DUNWOODY—The Atlanta Guild of the Catholic Medical Association is sponsoring its 19th annual program on Saturday, Feb. 15, at All Saints Church, 2443 Mount Vernon Road in Dunwoody. The program will begin with participation of registrants in the 5 p.m. vigil Mass at the parish.

Following Mass, the guild’s annual catered banquet will be provided by the Petite Auberge French restaurant in the social hall. The program after dinner includes two speakers. The first speaker is Sister Mary Joseph, the Assistant Mother of the Hawthorne Dominican Sisters from Hawthorne, N.Y. The order was founded by Rose Hawthorne, the daughter of author Nathaniel Hawthorne, and since 1900 members of the order and their employees have cared for terminally ill cancer patients, relying solely on Divine Providence for financial support. Sister Mary Joseph will speak on the work they do with these terminally ill patients and their families to assist them in their hour of need. Father Balappa Selvaraj, a canon lawyer in the Metropolitan Tribunal in the Archdiocese of Atlanta and chaplain of the guild, will speak on the Health and Human Services mandate and how it threatens Catholic health care apostolates such as Our Lady of Perpetual Help cancer home and the Little Sisters of the Poor.

The Atlanta Guild of the CMA is one of 81 chartered guilds of the Catholic Medical Association, which was founded in 1932 and is the largest national organization of Catholic physicians. Headquartered in Philadelphia, the CMA has the mission to witness to the truths of the Catholic faith in the science and practice of medicine, foster relationships among Catholic physicians and health care professionals, and help them to grow in their spiritual lives. On a national level, the group works with other Catholic and Christian biomedical organizations to promote a culture of life. CMA has representation on the two committees of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops that deal with health care and respect life issues.

The program at All Saints will be of value to all physicians, especially those who deal with dying cancer patients, as well as their families, but will be informative for all involved in health care.

Advance registration is required for the event with no registration at the door. Cost of the dinner is $50 per person and $90 per couple. Checks may be made out to CMA-Atlanta, 2167 Northlake Parkway, Suite 105, Tucker, GA 30084. To register by credit card or for other inquiries, call 770-491-0353 Monday though Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Deadline for registration is Tuesday, Feb. 11.