Q: As an ophthalmologist, I have several
patients who do not have legal
driving vision because of decreased central
vision or constriction of their side vision.
Although I point out to these patients
that their vision does not meet legal driving
standards, many of them continue to drive.
The state where I live does license examinations
every five years.
Because of the doctor-patient relationship,
I am not inclined to report them to the
state authorities. On the other hand, if I do
not do so, am I seriously sinning against
natural law in not trying to protect other
people from these drivers?
Have I met my moral obligation by simply
reminding them that they do not meet
legal standards?
A: You clearly have a well-developed
conscience, including a readiness
to ask how your professional responsibilities
relate to the common good of
society.
A moral theologian whom I consulted
offered this advice: Try to be a bit more
persuasive with these patients, helping
them to realize that they are seriously
endangering other people, including
their family members.
How would these patients feel if one
of their grandchildren were injured by
someone whose eyesight was as bad as
theirs now is? Calm but persistent reasoning
on your part may be enough
to convince some of these patients to
discontinue driving.
This approach, however, may not
work in all cases. Have you discussed
this situation in generic terms with
nearby ophthalmologists or with your
state licensing board?
Although a patient’s right to confidentiality
is very important, it is not
absolute. A doctor who fears that a
patient is suicidal, for example, may be
justified in breaking that confidentiality
in order to seek additional assistance.
Someone could argue that, having
tried and failed to dissuade these patients
from driving, your decision to report
such visual impairment is a form of self-defense.
In fact, you could be killed or
injured by a driver who does not meet
your state’s vision requirements.
When I consulted a friend who is a
lawyer, he responded, “The general theory
of civil law is that ‘experts’ are not
responsible for the freely chosen actions
of ‘competent’ others (thus the suicide
or irrational danger to others exceptions),
once they have clearly informed
them of the dangers which their actions
present to themselves or others.”
At one level, you have met your
moral obligation by informing these
patients that they do not meet legal
standards. But having done so, this
issue continues to trouble your conscience.
Perhaps that indicates your
conscience is experiencing a new phase,
a “growth spurt” on this issue.
Best wishes as you seek to balance
your multiple responsibilities in this
situation.
 Recognizing Holy People in the United States (Part II)
Q: Where can I find a list of all the people
in the United States for whom a diocesan
investigation has begun for their possible
beatification ?
A: After reviewing the phases of the
beatification process last month,
I listed seven U.S. people who have been
declared Venerable and another nine
for whom the diocesan process has been
completed. That work has been forwarded
to the Holy See’s Congregation
for the Causes of the Saints.
The following causes are still under
study in U.S. dioceses (with the year the
cause began):
Father Demetrius Augustine Gallitzin (1770-1840; 2007). This Russian
prince became a Catholic, was ordained
in the United States and ministered in
western Pennsylvania.
Mother Maddalena Bentivoglio,
O.S.C. (1834-1905; 1969). This Poor
Clare founded monasteries in Omaha,
New Orleans and Evansville, Indiana.
Mother Alphonsa [Rose] Hawthorne
Lathrop (1851-1926; 2003). As a widow
she cofounded the Dominican Sisters of
St. Rose of Lima, caring for the sick
poor.
Father Thomas F. Price, M.M. (1860-1919; 1991). He cofounded the
Catholic Foreign Mission Society, more
commonly known as the Maryknoll
Fathers and Brothers.
Mary Virginia Merrick (1866-1955;
2003). Injured by a fall as a teen,
Virginia was confined to a wheelchair.
In 1887 she founded the National
Christ Child Society to meet the physical
and emotional needs of children.
Bishop James A. Walsh, M.M. (1867-1936; 1991). This cofounder of
Maryknoll, also a prolific writer, was
named a bishop in 1933.
Father John Eckert, O.F.M.Cap. (1869-1923; 1959). He ministered to
African-Americans in New York and
Milwaukee.
Mother Angeline McCrory (1893-1984; 1989). In 1929 she founded the
Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and
Infirm.
Dorothy Day (1897-1980; 2000).
She cofounded the Catholic Worker
movement and strongly supported
social justice. She had an abortion as a
young woman but later became a
strong defender of life at all stages.
Francis Joseph Parater III (1897-1920; 2002). A seminarian for the Diocese
of Richmond, Virginia, he died at
the North American College in Rome.
Father Walter Ciszek, S.J. (1904-1984; 1989). Falsely accused of being a
spy, he was imprisoned in Russia for 23
years. He wrote With God in Russia.
Father Patrick Peyton, C.S.C. (1909-1992; 2001). Established the Family
Rosary Crusade and Holy Cross Family
Ministries. This “rosary priest” was an
early TV evangelizer.
Father Emil J. Kapaun (1916-1951;
2003). A priest of the Diocese of Wichita,
he served as an Army chaplain during
World War II and the Korean War. He
died in a P.O.W. camp in North Korea.
Father Vincent Capodanno, M.M. (1929-1967; 2006). After serving as a
missionary in Taiwan and Hong Kong,
he became a Navy and later a Marine
chaplain. Killed by enemy fire in Vietnam,
he received the Congressional
Medal of Honor.
The cause of five Franciscans martyred
in southern Georgia in 1597 was
introduced in 1984. The Diocese of
Savannah completed its work on this
cause last March.
Also, Father Felix de Andreis, C.M. (1778-1820), should have been listed
last month as a Venerable. He introduced
the Vincentians to the United
States and was a missionary in the western
part of the country.
The United States Catholic Catechism
for Adults uses the stories of Dorothy
Day, Father Patrick Peyton and Rose
Hawthorne Lathrop to introduce three
chapters.
Antonio Margil (1657-1726) was a
Spanish Franciscan missionary in Mexico.
He also worked in Texas at Misión
San Antonio (the Alamo) and established
that city’s Misión San José. He
was declared Venerable in 1836.
Catherine McAuley (1778-1841)
established the Sisters of Mercy, a community
that expanded from Ireland to
the United States and other countries.
She was declared Venerable in 1990.
Felix Varela (1788-1853) was ordained
in Cuba in 1811. In 1826 he
came to New York, where he established
Transfiguration Parish in Manhattan
and became vicar general of the
archdiocese. In 1911 his remains were
transferred to Cuba. The bishops there
opened his cause in the 1980s.
Q: Why isn’t there more information about Mary, the mother of
Jesus, after he ascended into heaven? What happened to her? What
was her life like? Where did she live? Why doesn’t the New Testament
give us more information about her?
A: Acts of the Apostles tells us that Mary remained in prayer with
the apostles between the Ascension of Jesus and the gift of
the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (1:14). In his Dictionary of the Bible,
John L. McKenzie notes, “Neither the New Testament nor any
other sources gives reliable information of the further course of her life
and her death.”
According to one tradition, Mary spent her final years with the Apostle
John near Ephesus in modern-day Turkey. According to another tradition,
she died in Jerusalem and was buried there. Near the Mount of
Olives, there is a shrine known as the Tomb of Mary.
In 1950 when Pope Pius XII solemnly defined the doctrine of Mary’s
Assumption, he did not commit the Church on whether Mary died
before being assumed into heaven (Eastern tradition) or Mary was
assumed directly into heaven (tradition favored by many in the West).
Like all the saints, Mary points us to Jesus. The New Testament already
presents a wonderful portrait of the woman who has rightly been called “the most perfect disciple of Jesus.”
If you have a question for Father Pat, please submit it here.
Include your street address for personal replies enclosing a stamped, self-addressed envelope, please. Some answer material must be
mailed since it is not available in digital form. You can still send questions to: Ask a Franciscan, 28 W. Liberty Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202.
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