The Catholic Weekly 2 October 2022

catholicweekly.com.au 2 NEWS 2, October, 2022 Gift ‘critical’ to forming, educating thosewill provide palliative care Bequest will aid training of doctors Thanks to the generous bequest of Glen and Suzanne Coorey, the vital area of palliative care research will advance at the University of Notre Dame Australia. PHOTO: SUPPLIED I n this edition News Movies, books Archbishop’s homily Editorial & Letters 1-11 8-9 21 24-25 EDITOR Peter Rosengren (02) 9390 5400 REPORTERS Marilyn Rodrigues (02) 9390 5410 Debbie Cramsie (02) 9390 5396 Adam Wesselinoff (02) 9390 5400 SUBSCRIPTIONS Rita Ng (02) 9390 5411 ADVERTISING AND MARKETING Steve Richards (02) 9390 5404 Katie Clarke (02) 9390 5402 DESIGNERS Renate Cassis Mathew De Sousa Our story begins in 1839 with the Australasian Chronicle, continuing with the Freeman’s Journal in 1850. Level 13, Polding Centre, 133 Liverpool Street, Sydney, NSW 2000. Phone (02) 9390 5400 | Vol 73, No 5254 The Catholic Weekly is published by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney ABN 60 471 267 587 and is printed by Spotpress Pty Ltd, 24-26 Lilian Fowler Place, Marrickville NSW 2204. If God causes you to suffer much, it is a sign that He has great designs for you, and that He certainly intends to make you a saint. And if you wish to become a great saint, entreat Him yourself to give you much opportunity for suffering; for there is no wood better to kindle the fire of holy love than the wood of the cross, which Christ used for His own great sacrifice of boundless charity.” - St Ignatius of Loyola QUOTABLE CatholicWeekly The Celebrating loved ones for over 90 years Trevor Lee & Son is a family business that has helped families celebrate and remember their loved ones for over 90 years. ♦ Intimate and personal funeral services ♦ Professional, compassionate staff, available 24 hours a day ♦ On site or in the comfort of your own home ♦ Servicing all areas of Metropolitan Sydney and Country NSW ♦ Pre-Paid Funerals available Contact Bernadette (nee O’Hare), Trevor or Darren Lee on 9746 2949 to arrange an appointment. 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Suzanne sang in the St Mary’s Cathedral choir and Glen strongly believed in the necessity of a Catholic univer- sity and medical school. “Dad was very active in the Right to Life movement in the 70s and 80s and he took a keen interest in euthanasia debates,” said John. “He was in favour of people dying in dignity and without pain but was very worried and con- cerned about codified or le- galised euthanasia. “He could see the poten- tial for abuse and the poten- tial difficulties for surgeons, physicians and doctors more broadly because it became a legal issue as opposed to a moral one and took [sensitive end-of-life issues] out of the hands of doctors and their families.” Both Glen and Suzanne died peacefully at home with help from professional carers and family members. “They had the benefit of that palliative care provided to them and it meant a lot to them in their last years. We know they want to see re- search into improving pal- liative care particularly in a Catholic context, as they also valued the element of spirit- uality in the way that Catholic hospitals provide health care in the tradition of the religious orders that established them,” John said. The Coorey family estate also gave generous bequests to the schools they and their children attended, St John’s College at Sydney Universi- ty, and the Royal Prince Al- fred Hospital’s department of urology. Professor Kissane said he was deeply grateful for Dr and Mrs Coorey’s generosity. “It is absolutely wonderful to have a bequest coming that can support research into pal- liative care,” he said. “It is so important that we have a Catholic university embracing research into pal- liative medicine to ensure the optimal delivery of care at the end of life in our society.” He said he strongly believes that there needs to be a com- mitment to sustaining the quality of palliative care. “A body of research that supports the teaching and training of Notre Dame med- ical students to understand palliative care, and optimally deliver palliative care to their patients, is a critical agenda for a Catholic University to have. “We have been privileged to have Notre Dame support the early development of a national research program in palliative medicine.” The program currently contains a group of five PhD students and three Masters students, who will help grow a pool of researchers into the future. Current research themes include the relief of bone pain, the incorporation of val- ue statements into advance care plans, early recognition and prevention of delirium, dealing with psychological distress and spirituality, in- tegrating palliative care with aged care, and assisting fami- lies in providing support dur- ing this difficult period. Chronic underfunding of palliative care around the country has been of even greater concern since the le- galisation of voluntary assist- ed dying laws, including this year in NSW. MONICA DOUMIT P11 Professor David Kissane. PHOTO: SUPPLIED