EXTREME UNCTION (Let. eXt ICnta inne A sacrament of the Roman Catholic Church, which, as the other sacraments supply spiritual aid in the various circumstances of life, is be lieved to impart to the Christian grace and strength to encounter the struggle, as well spir itual as bodily, of the dying hour. The rite of unction or anointing in different forms is com mon to several of the sacraments: the name 'ex treme' is given to that of the present sacrament because it is reserved for the last net of the Chris tian career. The Council of Trent declares this sacrament. although 'promulgated' in the well known passage of Saint -lames v. 14, 15. to have been 'instituted' by Christ. The fathers fre quently allude to the rite of unction, and al• though many of these allusions certainly refer to the unctions of baptism and confirmation, yet Catholics rely on several passages of Origen, Chrysostom, Ca.sarius of and Pope 'Inno cent 1. as decisive regarding the unction of the dying, as also upon the fact that in the various separated churches of Orient al Christ inns — (:reek. Coptic, Armenian. and Nestorian—the rite is found, although with many evremonial variation:. in the Roman Catholic Church the sacrament is administered by the priest, who, ''dipping his thumb in the holy oil, anoints the sick person, in the form of the cross, upon the eyes. ears, nose, 11101101, hands, and feet, at each anointing making 11-,e of this form of prayer: 'Through this holy unction, and Bis most tender mercy, may the Lord pardon thee whatever sins thou bast committed by thy sight. Amen.'" And so of the hearing and the rest, adapting the form to the several senses. Extreme unction is re puted by Catholics one of the sacraments 'of the living': that is, it ordinarily requires that the recipient should be in a state of grace, or, in other words, should have received the re mission of his sins by absolution or by perfect contrition; but it is held to remit, indirectly, actual sins not previously remitted, and also (although not infallibly, but according to the merciful designs of Providence) to alleviate, and even to dispel, the pains of bodily disease. The
holy oil which forms the 'matter' of this sacra ment must be blessed by the bishop—a ceremony which is performed with great solemnity once each year by the bishop, attended by a number of priests. on Maundy Thursday. The oil so blessed is reserved for use during the year. Formerly several priests united in the administration of the sacrament, and the custom is still main tained in the Greek Church: among Roman Catholics one priest now administers it. The Greek form of words also differs, although not substantially, from that of the Latin Church. The Greeks call this sacrament 'the holy oil,' and sometimes 'the oil of prayer.' Consult: Schanz, Die Lehre son den heiligen Sacramento' (Frei burg. 1893) : Schmitz, De Effectibus Sacramenti Extronce Unctionis (Freiburg, 1893). See UNC TION.
EXUMAS,ks-ZiZinelz. An archipelago in the British West Indies. part of the Bahamas (q.v.), between Andros and Long Island (Map: West In dies, J 3). It comprises the islands of Great Exuma, Little Exuma. and the Exuma Keys, occu pying a total area of about 100 square miles. Little Exuma has one of the best harbors in the Bahama group. The inhabitants are employed partly in agriculture, but chiefly in salt-making. The population of the group is estimated at 2300.