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President’s Update – June 2018

I am happy to report on the tremendous success of our first ever Conference, which took place last month. The Conference, jointly sponsored by all the Guilds of Western New York, was focused on multiple issues affecting all those who practice the art of medicine while trying to adhere to Catholic principles. Over 100 attendees
were enriched by the insights of our speakers, Father McTeigue, Wesley Smith and Drs. Anne Nolte and Thomas Carroll. We are grateful for their insights regarding conscience protection, spiritual concerns, women’s fertility and end of life care.

The evaluations by those in attendance were uniformly positive. There are no other local organizations, besides our Guilds, positioned to address the many moral issues our Society faces regarding protection of the dignity of each and every human being by our health care delivery system. The audience appreciated our efforts to promote the infinite value of the human person, in contrast to a modern culture that seems to march to a steady drumbeat of the exaltation of personal autonomy and relativism.

We would be remiss if we did not express our sincere appreciation for the support and guidance of our Bishops. His Excellency, Salvatore Matano, Bishop of Rochester, celebrated the White Mass to a full crowd following the Conference. Knowing our mission is centered on the absolute Truth, Way and Life of Jesus Christ gives us hope and strength. Our Bishops remind us of our vision of imitating Jesus Christ in our personal and professional lives.

Mario Dickerson, MTS, Executive Director of the Catholic Medical Association, was invited to address us concerning the mission of the CMA. The growth of the CMA has been extraordinary over the recent past. The organization is positioned to address our concerns on a national level and support the growth of the regional Guilds.

The Finger Lakes Guild is committed to supporting all members of the Health Care community seeking to adhere to Catholic values. This recent Conference was evidence of that commitment. Please keep us in your prayers and be sure to include any future events on your calendars.

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President’s Note

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!

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Medical Student and Resident Bootcamp

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:

    1. More fully live and understand the Catholic faith and moral tradition in order to thrive as faithful Catholic physicians.
    2. Develop skills to help organize Catholic support groups within medical schools and residency programs.
    3. Evangelize Catholics and non-Catholics encountered throughout medical training.

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!

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White Mass Rescheduled

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

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An evening of sharing and reflection on medical missions

Thursday, 25 May 2017
7-8:30 PM
St. Bernard’s School of Theology
120 French Rd, Rochester, NY 14618

Speaker Panel:
Father Robert Ring, Chaplain, Finger Lakes Guild
Ellen Dailor, MD, Vice President, Finger Lakes Guild
Richard Seeger, MD, President, Finger Lakes Guild

Students and residents are especially welcome!

Refreshments and reception will follow the talk.
This event is free of charge.

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Medical Mission Trip

We read in the New Testament that the harvest is great, but the laborers are few. This certainly applies to the medical needs of the Third World. While many countries have some highly trained medical personnel and medical facilities, their distribution remains limited and the needs of the poor are frequently inadequately addressed. Thanks to the generosity of many medical personnel in the First World, medical and surgical missions abroad seek to help those most in need, trying to fill in some of the gaps in local health care delivery.

This last month, I was able to volunteer with the Society of Philippine Surgeons in America on their annual mission trip to their home country. My son, Kevin, age 18, was in attendance as well as a volunteer. Our experience was profound and deeply moving. The presence of a deep and prevailing poverty in the beautiful country of the Philippines was in regular evidence. Fortunately, with the support of Bausch and Lomb, we were able to bring medical and surgical supplies of over US$10,000 to be used for the benefit of the most poor. Working with the fine Ophthalmology Residents of Velez Hospital, in the city of Cebu, we performed some 25-cataract operations and left supplies sufficient for another 25 operations after our departure.

I have included pictures taken on our mission trip, to help you visualize the experience. Perhaps you have an inclination to serve on a medical mission trip, or already have served on one? The Finger Lakes Guild welcomes any pictures or experiences you may wish to share. In either case, we hope that you may be able to join us on May 25th at St Bernard’s School of Theology, 120 French Road, Rochester, 14618, at 7 pm for an evening of reflection and sharing on our own medical mission, both here and abroad. Ellen Dailor, M.D. and I will be presenting some our own experiences with foreign medical mission work.

We hope to see you on May 25th. Please feel free to bring friends and colleagues for this evening of sharing. Our Faith is constantly calling us to care for our fellow man in need!

Richard Seeger, M.D.
President, Finger Lakes Guild

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Catholic Women Physicians’ Retreat

The registration for the Catholic Women Physicians Retreat of March 2017 is now open! Attached please find the registration form, which you can print off and mail in, or complete on-line and send by email.

This is our SIXTH annual retreat, and I am very excited about having Father James Brent, OP, as our retreat master. He is planning an outstanding retreat for you. Father’s retreat will have a focus on Our Lady, and how with her help we can grow in closer union to her Son, and so live out our call to holiness in the world.

This couldn’t be more perfect for Catholic women physicians — in practice or retired! And the days of the retreat are in Lent, but include the Solemnity of the Annunciation. The Lord has thought of everything!

And so now He is thinking about having you join Him…..

The registration fee is $280. If you are a resident, and need some financial help, let me know and we can help. And we will also include second-semester fourth-year medical students (if you know of any!).

Please arrive at Bethany between 1:30 and 4:00 pm on Thursday, March 23 (so flights to Nashville should arrive no later than 3:00 pm). On Sunday, March 26, please plan for flights at 3:30 pm or later.

We will of course have adoration and silence as well as fellowship and great food.

In case you didn’t see it, I’m attaching Kathy Raviele’s article from “The Pulse” about the retreat.

We will take registrations on a first-come basis. We have 42 rooms available, 16 of those with private bathrooms.
I am looking forward to seeing familiar faces as well as new retreatants (who have been asking about when the next retreat would be!).

God bless you.

Sister Mary Diana Dreger, OP, MD

2017 CWP registration form

CWP Retreat Pulse Article