By Patti Corbitt
Special to Inside
Cold, heavy rain did little to wash away the enthusiasm of the group that gathered at Queen of Angels Catholic Church on Wednesday night, Sept. 28, to hear three prominent Respect Life leaders speak on "Quality vs. Quantity: Life and Death from a Catholic Perspective." The round table discussion was hosted by the parish's Respect Life group as part of their semi-annual Life Logic lecture series.
Directed by John Morales, network correspondent for Relevant Radio, the panel — consisting of a doctor, a lawyer and a priest — gave the audience a solid overview on a very large topic during the two hour meeting. The panel members were invited to represent their profession and to apply that perspective to very controversial and emotional subjects: PVS (the "persistent vegetative state"), terminal illness and euthanasia. Dr. William White, former president of the Catholic Medical Association, provided the medical perspective. A member of the archdiocesan bioethics commission, Monsignor Robert Dempsey of St. Philip the Apostle parish in Northfield offered a spiritual perspective. Tom Brejcha, who works downtown as the Chief Counsel of the Thomas More Society's Pro-Life Law Center that takes on pro-life challenges even on a national level, gave a legal point of view.
The group spoke of the power of redemptive suffering, the sacred gift of life, and the very human emotions of fear, self-determination and pain with an emphasis on the will of man and the mercy of God. The discussion was followed by a short but lively question-and-answer period in which specific issues pertaining to audience members were addressed. After this, Dr. White, Msgr. Dempsey and Mr. Brejcha gave brief closing statements to round out the evening with humor, warmth and reason.
In the past, the Respect Life Committee of Queen of Angels parish has also hosted Mary-Louise Kurey, director of the Respect Life office of the Archdiocese of Chicago, and Diane Pietrzak, Executive Director of Aid for Women, at their Life Logic events. Their next lecture is scheduled for March 29, 2006. For more information on Life Logic and other events by the Respect Life Committee, contact Patti Corbitt at (773) 275-8044, or visit www.respectlifechicago.com. |
