Dear Friends,

Each day our team is blessed to meet people who welcome us into their lives as they journey along a path where medicine and medical technology no longer holds a cure, and therefore they seek comfort measures until a natural death occurs. This sacred time will only come once in a lifetime and we feel privileged to meet these individuals Face to Faith. As the area’s only pro-life hospice, we pray especially during October, “Respect Life Month,” that our message will encourage all Christians to hold in high regard all stages of human life- from the birthing of babies until we pass from this life into eternal life.
Typically the terminology – respect life, invokes thoughts of the unborn child. While the life of the unborn is indeed reverent, the sanctity of life too often fades as years unfold and adversity presents itself.
When Cicely Saunders began the grassroots hospice movement decades ago, it had all to do with her strong Christian convictions and what she felt was a divine calling to serve individuals facing the adversity of terminal illness. And today, in support of Saunders’ Christian values, the Vatican’s Declaration on Euthanasia challenges Christians of all faiths to uphold the sanctity of all human life and to not hasten death.
However, the modern hospice of today often exchanges Dame Saunders Christian convictions for productivity and profit, directly conflicting with the command to respect life. Unfortunately, it is now the norm for terminally ill patients to be told that feeding tubes or IV hydration must cease prior to receiving hospice care. Or that “terminal sedation” is an acceptable method of symptom relief. These actions do not equate with quality hospice care, and certainly do not uphold the sanctity of life nor a dignified natural death.
Catholic Hospice & Palliative Services, serving those of all faiths, is a genuine voice ensuring that the end- of -life care provided is based solely on hospice’s founding Christian principles, as well as the Vatican’s position on care of the dying. Catholic Hospice & Palliative Services encourages that each individual/loved ones seeking the support of hospice care take the time to educate themselves as to their rights and entitlements before signing on with any hospice. The intent of hospice is to provide comfort measures when a cure is no longer probable. It’s not giving up, nor demeaning life’s value, but instead making a graceful change of focus.
Death is inevitable. As we each are born, we each shall too die. It is one part of the blessed journey called life. In the face of adversity, our faith should not be ridiculed…Choose to Live a Life that Matters and respect life until eternal life is realized.
The Catholic Hospice & Palliative Services Team