a chartered guild of the Catholic Medical Association
Thank you to Fr. Tedesche and Fr. Healy for helping to make the conference a huge success!
Fr. Jack introducing our amazing Comfort Care Homes here in Western NY
For more on Comfort Care Homes, see here: https://compassionandsupport.org/palliative-care-hospice/homes-for-the-dying/
GIORGIO BRACAGLIA
Please attend this unique presentation by Shroud forensic expert Giorgio Bracaglia who will describe evidence on the Shroud of Christ’s four wounds: Crown of Thorns, Scourging, Wrist Wounds, and Pierced Side. Segments of the award-winning documentary on the Shroud, titled “The Silent Witness,” will be shown, and documentary Director David Rolfe will Skype in from Europe to join Giorgio Bracaglia for an interactive Q&A session with the audience.
Thursday, February 28, 2019, from 5:30-8:00 pm
St. Bernard’s School of Theology and Ministry
120 French Rd, Rochester, NY 14618
Light appetizers start at 5:30 pm
Shroud presentation from 6-7: 30 pm
Dessert and conversation until 8 pm.
Being the first day of a new year, it is natural to reflect on the events of the past year and consider what the upcoming year may bring. The Guild certainly had an active 2017! We sponsored two evening presentations at St Bernard’s, discussing Medical Missions in May and a Catholic perspective on Physician Assisted Suicide in September. Both events were well attended and most successful. We cosponsored Peter Colosi’s talk on Euthanasia in August as well. Our annual summer Soiree was a most pleasant evening marked by beautiful weather and gracious company. I especially enjoyed being able to introduce our Guild to Physicians, Nurses and Healthcare workers who were not previously aware of our presence in the community.
As you may know, the Guild is a Chartered member of the Catholic Medical Association. The CMA is a national organization that attends to a myriad of concerns on a wider scale than any local Guild could possibly achieve. The CMA sponsors a Mid Year Forum that is focused on building stronger Guilds. I was able to attend this meeting for a second year in a row, and continue to find it a valuable investment of time. The main event of the CMA is their annual meeting, this year held in Denver. The theme was “Medicine at the Service of Marriage and the Family”. The topics addressed were wide ranging, from the Truth of the Human Person to avoiding Burnout to NFP to Bioethics to the Cultivation of a Healthy Society, among scores of other presentations. Fellow Board members Jean Parker and Angela Maupin were able to attend as well and we were able to network with many other Guild and CMA members from thoughout New York State. A highlight during the conference was the announcement that the New York Appellate Court unanimously rejected the argument that PAS is a constitutional right.
Our Guild is always looking to grow in membership and increase it’s visibility in our area. Our intent is to make our evening programs of interest to our Catholic community, as well as the community at large. We reach out to our Medical Students and Residents, as well as other health care students, to inform them of our presence and serve as a resource to them on their personal and professional journeys. We hope to sponsor a Physician in training to attend the CMA’s Boot Camp this upcoming summer. We have sponsored tables at the Rochester Men’s and Women’s Conferences to introduce ourselves to those audiences.
Our Board is active and committed in the pursuit of making the Guild relevant to our community. I am sorry to say that our Vice President, Ellen Dailor, M.D.. will be leaving the Rochester area for a new position in Florida. We will miss her greatly. I am thrilled, however, to welcome four new members to our Board in the near future. Drs. Angela Maupin, Thomas Carroll and Bryan Stanistreet and Sue Moncynski, RN will bring a healthy, young energy to the Board, which we will all appreciate.
Looking ahead to 2018, I am excited to announce that the Finger Lakes Guild, together with the Buffalo and Syracuse Guilds, will be sponsoring a day long conference entitled “Catholic Perspectives on Modern Day Health Care” this May 5, 2018. We have an outstanding schedule of speakers, including Wesley Smith J.D., Anne Nolte, M.D., Father Robert McTeigue, S.J., PhD., and Thomas Carroll, M.D. The event will take place at the RIT Inn and Conference Center and will include celebration of the White Mass. Please be sure to mark this on your calendar today and look for further information on our Website in the upcoming months.
It has been a privilege to be involved with the Finger Lakes Guild and I look forward to working with you as we undertake new endeavors this upcoming year. For your part, I would ask you to stay involved. Join the Guild (see our website to access the 2018 membership form). Come to our events. Talk to a colleague or student about us. Invite them to join the Guild and attend one of our events with you. And by all means, join us in prayer that the Guild will continue to grow and be successful in all it’s endeavors!
Are you a Medical Student or Resident looking to deepen your understanding of how your Catholic Faith can guide you in your personal and professional journey as a Physician? Do you wonder how to respond to the challenges extended by your colleagues when the subject of the sanctity of human life is broached?
If so, perhaps we should ship you off to Boot Camp! No, we are not referring to a months long endless program of pushups and 10 mile long runs wearing a 40 pound backpack. We are referring to a one week long program sponsored by the Catholic Medical Association.
The goals are to assist Catholic medical students to:
The 2018 Boot Camp is scheduled for June 18-24 in Mundelein, Illinois. The Finger Lakes Guild will be proud to sponsor a Medical Student or Resident, so there will be no cost to attend.
Check out more about the Boot Camp by visiting the website of the CMA at Cathmed.org. If you are interested, be sure to contact the Guild. You may use this contact form:
Boot Camp. A great chance to get into awesome (spiritual) conditioning!
When the Guild Board planned the 2017-18 calendar, we had thought to schedule our White Mass for this Fall. We even made some initial announcements that the White Mass would be scheduled for Saturday, October 28 at St Anne’s Church. Since then, we have been busy planning a day long conference on Health Care issues of concern to the Catholic community scheduled for May 5, 2018. The Board has rescheduled the White Mass for that afternoon, and therefore the White Mass will NOT take place this upcoming Saturday. We hope to celebrate this most important Mass with you next Spring, instead.
My apologies for any confusion in this regard.
Richard Seeger, M.D.
President
Finger Lakes Guild