How to die well? First episode of new podcast from Archbishop Lucas explores end of life

Archbishop of Omaha George J. Lucas has launched a new video podcast called “Missional Catholics,” exploring ways Catholics can live and share the faith through conversations with mission-minded men and women from Nebraska and beyond. Monthly episodes can be found on the Archdiocese’s YouTube page and is also available on major podcast streaming services like Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and Podbean, with more to come.

In the inaugural episode titled, “How to die well,” Deacon Steve Doran, MD, a board-certified neurosurgeon and member of St. Margaret Mary Parish in Omaha, explores what he has learned about death – and life – through his experiences as a neurosurgeon, deacon, father and husband.

Death may be as inevitable as taxes, but Deacon Doran points out that culturally it seems few adults give any real thought to death until they or someone they love is told they are dying.  

Doran, who serves as the archdiocesan bioethicist and recently published “To Die Well: A Catholic Neurosurgeon’s Guide to the End of Life,” shares how as a Catholic and a physician he has come to realize the privilege he has of accompanying people who are dying.

Archbishop Lucas and Deacon Doran also cover some of the issues that the dying and their loved ones – even those with strong faith lives – might not have considered:

• How society’s depiction of a “good death” can lead down the slippery slope of euthanasia and assisted suicide.
• What the Catholic Church teaches about a good death. (19:11*: Saint Robert Bellarmine explains what it means to die well.)
• Why the dying process begins at baptism.
• Dying well as a form of evangelization.
• The importance of discerning rather than deciding.

WATCH THE FIRST EPISODE

SHOW NOTES:

“To Die Well: A Catholic Neurosurgeon’s Guide to the End of Life” can be purchased through Ignatius Press, here: https://ignatius.com/

Learn about Deacon Doran, his writings, his medical career, his work as a deacon and as the bioethicist for the Archdiocese of Omaha, and more at his website. 

Find out more about the Seeking Truth Bible study here: https://seekingtruth.net/