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End of Life

The end of life is a sacred time, on the threshold of eternity. Learn how to prepare for yourself and your loved ones – so that you will receive care proper to your dignity as a human person and enter into this stage of life with peace.

On this page, you will find the following information and resources:

A Catholic Guide to End-of-Life Decision-Making

This Catholic Guide by the New York State Catholic Conference explains the moral principles of Catholic teaching in end-of-life decision-making, and outlines the options that exist in New York State for advanced care planning.

Now and at the Hour of our Death Catholic Guide

Click on the image below to read and download the full booklet.

For further clarity, guidance, and resources visit: www.catholicendoflife.org.

Ethical Questions?

Do you have ethical questions about end-of-life care? If so, the following consultation services are available to offer you personalized guidance:

National Catholic Bioethics Center

The National Catholic Bioethics Center offers consultation services to individuals free of charge. The NCBC consultation service is intended for individuals seeking moral information and guidance in the face of real-life problems. 

There are two ways to submit a consultation request:  

  1. Call 215-877-2660 (24 hours/day, 7 days/week)
  2. Online Consultation Request Form: an ethicist will respond to you by email within 5 business days.
Dominican Healthcare Ministry

The Dominican Healthcare Ministry is devoted to promoting the dignity of the human person and the healing ministry of Jesus Christ through pastoral care, education, ethical consultation, and prayer, at the service of the healthcare community in New York City and beyond.

Submit a Medical Ethics Inquiry here.

Advance Directives

When talking about planning for medical decisions near the end of life, we usually hear about two kinds of legal documents: a “health care proxy” and a “living will.” Both of these documents allow a person to give “advance directives” about what kind of medical care and treatment they want as death approaches, if they can’t make decisions for themselves. For a number of reasons, we strongly recommend that people avoid “living wills” and instead execute a “health care proxy.”

Health Care Proxy

Under New York State law you can appoint a particular individual as your health care “agent” or “proxy.” This person will have the authority to make all medical decisions that are in your best interests, but only if you are no longer able to do so yourself. You can give the agent/proxy specific instructions about the kinds of care and treatment you want, and you can also limit their authority.

You can download a Catholic health care proxy form here:

Health Care Proxy – English

Health Care Proxy – Spanish

Choosing your agent/proxy

Choose your agent/proxy carefully. Pick someone who has good moral character who knows you well and knows your religious beliefs. Look for someone who understands medical information, and can handle stress. It is especially vital to choose someone who will make decisions according to Catholic moral teachings. Here is some language that you may wish to include in your health care proxy, to give clear instructions that you want to be treated according to Catholic principles.

“I desire to receive all care that is morally required by the teachings of the Church, and that nothing be done that is contrary to the teachings of the Church. I do not desire anything that will directly take my life, and that that no “extraordinary measures” be taken to unreasonably prolong my life. The term “extraordinary measures” should be understood according to the teaching of the Church. I desire that all ordinary care, including painkillers and assisted food and hydration, should be provided to me as required by the teachings of the Church.

Don’t let the law choose an agent for you.

If you become incapacitated and you have not appointed a health care agent, the law will appoint one (called a “surrogate”) for you. The choice will be made from a prioritized list of persons who are related to you – your spouse, adult children, siblings, etc. You have no control over who is chosen. You cannot guarantee that this person will make medical decisions for you in keeping with your preferences, moral values and religious beliefs. If your wishes are not known, the surrogate can use his own judgment about your treatment and best interests – which may not be the same as yours. To avoid this, we urge you to execute a health care proxy.

Why should you avoid a living will?

A “living will” is a written legal document that specifies what kinds of care and treatment you want or don’t want. We strongly urge you to avoid the living will.

If you become incapacitated, the doctors and your family are legally required to obey the living will. There is no flexibility and the living will may not reflect your desires or best interests in unforeseen circumstances. Nobody can foresee all possible situations and make sound moral decisions in advance.

The living will also prevents your agent from evaluating your specific condition and deciding whether a treatment is ordinary (more benefit than burden) or extraordinary (more burden than benefit). This may result in denying care or treatment that is morally required under Catholic teaching.

Unless you are very careful about the terms of a living will, it can easily lead to euthanasia. For example, some living will forms suggest that people decline ordinary care and treatment such as assisted food and hydration, the insertion of a feeding tube, assisted respiration, and even feeding by hand. As a result, you may die from starvation or dehydration rather than from your underlying condition. That’s euthanasia, not a normal natural death – and it is always morally wrong.

The MOLST (Medical Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment) is very commonly encouraged by medical staff at nursing homes and hospitals. These share the same problems as living wills – they’re inflexible, can’t foresee all circumstances, and are likely to result in the denial of morally required care. We urge you to exercise extreme caution about the MOLST – you are never required to consent to one.

Physician-Assisted Suicide

“True compassion leads to sharing another’s pain; it does not kill the person whose suffering we cannot bear.”

– Pope St. John Paul II, The Gospel of Life

It is easy to fear suffering and death. When those we love are facing chronic pain, mental illness, physical limitations, or terminal illness, we are called to meet them with compassion and in solidarity.

Although often presented as a “compassionate choice,” efforts to legalize euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide are grave affronts to the dignity of the suffering person. We must remind those who are suffering that their worth and freedom does not come from a pain-free life, but is a gift of God-given dignity that they are called to live out each and every day. 

NYS Legislation Status

Tragically, Governor Hochul has announced her intention to sign the physician-assisted suicide bill passed earlier this year by the legislature. This law will allow physicians to prescribe lethal doses of medication for the express purpose of ending a patient’s life. Timothy Cardinal Dolan and the Bishops of New York State released the following statement in response to Governor Hochul’s announcement:

“We are extraordinarily troubled by Governor Hochul’s announcement that she will sign the egregious bill passed by the legislature earlier this year sanctioning physician-assisted suicide in New York State. This new law signals our government’s abandonment of its most vulnerable citizens, telling people who are sick or disabled that suicide in their case is not only acceptable, but is encouraged by our elected leaders… (read more)”

Read the Full Statement
Resources
Articles & Statements
Take Action
  • Catholic Action Network: Contact your legislators to express your opposition to physician-assisted suicide.
  • Patients Rights Action Fund: a national organization that protects the rights of patients, people with disabilities, older adults, and other historically underrepresented groups from deadly harm and discrimination inherent in assisted suicide laws.
  • New York Biomedical Roundtable: a group of New York healthcare professionals working to combat the passage of Medical Aid in Dying (MAiD) legislation in New York State
Stories of “Medical Aid in Dying” around the world
  • Belgium: 23 yr old Shanti, suffering PTSD after surviving a terrorist attack, was euthanized.
  • Canada: Margaret Marsilla learned almost too late that her 23 yr old son who suffers from severe depression was approved for assisted suicide, justified by his diabetes.
  • California: 38 yr old Stephanie Packer’s insurance refused to cover lifesaving treatment, instead she was offered assisted suicide drugs for a dollar co-pay.
  • Canada: Veteran Affairs recommended euthanasia to a veteran seeking treatment for PTSD and traumatic brain injury.
  • Canada: Roger Foley, a disabled man, cannot obtain adequate home-care but has been offered euthanasia.
  • Oregon: From 1999-2010, after assisted suicide was legalized, suicide rates for those 35-64 increased 49% compared with a 28% increase nationwide.
  • Canada: Tyler Dunlop requested euthanasia because of homelessness. His application is pending Canada’s new expanded law.
  • Oregon: Thomas Middleton, suffering from Lou Gehrig’s disease, was pressured into assisted suicide by his caregiver. After his death, she stole his money.   
  • Switzerland: Two healthy, middle-aged sisters from Arizona, Lila and Susan, took a trip to Switzerland and never returned. Their distraught family learned they died by assisted suicide.
  • Colorado: Two women in their 30’s were given lethal drugs to “treat” anorexia nervosa
Video Testimonies

Man of Steel: JJ’s Story – An unexpected cancer diagnosis caused local New Yorker, JJ Hanson, to question what life was all about and why it is worth fighting for.

Death with Dignity: Lizz’s Story – Lizz speaks of what “death with dignity” really looks like. She shares how, in her suffering with terminal cancer, she has learned to trust in God’s plan for her life, until the end.

The Alvarez Family Story / Historia de la Familia de Salvador Álvarez – The Alvarez family speaks about the importance of advocating for access to healthcare at every stage of life.

Care Facilities

The following facilities within the Archdiocese of New York offer specialized care for those near the end of life.

Care Facilities

ArchCare – offers home care, short-term rehab, nursing homes, end-of-life care, and specialized care services

  • Multiple locations throughout the Archdiocese of New York
  • Phone: 855‑951‑2273 (TTY: 711)

Cabrini of Westchester – offers a full continuum of care, from temporary respite care, to long-term skilled nursing, to hospice services

  • Address: 115 Broadway, Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522
  • Phone: 914-693-6800

Calvary Hospital – a hospital dedicated to providing hospice and palliative care to adult patients with advanced cancer and other life-limiting illness

  • Address: 1740 Eastchester Road, Bronx, NY 10461
  • Phone: 718-518-2000

St. Patrick’s Home – a skilled nursing facility that offers a warm, welcoming, home-like environment for residents

  • Address: 66 Van Cortlandt Park S, Bronx, NY 10463
  • Phone: 718-519-2800
  • For a listing of all Carmelite facilities: www.carmelitesystem.org

Encore Community Services – provides older adults with a range of services, such as meals and housing, to help them live independent and dignified lives

  • Address: 239 West 49th Street, New York, NY 10019
  • Phone: 212-581-2910

Rosary Hill Home – a Catholic Health Care Facility dedicated to the palliative care of people afflicted with incurable cancer

  • Address: 600 Linda Ave, Hawthorne, NY 10532
  • Phone: 914-769-0114

Jeanne Jugan Residence – the Little Sisters of the Poor provide a nurturing community of love where residents feel like they are at home in the final stage of their journey to Heaven

  • Address: 2999 Schurz Ave, Bronx, NY 10465
  • Phone: 347-329-1800

Providence Rest – a nonprofit Catholic nursing and rehabilitation facility offering short-term rehabilitation; outpatient rehabilitation; long-term care; on-site social services and care transition back into the home; respite care; and palliative care, including end-of-life 

  • Address: 3304 Waterbury Ave, Bronx, NY 10465
  • Phone: 718-931-3000
Care & Prepare: End-of-Life Education Videos

The following 30-minute video and 15-minute Q&A session offer a comprehensive overview of Catholic end-of-life ethics and addresses how to care for others and prepare for the end of life.

Care & Prepare Videos
Care & Prepare Parish Presentations

Are you interested in having representatives from the Respect Life Office and the Office of Public Policy come speak at your parish? If so, please contact us!

The following parish presentations can also be used to communicate the truths of Catholic teaching regarding the end of life:

Spiritual Resources

The following resources provide formation about true compassion and the meaning of suffering for those approaching the end of life and their caretakers.

Spiritual Resources

Sisters of Life: Formative videos about approaching the end of life, along with end-of-life witness stories

What does it mean to “offer up” suffering? In this video, Fr. James Brent, OP explains the meaning behind the expression “offer it up” and how sacrifice redeems the world.

What does true compassion at the end of life look like? In this compelling interview, Dr. Michael Brescia shares what patients really need at the end of their life.

Salvifici Doloris: On the Christian Meaning of Human Suffering: Pope St. John Paul II’s Apostolic Letter about the Christian meaning of human suffering

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