I would like to congratulate my brother, Rev. Mr. Michael G. Brungardt, on the recent publication of his article, “A Study of Accompaniment at the End of Life,” in The National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly. Michael was inspired, as were all his siblings, by our father’s work in medicine and bioethics. I look forward to reading more of his work in the future, Deo volente, after his ordination to the priesthood this May. Please keep him in your prayers.
The abstract of his article follows:
In discussions of end-of-life care and what the often-used but often-misunderstood buzzword “accompaniment” means, the core of the issue has often been missed, leading to inappropriate responses by physicians, loved ones, and the dying persons themselves. Emphasis is often placed on the care of circumstances rather than the care of persons. In what follows, these issues are systematically addressed to show that when patients face physical death, a truly ethical response is authentic, loving accompaniment of them. This form of such accompaniment is explored.
John G. Brungardt 