The Atlanta Guild of the Catholic Medical Association will hold its annual educational program and banquet at Saint Joseph’s Hospital on Saturday, Feb. 2. The evening will begin with Archbishop-emeritus John F. Donoghue celebrating the vigil Mass at 5:30 p.m. in the chapel of the hospital. Father Dominic Pham, a member of the Legionaries of Christ and the guild chaplain, will concelebrate the Mass.

The banquet will follow immediately in the conference center of the hospital. The featured speaker will be Dr. Gerry Sotomayor, founder of the Babies for Life Foundation. His topic will be “Stem Cells: Finding Cures, Protecting Lives.” Sotomayor, an obstetrician and gynecologist, has spoken on stem cell research throughout Georgia and has been instrumental in the passage of legislation supporting ethical stem cell research in the state. Non-embryonic stem cells have been proven to help patients with over 70 diseases; however, this research receives very little media attention.

The Catholic Medical Association is dedicated to bringing the truths of the Catholic faith to the science and practice of medicine through education of its members and the Christian community. Local guild members are active in the national organization, the pro-life movement, programs supporting marriage and the family and medical missions abroad.

The cost of the evening is $50 per person for physicians, $100 per couple and $25 for medical students, counselors and medical residents. To register, send a check to CMA-Atlanta, 2167 Northlake Parkway, Suite 105, Tucker, GA 30084 or to pay by credit card, call (770) 491-0353 from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. The deadline for registration is Jan. 28. There is no registration at the door.