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My pastor told me about this custom. I think he had read it somewhere but I don�t know if it was from a rubric in one of the liturgical books. I�ll try to ask him tomorrow if there is a chance.

His opinion (maybe based upon what he read) was that those who were guilty of minor sin would accept the first Anointing and receive the Eucharist throughout the Fast. Those who needed to do serious repentance would fast and repent for the 40 days, then take Confession and Anointing on Holy Wednesday in preparation for the Eucharist on Holy Thursday morning at the Vespers and Divine Liturgy.

I welcome the input of any and all historians!

For what it's worth, the Romanian Orthodox parish in London does the Anointing Service on the first four Fridays in Great Lent - I know this as I am a regular singer at the kliros whenever I'm in London.

What was curious was the willingness of the priests to anoint me, knowing me to be a Greek-Catholic, every single time. No eyelids batted even among the congregation. Perhaps 'willingness' is the wrong word, as the priest came round the after every Gospel and would beckon me with a smile to be anointed.

Whence came the practice of doing the service on the first four Fridays in Lent, I know not. They usually do the Akathist Hymn on usual Friday evenings. They also do the anointing with cotton swabs.

One partial explanation regarding the use of the Holy Anointing service in the Pecherska Lavra and those liturgical books produced by or influenced by the Pecherska Lavra was that they retained many particular usages from the Studite Typikon, which in turn reflects Constantinopolitan use.

When I have attended this in the past at the OCA parish, there was no Presanctified, only the Anointing Service itself using the little books put together by Fr. David Abramtsov of blessed memory (also used by the Antiochians). It is a "paraklitic" or moleben-esque service starting with Psalm 142, Psalm 50, a Canon, etc.
FDD

Among Romanian Orthodox, anointing (both sacramental and otherwise) is very popular. Romanians will typically anoint on the head and hands after Divine Liturgy and other services with "Sfintu Mir", and celebrations of "Sfintu Maslu" (Holy Unction) are frequently served. I was surprised to find out that many Romanians participate in Unction more frequently than the Eucharist! The popularity of the sacrament accounts for the crowds drawn to celebrations thereof: in Cluj, I was told that Bishop Vasile, the "missionary bishop" for the diocese, would serve Holy Unction weekly at the St. Pantileimon Free Clinic for 200-300 people at a time.

Dave

Some information on the Anointing of the Sick in Holy Week may be found in an article by Elie Melia, "The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick: Its Historical Development and Current Practice," in Temple of the Holy Spirit (New York 1983), on pages 158-160.
The Byzantine Church has always been much more liberal on who can be anointed than the West. The fact is that often when a sick person was anointed, other members of the houshold, and even the concelebrating priests were also anointed. The practice of anointing the whole Church on Holy Thursday probably derived from this.
My notes on the Anointing give more information:
The general anointing of the faithful on Holy Thursday, as a preparation for Pascha. This causes some difficulties for the Roman Catholic theology of anointing, which insists that there an actual illness must be present for anointing to be given.
For the Byzantine practice, the theology grew that we are all sick, if not physically, at least spiritually. This development was logical from the texts of the prayers themselves. Thus, in 1118, in a Typicon promulgated for the monastery of nuns of St. Mary Full of Grace (founded by the Empress Irene), the anointing, performed by priests, was prescribed for Lazarus Saturday. This anointing was given on various days of Holy Week, but finally settled on Holy Thursday (the day the Oil of the Sick is blessed in the Roman Rite). It was most widespread in Greece, but spread also to other Byzantine countries. In Russia, the anointing was given with the full rite, but with the formula, "The blessing of our Lord and God and Savior..." Demetrius of Rostov,commenting on James 5:14, said that the sacred text could be extended to all the sicknesses of the soul.
The restriction of Anointing to the seriously sick led to some conflicts between East and West. During the Latin occupation of Constantinople, Innocent IV (1254) forbade priests and confessors to impose anointing as a satisfaction for penance. This was aimed directly at the Greek bishops in Cyprus and was delivered to the Apostolic Delegate there. The letter had no effect. In the 18th century, Pope Benedict XIV published an edition of Byzantine liturgical books, quite faithful to their tradition. It was recommended to him the "the error of the Greeks" (anointing those not seriously ill) be amended in the text itself, but he did not do this, instead putting a warning against anointing those who were not ill in the preface to the Euchologion. He forbade the practice in his Bull Ex Quo Primum (1756). The Ruthenian Church had dropped the practice of the Holy Thursday anointing since the Synod of Zamosc (1720), though it has been restored recently in most places.
Peter Mohila forbade the anointing of anyone except the sick (not specifically against Holy Thursday, but the custom of anointing everyone present):
This sacrament ought to be given only to the sick, who are in danger of death and have the use of reason (i. e. have attained the age of reason). Dare never to give it to the healthy, for the Apostle ordered it to be given only to the sick ... consequently, O priest, when you administer this sacrament, do not anoint yourself nor the others who are in good health, but only the sick person to whom the sacrament is given."
The Melkites have kept the practice of Holy Thursday anointing, but with the formula, "The servant of God (name) is anointed for the forgiveness of sins and for life everlasting." In 1930 the Holy See permitted the use of this rite for Russian Catholics (i.e., to one Russian Catholic priest, Fr. Sergius Wereguine).

Since writing these notes, I have felt that its celebration on Holy Thursday may be connected with the Epistle read at the Divine Liturgy on that day- 1 Corinthinas 11:30, where St. Paul says that many are sick from an undiscerning reception of the eucharist. The anointing would be n acknowledgement of our unworthiness, and the remedy for the resulting "sickness"

Thank you Father David for your enlightening post.

Have a blessed remainder of the fast and a good Resurrection.

In IC XC,
Father Antthony+