Catholic Connection – March 18, 2024 – Hr 2
Fr. Tad Pacholczyk discusses NHS England announcing children will no longer get puberty blockers. Julia Wade talks about her “Joseph’s Workshop” board book. Gail Buckley has our Bible verse of the week.
Segment 1 – Intro & News
Segment 2 – Children to stop getting puberty blockers at gender identity clinics, says NHS England
“Children who have gender dysphoria will no longer be given puberty blockers, NHS England has said, ahead of a radical change in how it cares for them. There is not enough evidence about either how safe they are to take or whether they are clinically effective to justify prescribing them to children and young people who are transitioning, it added.” Fr. Pacholczyk joins to discuss this breaking story this morning.
Fr. Tadeusz Pacholczyk currently serves as Senior Ethicist at the NCBC. A priest of the Diocese of Fall River, Massachusetts, he has given several hundred presentations and participated in debates and roundtables on contemporary medical ethics and bioethics throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe. Fr. Pacholczyk has degrees in philosophy, biochemistry, molecular cell biology, and chemistry. He later earned a PhD in neuroscience from Yale University, where he focused on cloning genes for neurotransmitter transporters which are expressed in the brain.
Segment 3 – Alabama’s top court rules IVF embryos are children
Ongoing controversy surrounds the recent Alabama Supreme Court IVF decision. What are the Church’s teachings on assisted reproduction and IVF? Many Catholics may not be familiar with this area of Church teaching, and may not be sure how to explain it to friends and family. Fr. Pacholczyk joins Teresa to discuss this latest story. Father’s recently-released videos about IVF are available on YouTube and Vimeo.
Segment 4 – Joseph’s Workshop
“With paintings by Matthew Bartula and references to the litany of Joseph, this book is sure to deepen children’s love for Jesus’ earthly father — and for the Holy Family.”
Julia Wade is a Catholic homeschooling mom who believes in the fruits of reading to your children every day. She holds a graduate degree in Theological Studies from the University of Dallas where she also served as a Campus Minister, and an undergraduate degree in Music from Southern Methodist University. After teaching theology at a local Catholic high school for five years, Julia retired to stay home with her children. To fulfill her vocation as a minister, she has created small local apostolates in her parish to serve stay-at-home mothers and mothers who have endured miscarriages. Julia lives in Texas with her husband and their five children.
Segment 5 – Bible Verse of the Week
Teresa and Gail talk about Matthew 7:16-18 – “By their fruit you will know them. Every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.”
Gail Buckley Barringer
President & Founder, Catholic Scripture Study International
