This news involves a topic that some people avoid. Yet others see it as a fascinating bookend to life. So bring your natural curiosity, compassionate concerns and questions to the next quarterly USTMAX Center Luminary Lecture: A Keynote Address and Panel Discussion on Holistic Catholic Reflection and Preparation for Death/End of Life Bioethics. Join this free USTMAX educational opportunity on Thursday, Sept. 29, from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m., in the Parish Life Center at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 704 Old Montgomery Road, in Conroe. Light refreshments will be served.

Modern Advances Result in Ethical Issues

The speech and discussion will be timely. They stem from the modern advances in biology, medicine and technology that result in ethical issues and call for moral discernment, as well as a Catholic legal perspective on end of life and estate planning.

All are invited to hear from these experts:

• Dr. Steve Jensen, UST-Houston Professor of Philosophy. His areas of expertise include Ethics, Biomedical Ethics, Natural Law and Thomas Aquinas.
• Tom Mendez, Esq. '09, attorney with the Kalish Law Office in The Woodlands and a volunteer with the Medical-Legal Partnership at Texas Children’s Hospital
• Chaplin Nanette Coons, Interim Director of Catholic Chaplain Corps. 
• Larry Rice, Esq. '93; Rice, Rice, and Rice, PC

Catholic Moral Teaching on End-of-Life Care

Discussion will include Catholic moral teaching on end-of-life care and euthanasia. Attendees will learn the distinction between ending a life and allowing someone to die — and the difference between ordinary and extraordinary care. And the benefits and burdens of various treatments. Those who have friends or relatives in critical conditions are those who will learn most from the opportunity.

Loving the Least Among Us

Dr. Jensen says, “We must learn to love the least among us, even those who seem to offer little to us or the world on account of their disability or debilitation.”

With complex moral cases, Dr. Jensen said the most important thing is that we learn to change ourselves to love others even in difficult situations—and that the teaching concerning end-of-life treatment is really a teaching about love.

“This goes straight to the core of who we are as human persons and how we approach life’s difficult decisions, for ourselves as well as those we love and serve,” stated Dr. Carla E. Alsandor, senior director of USTMAX Center. “I invite everyone to join us as we explore this topic through a Catholic lens.” 

USTMAX Center is pleased to provide quarterly Luminary Lectures presented by UST faculty, local area clergy and lay professionals as part of its community enrichment opportunities. Luminary Lectures are recorded for future access here.