Originally published at crisis magazine
For Catholic medical professionals, the annual conference of the Catholic Medical Association provides much needed educational and spiritual sustenance. This year’s event, which was recently held in Orlando, was no exception. On my drive home, I reflected on the blessing of this much-anticipated autumnal event, which offers Catholic medical professionals an energizing blend of medical education and spiritual retreat, fraternity and fellowship.
The ability to take a break from the hostility of the secular medical culture, and to speak with candor and truth among colleagues, is sorely needed among Catholics in health care during these troubling times in medicine. At what other professional conference can one hear captivating talks focusing on scientific and theological truth about the pressing medical issues of our day while also attending daily Mass and participating in Confession, 24-hour Eucharistic Adoration, and the veneration of relics of Sts. Padre Pio and Catherine of Siena?
The theme of this year’s conference was “Imago Dei: Made in His Image,” emphasizing the cornerstone Catholic doctrine of the dignity of the human person that is indispensable to Catholic health care. Whether speaking about prenatal care, the care of those facing infertility, or of people with disabilities, the presentations’ repeated emphasis
