Tech Forum

Does anyone know if the church has a policy on when/if to dispose of consecrated oil? Is there a time period where the oil no longer is healthy to use in blessings?

BrittenHamilton wrote: ↑Fri Oct 11, 2024 8:45 am Does anyone know if the church has a policy on when/if to dispose of consecrated oil? Is there a time period where the oil no longer is healthy to use in blessings?

I'm also not aware of anything, even "unofficial", regarding disposal or shelf-life of consecrated oil. Since GHB 18.3 states that no approval is needed for a Melchizedek Priesthood holder to consecrate oil, by extension it seems individual members can use their discretion to determine those aspects.

BrittenHamilton wrote: ↑Fri Oct 11, 2024 8:45 am Is there a time period where the oil no longer is healthy to use in blessings?

Since the application of the oil is external, I'm having trouble thinking of a health concern.

Clearly, when it no longer pours correctly, it's time to replace it. That's probably going to be sooner for a oil vial carried on one's keyring.

Oil goes rancid and turns cloudy after a certain point in time. So if you notice the rancid smell or the oil has a cloudy appearance, instead of being clear, it might be time to replace it. Depending on how cool I keep the oil, this usually happens within a year.

As a follow-on, GHB 18.13 states that if no consecrated oil is available, administration to the sick can still be performed without the anointing and sealing (I know most MP holders are aware of this). Referring to the O.P., just sharing in the thread in case anyone wonders what to do if (when!) they open their vial to perform an unexpected blessing to the sick, and discover their oil might not be in the best condition. Nobody would want a blessing to not be performed because somebody only has rancid oil, and doesn't think the blessing to the sick can be performed without it.

How to properly dispose of consecrated oil.

I searched in the Handbook but did not find anything on the specific subject.

(A similar/related question has been discussed in another thread, so I'll try to merge the posts in this thread into that one. It appears the merge was successful.)