CHARLOTTE — Approximately 50 people attended the second annual “Converging Roads” conference for health care professionals April 6, hosted at St. Patrick Cathedral.
The conference opened with a special “White Mass” offered for health care professionals and others working in the medical field – the first for the Diocese of Charlotte.
Conference goers were welcomed by Father Christopher Bond, parochial vicar at the cathedral. In his homily, Father Bond thanked the people for attending Mass as the first act of their daylong conference.
“Your presence here early on a Saturday morning … is rather commendable,” he said. “Your presence at the foot of the cross, your presence on the hill of Calvary, which is where we are all transported to in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.”
Participating in Mass, being present in the sacrifice of Jesus to save all humanity from their sins, “is beneficial to our souls and the souls we care for and love – our family members and friends, our co-workers, our clients, our patients,” he said.
In the world today, where many people don’t think or don’t care about Jesus, or worse, persecute or jeer followers of Jesus, it is even more important for Catholics to witness by being present before the cross – following the example of Mary, he noted.
He urged everyone to pray for the mercy of God to convert people’s hearts so that they turn back to God and respect the dignity of all human life.
An initiative of the St. John Paul II Foundation, Converging Roads is rooted in the Catholic moral tradition and was presented in collaboration with the Charlotte diocese and Belmont Abbey College.
Speakers at the conference, which had the theme “Human Dignity at the Beginning of Life,” included Maureen Condic, Ph.D., “When Does Life Begin: The Science”; David A. Prentice, Ph.D., “The Present and Future Prospect of Treating Disabilities with Stem Cells”; Ashley K. Fernandes, M.D., Ph.D., “Foundations for Freedom and Conscience and Threats to the Right to Serve”; DiAnn C. Ecret, Ph.D., MSN, RN, “Prenatal Diagnosis and Disability”; Roland Millare, S.T.D., “Understanding the Cross of Infertility: Medicine, Ethics, Hope, and Joy”; and Christopher Kaczor, Ph.D., “Ectopic and Other Difficult Pregnancies: Morals & Medicine.”
Condic said the conference offered an ideal opportunity for professionals to dive deeply into medical issues and ethics – something they probably don’t have the luxury of doing in a medical emergency or crisis.
“Education is not the only aspect of making good choices, but it’s a critical aspect,” she said.
Kelsey Biehler, who works in administration at Atrium Health and attends St. Patrick Cathedral, said she attended because she was particularly interested in learning more about the science behind conception. “One of my goals is to better understand the scientific perspective on issues” from a Catholic perspective, she said.
Angela Kessler, a member of St. Ann Church in Charlotte who works in the immunology lab at Atrium Health, said the conference offered invaluable continuing education for medical professionals such as herself. Learning more about the ethics and science of stem-cell research in the treatment of disabilities was of special interest to her, she said.
“It was an honor to again work in collaboration with Belmont Abbey and the St. John Paul II Foundation planning this encouraging and all-encompassing conference for healthcare professionals,” said Jessica R. Grabowski, Respect Life program director for Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte. “We look forward to continuing the conversations that took place today and providing additional events like this for medical professionals in our diocese.”
Susie Lopez, conference coordinator with St. John Paul II Foundation, said, “It is a blessing to serve the medical professionals of the diocese and students who are working toward a medical career. We always receive such great feedback from the participants here in Charlotte and look forward to coming back to the diocese in the future.”
— Patricia L. Guilfoyle, editor
Pictured at top: Father Christopher Bond distributes Holy Communion during the Diocese of Charlotte's first "White Mass," offered for those who work in health care.