We are sorry to say that this event has been canceled due to a scheduling conflict at the Cathedral.
Remember to register for Catholic Conversations: Death with True Dignity on January 15!

For more information please email michael.kristan@dor.org
We are sorry to say that this event has been canceled due to a scheduling conflict at the Cathedral.
Remember to register for Catholic Conversations: Death with True Dignity on January 15!
For more information please email michael.kristan@dor.org
January 15, 2022 from 8:30am to 1pm
We are excited to announce that, in cooperation with Mt. Carmel House, St. Bernard’s and the Diocese of Rochester, the Symposium has been resuscitated!
COVID-permitting we will offer an in-person option, though either way, the Symposium will be available via Zoom.
We welcome you would like to join in-person (COVID permitting) or virtually! Please register here!
We will address important topics and questions around common and challenging end of life issues, including…
…and many more…
![]() The below message is sent by CMA, in partnership with The Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine. Not only is abortion not health care, it is a medical atrocity and a grave legal injustice. Just as slavery and the Dred Scott decision unjustly denied the constitutional right to liberty for individuals based on race; abortion deprives innocent children their right to life based on age alone and the Roe decision has no rational basis in law. The Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine represents more than 30,000 healthcare professionals, including CMA members, committed to promoting and upholding Hippocratic medicine’s fundamental principles. Sincerely in Christ, Steven White, M.D. Chair, Health Care Policy Committee ![]() From the time the original Hippocratic Oath was introduced, there has been a clear separation of medical care from the intentional killing of human beings. The science is clear – at the moment of fertilization, a new distinct, living and whole human being comes into existence. Abortion, which is an action whose sole intent is to end this life, clearly violates the basic tenets of medical ethics. Additionally, abortion treats no disease process and carries significant potential harm for women. The evidence is clear that abortions increase the risk of preterm delivery in future pregnancies, increase a woman’s risk of mental health disorders and suicide and increase her risk of breast cancer if she has not yet had a full-term pregnancy. These risks, and the risks of her dying from abortion related complications, are even higher if the abortion is done in the second trimester and beyond. Our patients deserve better. Despite the politically-motivated lie that abortion is essential healthcare, the fact is that more than 90% of OB/GYN’s do not perform abortions. This is because we all recognize abortion for what it really is – the intentional destruction of human life through barbaric methods. Over the last two years, we have seen the medical community pull together to protect the most vulnerable amongst us. No one is more vulnerable than preborn children, capable of feeling pain and completely dependent on our protection in order to survive. It is time for those of us in the medical profession to boldly defend the lives of all of our patients and demand that our preborn patients be protected and our pregnant patients be empowered instead of lied to. Women and their children deserve our support, not the destruction of abortion. In the nearly 50 years since the Court wrongly decided Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, medical science has progressed significantly and has increasingly supported the pro-life position. It is time that the law of our land caught up with advances in medical science and supported the human rights of all of our patients. We would be wise to heed the words of the late Martin Luther King, Jr: “On some positions, cowardice asks the question: Is it safe? Expediency asks the question: Is it politic? Vanity asks the question: is it popular? But conscience asks the question: Is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic nor popular, but he must take it, because conscience tells him it is right.” ![]() |
On Friday, the latest in court battles reinstated NY’s unqualified mandate.
Given the Supreme Court’s near-simultaneous refusal to hear a similar case from Maine makes it seem like this might be the last word.
We pray for the welfare of our colleagues who will be losing their jobs over this… and for the state of our Republic.
FLG President Tom Carroll will be the featured guest on Catholic Wellness Answers, a webcast of MyCatholicDoctor, on November 9th from 8-9pm. He will be discussing, and taking audience questions on, all things Palliative Care including symptom management, advance care planning, end of life decisions/care, and how to talk to your doctor to make sure your wishes and values are known.
Stay tuned for more details, including the video conference link!
Today Governor Hochul said this: ‘There are not legitimate religious exemptions because the leaders of all the organized religions I have said There’s no legitimate reason and we are going to win that in court in a matter of days.
https://www.whec.com/rochester-new-york-news/300-400-religious-exemptions-at-urmc/6251875/
While it is true that the Pope has endorsed the currently available vaccines, the Governor’s statement is misleading, at least as far as the Catholic Church Teaching is concerned.
While we certainly respect the Pope’s stance and encourage vaccination, it is not true that Church Teaching is unequivocally in support of those currently available.
Now that that Judge Hurd has temporarily stayed the NY ban on religious exemptions to the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for health care professionals, we understand there has been a flurry of such requests locally. We also understand that many have been granted (though we do not know how many total or what percentage).
Our recommendations regarding how to go about requesting a religious exemption are here. If you have any questions you can contact us. We also recommend that you speak with a trusted priest who can help guide you in thinking through this difficult issue.
We recognize that this is a challenging time in many ways. Please know that we are praying for everyone who is struggling, whether with the pandemic generally, the vaccine mandate, or anything else! Always remember that we have recourse to our Lord though the Saints and most especially the Blessed Virgin Mary!
St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist, Pray for Us!
Mary, Comforter of the Afflicted, Pray for Us!
A question we’re frequently hearing, unsurprisingly, is, “When will a morally acceptable vaccine be available?”
With all of the focus on COVID-19 vaccines and their links to abortion-derived fetal cell lines, we thought it would be worth highlighting a few other places where these cells have been used.
Fetal Cells in the Cosmetics, Food, and Medical Industries by Stephanie Hauer
Other vaccines, some of which are nearly universally used in the US without a thought…
And, some places where they’ve been claimed to be used, but incorrectly.