Correct Answer: Four times
John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States, faced life-threatening situations on several occasions well before his presidency and assassination. Remarkably, he received the Catholic Church’s last rites four times due to serious health crises, each instance reflecting both his fragile health and his incredible resilience.
The first time Kennedy received the last rites was during his early childhood. At just two years old, he contracted scarlet fever, a severe and often fatal illness at the time. The situation was so dire that a priest was summoned to administer the last rites, anticipating the worst outcome. However, Kennedy’s family managed to secure him a place in Boston City Hospital where he underwent extensive treatment, ultimately recovering after a lengthy hospital stay and isolation period.
Kennedy’s second experience with the last rites occurred during World War II when he served as a Navy lieutenant. His patrol boat, PT-109, was struck and severed by a Japanese destroyer in the Solomon Islands. The violent collision resulted in serious injuries among the crew and a desperate survival situation. Kennedy heroically helped lead his crew to safety, but the ordeal left him physically and medically compromised, prompting the administration of the last rites given his grave condition.
The third and fourth instances were linked to Kennedy’s battle with Addison’s disease, a chronic condition that affects the adrenal glands. He first received the last rites in London in 1947 after being hospitalized with a severe Addisonian crisis. Later, during a trip across Asia, Kennedy again faced a life-threatening episode of the disease in Tokyo. His condition deteriorated to such an extent that he was administered the last rites once more, as his prospects of recovery were uncertain.
