St. Gianna Molla’s daughter to address end-of-life conference
St. Gianna and her daughter Gianna.
Kansas City, Mo., May 24, 2011 / 01:43 am (CNA).-
The youngest daughter of St. Gianna Molla will join Cardinal Raymond L.
Burke in addressing a Kansas City conference on Catholic end-of-life
care on July 23.
Dr. Gianna Emanuela Molla’s mother was declared a
saint in 2004 by the Catholic Church and is known for her heroism in
choosing a risky operation to save her daughter’s life when she was two
months pregnant. The conference marks the first visit to the U.S. for
St. Gianna’s daughter.
The conference, titled “Being Faithful,
Even Unto Death,” will address medical issues surrounding those
suffering and those at the end of their lives. The St. Gianna
Physician’s Guild organized the conference.
“With the help of
Cardinal Burke, we have assembled experts in all areas of medicine, law,
and the Catholic Church to analyze and explain the proper and
obligatory way to provide Catholic care to the most vulnerable and those
who are dying,” said Thomas McKenna, the guild’s founder and president.The
day-long conference is of special interest to physicians, nurses,
hospital directors, hospice care providers, attorneys and others who
provide care and counsel for the disabled and the dying as well as their
families.
“This conference promises to provide an insightful and
inspiring analysis which will greatly assist Catholics confronting the
‘Culture of Death.’ I encourage all to attend,” said Cardinal Burke, who
is head of the Vatican’s highest ecclesiastical court.
Cardinal
Burke will speak on the “mystery” of human suffering and dying in his
keynote address, while Dr. Molla will discuss the spirituality, life and
legacy of her mother.
Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City and Bishop Robert Finn of Kansas City-St. Joseph will also attend the event.
Other
speakers include geriatric specialist Dr. Austin Welsh, Thomas More
Society executive director Peter Breen, Bobby Schindler and Suzanne
Vitadamo.
Schindler and Vitadamo are both siblings of Teri
Schiavo, the severely disabled woman who was deprived of nutrition and
hydration by court order in Florida in 2005. They are the founders of
the Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Network.
Cardinal Burke will
celebrate a special Sunday Mass at 9 a.m. on July 24 in the Cathedral of
the Immaculate Conception in Kansas City, Missouri. A reception open to
the public will follow at the nearby Catholic Center, where Gianna
Emanuela will also speak.
More information about the conference is available at: www.defendingnaturaldeath.org.