a movie about St Joan of Arc which my husband had left on the TV and gone out. I woke up to the scene where she was being told she would not be able to receive the Last Rites because they were burning her as a heretic. The look of horror that came over her face reminded me of my mother, that there was a chance she might die without being reconciled to the Faith.

I could not locate a traditional priest, and I knew her time was short. So, I contacted the local novus ordo parish and specifically asked for a very elderly priest, figuring he would have been ordained prior to 1968, when they changed the rite for ordination.

They sent over a priest who looked to be in his late 70s, and when I asked him, he said he was ordained in 1959 (which I took as a sign, since that is when I was born!)

I asked him, begged him, actually....if he would use the traditional rite for Extreme Unction, and to me surprise, he said he would, and he did! I was very emotionally upset at the time, but I do recall it sounded traditional.

My mother died two days later, on St Patrick's Day. My mom had always told me that people who die during Holy Week go straight to Heaven....I don't know where she got that from, but isn't it strange that that is when she died?

But did I do the right thing? I have wondered for the last 3 years.

Yes you did the right thing. Firstly, anything is better then nothing. Secondly extreme circuмstances.

Thank you so much....its been eating away at me for 3 years now. Thank you. :)

Thank you, and yes, you're right. Memento mori.

I did have a TLM said for her after her death; Fr Morrison of the STRC.

I don't thin it would have been wrong to ask any Ctholic priest for the sacraments, but there is no question that what you did was fine.

If I may ask, what is the STRC?

Society of Traditional Roman Catholics. Until recently, Fr Vaillancourt (I think it is) put out a Traditional Catholic newsletter from Washington state. I forget their url, but you can probably Google it.

Edit: Here it is, I just found it: http://www.strc.org/index.html

Yes you did the right thing. Firstly, anything is better then nothing. Secondly extreme circuмstances.

I would like to disagree here.  "Something" is not better than "nothing".  However, in this case, you did indeed get something.  Your mother received a true sacrament of the Catholic Church from a true priest, whatever else he may be.  This is just another example of how Catholicism can still be found in Conciliar structures.  It is getting more and more difficult to do so, but it is still there in pockets and in dusty corners.  

You, indeed, did the right thing.

Quote from: LordPhan

Yes you did the right thing. Firstly, anything is better then nothing. Secondly extreme circuмstances.

I would like to disagree here.  "Something" is not better than "nothing".  However, in this case, you did indeed get something.  Your mother received a true sacrament of the Catholic Church from a true priest, whatever else he may be.  This is just another example of how Catholicism can still be found in Conciliar structures.  It is getting more and more difficult to do so, but it is still there in pockets and in dusty corners.  

You, indeed, did the right thing.

I have been told and read that  a cleric who has a doubtful question on their validity of ordaination should not be sought after the sacrements UNLESS one is in danger of death and noone else to go to.