SAN FRANCISCO — Is there really a good way to die? Catholic neurosurgeon Dr. Stephen Doran believes so, as does the Catholic Church, which he lays out in his new book, TO DIE WELL: A CATHOLIC NEUROSURGEON’S GUIDE TO THE END OF LIFE (Ignatius Press).

Doran, M.D., a board-certified neurosurgeon with more than 25 years of experience, is an ordained permanent deacon and serves as the bioethicist for the Archdiocese of Omaha. His writings in bioethics, neurosurgery and gene therapy for brain disorders have been widely published in national media outlets, academic journals and neurosurgery textbooks. He is married with five sons. Along with his wife, Sharon, he is the cofounder of the Seeking Truth Catholic Bible Study.

The Catholic Church has definitive teachings on most death-related topics, such as euthanasia, abortion and burial rites, but even so, many Catholics (and non-Catholics) have lingering questions about such difficult topics. They may feel overly responsible when a loved one is on life support and they need to make a life-or-death decision. Or pregnant moms and their families may be at a loss when they receive a poor diagnosis for the growing baby. How does the Catholic Church guide the faithful in these decisions? Dr. Doran lays out the reasoning for Catholic teachings on death in TO DIE WELL using his vast personal experience as a neurosurgeon.

But it’s not just end-of-life topics Dr. Doran addresses in TO DIE WELL: he also entreats readers to think about their own deaths and how to prepare well for it when the end comes. 

“Dr. Doran demonstrates that the Catholic way of life and death brings about a degree of human flourishing and fulfillment unmatched by various new age cults or the purely secular and materialistic mainstream,” said Al Kresta, president and CEO of Ave Maria Communications and host of “Kresta in the Afternoon.” “To die well, one must live well.”

For more information, to request a review copy, or to schedule an interview with Dr. Stephen Doran, please contact Kevin Wandra (404-788-1276 or KWandra@CarmelCommunications.com) of Carmel Communications.

###