Catholic Medical Association's Annual Educational Meeting - Imago Dei, Made in His Image
“Imago Dei: Made in His Image, Male and Female He Created Them”
Conference Chair: Felix A. Rodriguez, M.D.
The words from Genesis 1:27 have been the basis of Judeo-Christian anthropology for millennia. They form part of the backbone of Christian doctrine and have defined ethics and morality in all fields of human endeavor.
During the past decades we have seen an astonishing transformation of notions which have directed traditional healthcare, medical education and research, and the laws that govern it. New renderings and redefinitions of what it means to be human are being presented as accepted, and even mandated standards of clinical practice. Nascent technologies which in theory are not by themselves harmful are being explored for use in a transformation of men and women, often beyond recognition. The medical establishment has gradually moved away, then, from that most important tenet which gave way to its development: that we are made in the “image and likeness of God”. As healthcare professionals, we seek the clarity of Christ-centered medical and moral ethics. This is how we will be able to navigate all the challenges that are being presented. Thus, the topics to be discussed during the Annual Educational Conference will focus on concepts related to the theology of the body and its relationship to current dilemmas in clinical practice.
Underscored will be the preeminence of the Eucharist in our journey as Catholic health care professionals, especially as the Church in the United States continues a pilgrimage of Eucharistic Revival.
We place this conference under the intercession of holy witnesses, icons of God who exemplify the Eucharistic life we must lead as we care for our fellow image bearers: St. Padre Pio, St. Pope Paul IV, Blessed Carlo Acutis, St. John Henry Cardinal Newman, St. Catherine of Sienna, and Blessed José Gregorio Hernández.
