Facing death, US priest turns his farewell into precious moment
Father Kottar, who has Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, tells seminarians their future is bright
Updated: May 06, 2021 05:50 AM GMT
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Father Michael Kottar, a priest from the Diocese of Charlotte. (Photo: Facebook)
As dusk fell on April 29, nurses pushed Father Michael Kottar in his wheelchair just outside a North Carolina rehabilitation center where 27 young men studying to become priests stood preparing to say goodbye.
At 53, Father Kottar, a priest from the Diocese of Charlotte, has been diagnosed with Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, an extremely rare and aggressive brain disease for which there is no effective treatment or cure. The next day, the priest of 27 years boarded a medical flight to Ohio to be with his family and get the end-of-life care he needs.
Facing death, priest turns his farewell into teachable moment
May 6, 2021 catholic news service
Father Michael Kottar, a priest from the Diocese of Charlotte, N.C., gives a 2015 World Meeting of Families homily for pilgrims in Philadelphia from his diocese. Kottar was diagnosed with Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease in 2021, an extremely rare and aggressive brain disease for which there is no effective treatment or cure. (Credit: Patricia L. Guilfoyle/Catholic News Herald via CNS.)
As dusk fell April 29, nurses pushed Father Michael Kottar in his wheelchair just outside a North Carolina rehabilitation center where 27 young men studying to become priests stood preparing to say goodbye.