Seasons of Grace
The New York Catholic Conference, with a generous grant from Our Sunday Visitor, has announced an important website which explains end-of-life issues from a Catholic perspective.
CatholicEndOfLife.org can help individuals facing the end of life and their families to navigate the end-of-life questions and challenges, and bring peace to a stressful situation. The site provides links to trustworthy resources, guidance, and support from Catholic sources all across the country.
The site isn’t just for New Yorkers. I was surprised that I could click on the map and immediately find all the information I needed for programs and laws here in Michigan: Guidelines for End-of-Life Decisions for patients, physicians and family, and the Durable Power of Attorney for healthcare, as prepared by the Michigan Catholic Conference to conform to Michigan law.
At your fingertips, you’ll find information on Catholic teaching regarding death and dying, advance directives, and helpful definitions.
From the website:
Talking about death and dying can be difficult and uncomfortable, yet perhaps no conversations are more profound or necessary for all of us. The fact is that most of us will face challenging decisions regarding treatment and care at the end of life, either for ourselves or our family members. This website is designed to offer Catholics moral clarity and guidance on the Church’s teachings regarding end-of-life decision making. Illness and aging, coupled with rapid advances in medical technology, can lead to heightened anxiety when health care decisions must be made.
We hope that this site will help you to navigate the end-of-life questions and challenges that you and/or your loved ones face, and bring peace to a stressful situation. It provides links to trustworthy resources, guidance, and support from Catholic sources all across the country.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York and Chairman-Elect of the USCCB Pro-Life Committee, writes:
“So many families struggle with moral, ethical and legal questions when a loved one is terminally ill or seriously injured. It is my fervent hope that this site provides them with clear explanations and practical guidance that will bring comfort and peace as the end of life draws near.”
The reader can download a pamphlet or a bulletin insert from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops on end-of-life care.
And here is an explanatory video from the website:
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In