From Forums of the Virgin Mary [translated]:
Catholic Healing Oils: what they are, how to obtain them, how to prepare them.
Welcome, dear brothers!
To those who follow the work of this team daily and to those who are joining now.
Today we want to talk about the long Catholic tradition of healing oils.
Mark 6 records that Jesus asked the Apostles to use oil to perform miraculous healings.
Jesus called the twelve and began to send them out two by two to preach the gospel and to heal, giving them authority over unclean spirits.
The healing was through the application of oil, as narrated in the Gospel of Mark 6:13, “they anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them,” he says.
From there derives the tradition of healing oils.
Here we will talk about the different types of healing oils in the Catholic tradition, how they actually heal, where to get them, and even how you can prepare them.
They are often collected from the tombs of saints, or created by placing a first-class relic inside a tub of oil, or in front of an image of a saint.
And there are also oils created with ingredients from nature, which have been recommended in private revelations for healing.
And then there are the institutional oils of the church, for example those blessed by the bishops on Holy Thursday: the Holy Chrism, the Oil of Catechumens and the Oil of the Sick.
But it is essential to keep in mind that it is not the oil that heals, but the power of God through the intercession of the Church or a saint.
The same thing happens with the water that springs from the Lourdes fountain, or in other places of apparitions.
They are attributed with great healing powers, but it is not the water that heals as such, but rather the Virgin has arranged these springs to bring graces to whoever comes with faith.
There are a variety of traditional Catholic oils associated with Saints, with strong evidence of being healing. [scroll for more:]
There is the famous oil of Saint Nicholas, the saint who started the tradition of Santa Claus or Father Christmas.
His relics are located in Bari, Italy.
And from his tomb drips an oil that is collected every year on May 9 and distributed among the faithful.
Sometimes it is called “manna” and, for hundreds of years, it has been collected, mixed with holy water, bottled in small glass jars decorated with icons of the saint, and given to the faithful.
Something similar happens with Saint Walburga Oil.
For a thousand years, a mysterious humidity has accumulated each year on the relics of Saint Walburga , in the abbey in Germany where they rest.
This oil from Walburga is considered a sign of her continued intercession.
It is collected and given to the pilgrims.
And the healings attributed to the intercession of Saint Walburga are abundant.
Another is the Oil Painting of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux.
The first-class relics of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux are immersed in a tub of rose oil, while prayers of intercession are recited over them.
This oil has been distributed all over the world and has been a source of miracles.
There is also Santa Ana Oil.
This oil comes from a lamp that burns in front of the tomb of Saint Anne.
The oil is blessed by a priest and then distributed worldwide.
Many claim miraculous healings through it.
Another is the Oil of Saint Charbel that exudes from his tomb in Lebanon.
And there have been many miracles attributed to the intercession of the saint.
We also have the Oil of Saint Philomena.
On August 10, the oil is blessed by the local bishop at the Sanctuary of Saint Philomena in Italy, where her body rests.
The oil is near his relics when it is blessed, and then it is distributed to the pilgrims.
This sacramental of Saint Philomena has a long history of interceding for desperate cases and many healings.
And in the Garden of Olives, in the Holy Land, guarded by the Franciscan friars, they give a small flask of oil, as a sacramental for healings, produced by those same trees that saw Christ sweat blood.
And in that tradition we have the oil that was popularized by the work done by Saint André Bessette in Quebec, with the oil of Saint Joseph.
This humble doorman from a Canadian congregation is considered the one who has achieved the most miracles through the intercession of Saint Joseph in any era.
The oil came into his hands through a private revelation from Saint Joseph.
The image of Saint Joseph had small oil lamps, and when these were about to run out, Saint Andrew would place the oil in a larger container and refill the lamp.
Then he would bottle the oil in small jars and consecrate them to Saint Joseph by placing them under the altar of Saint Joseph, asking for his intercession.
And then he would distribute them among the sick.
Well, that’s all we wanted to say about the healing oils that exist in the Catholic tradition.