While many of us are uncomfortable thinking about illness, diability and death, they touch every life. We would like to encourage Catholics to take time to reflect on these difficult situations now before facing a crisis. This way, when illness and death inevitably come to us or to loved ones who are close to us, we can face these difficult times with the comfort and peace of understanding our faith, and knowing our Church is there to embrace us in our hour of need.
If you are looking for education, guidance and resources in making medical decisions for yourself or loved ones, especially in the face of disability, cognitive impairment, life threatening illness or iminent death, consider contacting your parish priest and the National Catholic Bioethics Center https://www.ncbcenter.org/.
As the practice of medicine becomes more and more secularized, it is of utmost importance to turn to the Catholic Church for guidance in order to uphold the dignity of the human person in healthcare and biomedical research.