When should you receive the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick or request it for a family member? Catholics should receive the Anointing of the Sick as soon as they begin to be in danger of death from sickness, old age, or before a serious surgery. It is not just for the dying; you can -- and should -- request it early. When the Sacrament is given, the hoped-for effect is that, if it be God's will, the person be physically healed of illness. But even if there is no physical healing, the primary effect of the Sacrament is a spiritual healing by which the sick person receives the Holy Spirit's gift of peace and courage to deal with the difficulties that accompany serious illness or the frailty of old age.