Good Morning Alemany Families,
The Los Angeles Archdiocese Office of Life, Justice, and Peace hosted a webinar, The Science and Ethics of the COVID-19 Vaccines, on January 27, 2021 to learn the scientific foundation behind the research and development of the COVID-19 vaccines and understand the moral and ethical concerns for consideration.
The rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines has inspired joy and hope for many as a celebration of scientific achievement and a milestone on the road to the pandemic's end. Others have felt confusion or fear that can be accompanied by facing a health decision. Many in our communities will be provided the opportunity to receive a vaccine in the coming weeks and months. It is important to face this decision with as much knowledge, wisdom, and understanding as possible.
The speaker is Rev. Nicanor Austriaco, OP. He completed his Bachelor’s Degree (B.S.E.) in Bioengineering, summa cum laude, at the University of Pennsylvania, and then earned his Ph.D. in Biology from M.I.T. in the laboratory of Professor Leonard Guarente, where he was a fellow of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). He was ordained a priest in the Order of Preachers in May of 2004. He completed his Pontifical License in Sacred Theology (S.T.L.) in Moral Theology, summa cum laude, at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, DC, in 2005, and a Pontifical Doctorate in Sacred Theology (S.T.D.), magna cum laude, at the University of Fribourg in Switzerland, in 2015.
Fr. Austriaco currently serves as Professor of Biology and of Theology at Providence College in Providence, Rhode Island. He is also a research fellow at the Center for Religious Studies and Ethics at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, Philippines.
Blessings,
Raphael Domingo
Principal