Categories for Uncategorized
December 15, 2025 9:59 pm
All CMA members are invited to spend three days from March 20-22 with other Catholic health care professionals in a silent retreat to discover how to obtain Intimacy with Jesus Through His Gospel with retreat director and CMA member Sr. Mary Diana Dreger, OP. As both a sister and a medical doctor, Sister Mary Diana embodies how caring for the sick is a core value of the Catholic faith. She hopes that all Catholic medical professionals attending the retreat will encounter Jesus in the Gospel. “In his care for the poor, the sick, the suffering, Jesus invites us into an... View Article
December 15, 2025 9:59 pm
By Frederick Fakhrizadeh, M.D. Pope Leo XIV’s first apostolic exhortation, Dilexi Te, challenges the faithful to approach and interact with the poor in a manner that embraces their dignity and calls us to personal encounter with the poor. This message is particularly urgent today, as global debates on poverty and inequality demand a response rooted in dignity and solidarity. To quote Pope Leo, “No Christian can regard the poor simply as a societal problem; they are part of our ‘family.’ They are ‘one of us.’ Nor can our relationship with the poor be reduced to merely another ecclesial activity or... View Article
December 15, 2025 9:59 pm
As we prepare this Advent to celebrate the Birth of Jesus, our theme for December is For a child is born to us, a son is given us (Is 9:5). The Annunciation to the Shepherds by Dutch painter Nicolaes Berchem (1622-1683) depicts the angel of the Lord announcing the good news to humble shepherds, watching over their flock. We suggest A Mary Christmas by Kathleen Carroll and Cardinal Joseph Zen’s Advent Reflections to help with your preparation. If you don’t have one already, make or buy an Advent wreath. Lighting an additional candle each week answers the question from little ones, “When is Christmas coming?” It is... View Article
December 11, 2025 6:44 pm
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Members and Friends of the Catholic Medical Association, As my term as President of our beloved Catholic Medical Association comes to its appointed end, I write to you with a heart filled with gratitude, humility, and profound joy for the privilege of having served alongside you for the past two years. Together we have stood firm as joyful, faithful witnesses to the Gospel of Life in an age that desperately needs the healing presence of Christ the Divine Physician. We have defended the sanctity of every human life from conception to natural death; we... View Article
November 18, 2025 6:43 am
The vital question of how Artificial Intelligence (AI) will affect the practice of medicine recently drew medical professionals, ethicists and clergy from around the world to Rome to attend the AI and Medicine International Congress, jointly sponsored by the Vatican’s Pontifical Academy of Life (PAL) and the Federation of International Catholic Medical Associations known as FIAMC. “The conference was an opening salvo in looking to better understand the dignity of man in light of this new technology,” said Dr. Craig Treptow, the North American Federation president of FIAMC and a CMA past president. “As Pope Francis wrote in Antiqua et Nova,... View Article
November 18, 2025 6:43 am
The annual White Mass, where health care professionals gathering to worship together, and often to renew their Hippocratic oath, took place around the county in the month of October, when the patron of medicine, St. Luke, is celebrated. What follow are highlights of some of the guild celebrations but is not a comprehensive list. For the Diocese of Corpus Christi, it was the first time the White Mass was celebrated since 2012. With the founding of the Catholic Physicians Guild of Corpus Christi, Guild President Sean Hutzler, M.D., FACEP, FAAEM,, said it was a priority to revive the tradition. Bishop... View Article
November 17, 2025 6:42 am
We are nearing the end of the liturgical year with the celebration of the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe on November 23. Established in 1925 with the encyclical Quas primas, by Pope Pius XI to counter the rise of atheistic communism, the Holy Father stated: “He must reign in our minds, which should assent with perfect submission and firm belief to revealed truths and to the doctrines of Christ. He must reign in our wills, which should obey the laws and precepts of God. He must reign in our hearts, which should spurn natural desires and love God above... View Article
November 17, 2025 6:42 am
After being confronted by the leading Jews on the Feast of the Dedication at Jerusalem, Jesus said, “Scripture cannot be broken,” or set aside. In speaking of heaven, John the evangelist wrote, “Nothing unclean shall enter it.” (Rev 21:27) In other words, nothing impure can directly enter heaven. What does this exactly mean? Remember, Scripture cannot be broken or set aside. Are you completely clean? We are not talking about our bodies but our souls. I for one am not purified completely. I am working on this with the grace of God. Is there anyone who gets on your nerves,... View Article
November 17, 2025 6:42 am
By Jeffrey McGovern, MD, FCCP, FAASM Representatives from CMA Guilds in Pennsylvania met with leadership from the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference of Bishops to address the disturbing and radical House Bills emanating from the current legislature, mostly relating to an aggressive relaxation of abortion laws currently in effect. Eric Failing, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference of Bishops Physician leaders and guild representatives met with Eric Failing, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference of Bishops, on October 29. The Zoom meeting was arranged by Deacon Dr. Bruno Schettini, CMA Regional and State Director for Pennsylvania, and included Deacon Dr. Bruno... View Article
October 16, 2025 8:53 pm
By Dr. Mary Keen Kirchoff The Catholic Medical Association’s 94th Annual Educational Conference last month featured a joint panel of physicians and lawyers to discuss the Church’s social doctrine. This joint gathering marked a significant milestone in fostering interdisciplinary collaboration among Catholic professionals. The integration of legal and medical perspectives enriched the dialogue, underscoring the shared commitment to upholding human dignity within the fields of healthcare and law. The panel discussion provided a unique opportunity for attendees to explore how the principles of Catholic social doctrine can be applied in both medical and legal contexts to address contemporary ethical challenges... View Article
