First president of National Catholic Bioethics Center dies at 87

Published: 2008-05-08

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- A funeral Mass for the founding president of the National Catholic Bioethics Center was celebrated May 5 at Holy Rosary Church in Houston. Dominican Father Albert S. Moraczewski died May 1 at age 87. "Father Albert can rightly be regarded as one of the pioneers of the discipline of bioethics," said Peter J. Cataldo, former director of research at the center. "At a time when society and academe was beginning to evaluate the new technologies of biomedicine, Father Albert was at the forefront of applying faith and moral reason to these new questions. A true scholar and person of virtue, Father Albert should be emulated by all those who call themselves bioethicists." Having lived as a priest-in-residence at Holy Rosary for the last several years of his life, he was being treated for pneumonia at St. Joseph Medical Center in Houston at the time of his death, said Mary Gaffney, parish secretary.

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