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Talking about and facing end of life planning can be difficult. Now and at the Hour of Our Death, a pastoral letter from the Catholic Bishops of Wisconsin, helps foster conversations and answer questions related to end of life decision-making utilizing the Church’s teaching. It includes guidance for those facing health issues, as well as for those who care for them. The letter covers a wide variety of issues, including:

  • Assisted Suicide & Euthanasia 
  • Ordinary & Extraordinary Measures 
  • Measures Withheld or Withdrawn 
  • Nutrition & Hydration 
  • Palliative Care & Hospice
  • Pain Management 
  • Redemptive Suffering 
  • Organ Donation 
  • Spiritual & Sacramental Needs 
  • Funeral Planning 
  • Advance Care Planning
  • Power of Attorney for Health Care 
  • Living Wills & POLST 
  • Burial & Cremation 
  • Alkaline Hydrolysis 
  • Human Composting

Read the Pastoral Letter

English
Spanish

Advance Care Planning Resources

Below you will find the three legal forms we recommend for end of life planning. As explained in this pastoral letter, the Wisconsin Power of Attorney for Health Care is much preferred over the Wisconsin Declaration to Health Care Professionals (living will) because the latter is not in itself sufficient for one to express his or her advance directives in accord with the teachings of the Catholic Church.

Wisconsin Power of Attorney for Health Care

The Wisconsin Power of Attorney for Health Care form is available for free to anyone who sends a stamped, self-addressed, business size envelope to: Division of Public Health, ATTN: POA, P.O. Box 2659, Madison, WI 53701-2659. The form may also be downloaded for free from their website.

Catholic Addendum to the Wisconsin Power of Attorney for Health Care

The Wisconsin Catholic Conference (WCC) Catholic Addendum to the Wisconsin Power of Attorney for Health Care is an advance directive planning form appended to the Wisconsin Power of Attorney for Health Care that provides Catholics a means to prepare for their end of life according to the Catholic faith. The Non-Catholic Addendum to the Wisconsin Power of Attorney for Health Care provides non-Catholics a means to prepare for their end of life according to Catholic teaching.

Catholic Authorization for Final Disposition

The Catholic Authorization for Final Disposition allows Catholics to declare his or her wishes regarding funeral and final disposition of their remains, and/or delegate the authority to do so to another person.

Funeral Planning

To plan your funeral and burial, contact your parish and/or your diocesan Office for Liturgy for current funeral planning guides.

Will & Estate Planning

You should also ensure your will and estate plan are up to date and these forms have been distributed to the proper individuals (your loved ones, attorneys, health care providers, etc.).

Learn More

More Resources

Find more resources on Church Teaching and references from the pastoral letter.

Frequently Asked Questions

Visit our Frequently Asked Questions on the pastoral letter, Addenda to the Power of Attorney for Health Care, and Catholic Authorization for Final Disposition.

Get a Print Copy

Find the contact in your diocese to get a print copy of Now and at the Hour of Our Death pastoral letter.

Promotional Materials

Spread the word about the pastoral letter through our promotional materials.

More Resources on Church Teaching

English resources

Pontifical Council for Pastoral Assistance to Health Care Workers, New Charter for Health Care Workers, National Catholic Bioethics Center (2017)

Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Instruction Ad resurgendum cum Christo Regarding the Burial of the Deceased and the Conservation of the Ashes in the Case of Cremation (2016)

Catechism of the Catholic Church 2nd ed., Libreria Editrice Vaticana–United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (2000)

Saint John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae: On the Value and Inviolability of Human Life (1995)

Saint John Paul II, Salvifici Doloris: On the Christian Meaning of Human Suffering (1984)

 Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Declaration on Euthanasia (1980)

On the Proper Disposition of Bodily Remains (2023)

 Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services 6th ed. (2018) The ERDs are periodically updated, so whichever edition is in force is binding.

To Live Each Day with Dignity: A Statement on Physician-Assisted Suicide (2011)

Q&A from the USCCB Committee on Doctrine and Committee on Pro-Life Activities Regarding the Holy See’s Responses on Nutrition and Hydration for Patients in a ‘Vegetative State’ (2007)

Living the Gospel of Life: A Challenge to American Catholics (1999)

End of Life Current list of resources produced by the Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities

Archdiocese of Milwaukee, End of Life Initiative Video Series

Wisconsin Catholic Conference, Upholding the Dignity of Human Life: A Pastoral Statement on Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) (2012)

National Catholic Bioethics Center, Catholic Guide to End of Life Decisions (2011) 

  1. Wachterman, Melissa, et. al. “Where Americans Die — Is There Really “No Place Like Home”?” New England Journal of Medicine (March 17, 2022), Vol. 386 No. 11: 1008-1010.
  2. Pope John Paul II, Urbi et Orbi Message(December 25, 2000).
  3. Pope Benedict XVI, Homily at Mass of Possession of the Chair of the Bishop of Rome (May 7, 2005).
  4. The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, Declaration Dignitas Infinita(On Human Dignity) (April 2, 2024), 51.
  5. Pope Francis, General Audience (February 9, 2022).
  6. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2276-2279.
  7. Pope Pius XII, The Prolongation of Life: An Address to an International Congress of Anesthesiologists (November 24, 1957), translated in National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly(Summer 2009), p. 329.
  8. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services, 6th ed (2018).
  9. Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Declaration on Euthanasia (1980).
  10. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2278.
  11. Ethical and Religious Directives, no. 58.
  12. Quoting from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Responses to Certain Questions of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Concerning Artificial Nutrition and Hydration (August 1, 2007).
  13. Ethical and Religious Directives, no. 61.
  14. Pope Francis, Address to the Participants in the Plenary of the Pontifical Academy for Life (March 5, 2015).
  15. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2276.
  16. Ibid., 2279.
  17. St. John Paul II, Message to the Staff and Residents of the Rennweg Hospice (June 21, 1998).
  18. Pope Pius XII, Anesthesia: Three Moral Questions: An Address of Pope Pius XII to A Symposium of the Italian Society of Anesthesiology (February 24, 1957), translated in The Pope Speaks (Summer 1957), p. 33.
  19. Ethical and Religious Directives, no. 61.
  20. USCCB, Killing the Pain, Not the Patient: Palliative Care vs. Assisted Suicide (2018).
  21. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1761.
  22. Joseph Cardinal Bernardin, The Gift of Peace (Chicago: Loyola Press, 1997), p. 126.
  23. Pope Francis, Address to the Italian Association for the Donation of Organs, Tissues, and Cells (April 13, 2019).
  24. Ethical and Religious Directives, no. 25.
  25. Wisconsin Catholic Conference, Upholding the Dignity of Human Life: A Pastoral Statement on Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) from the Catholic Bishops of Wisconsin (July 2012).
  26. Order of Christian Funerals, International Commission on English in the Liturgy (2018).
  27. St. Frances de Sales, “Fifth Meditation” in Introduction to the Devout Life (various editions 1609-1619).
  28. USCCB Committee on Doctrine, On the Proper Disposition of Bodily Remains (March 23, 2023), no. 2.
  29. Ibid., no. 3.
  30. Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Ad resurgendum cum Christo (October 25, 2016), no. 4.
  31. Ibid., no. 6.
  32. On the Proper Disposition of Bodily Remains, no. 5.
  33. Ibid., no. 9-11.
  34. Ibid., no. 10.
  35. Damian Lenshek, “Thinking About Green Burial,” Diocese of Madison Catholic Herald (February 26, 2021).
  36. Order of Christian Funerals, nos. 54 and 56.
  37. Ibid., no. 46.
  38. Ibid., no. 204.
  39. Pontifical Council for Pastoral Assistance to Health Care Workers, New Charter for Health Care Workers, National Catholic Bioethics Center (2017), no. 1.
  40. Ethical and Religious Directives, no. 57.
  41. Joseph T. Mangan, SJ, “An Historical Analysis of the Principle of Double Effect,” Theological Studies 10, 1 (March 1949), p. 41-61.
  42. Declaration on Euthanasia.
  43. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1756-60.
  44. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2280.
  45. Ethical and Religious Directives, no. 57.
  46. Ibid., Part V.

Recursos en español

Pontificio Consejo para los Agentes Sanitarios, Nueva carta de los agentes sanitarios, Centro Nacional Católico de Bioética/National Catholic Bioethics Center (NCBC) (2017)

Congregación para la Doctrina de la Fe, Instrucción Ad resurgendum cum Christo acerca de la sepultura de los difuntos y la conservación de las cenizas en caso de cremación (2016)

Catecismo de la Iglesia Católica

San Juan Pablo II, Evangelium Vitae: sobre el valor y el carácter inviolable de la vida humana (1995)

San Juan Pablo II, Salvifici Doloris: sobre el sentido cristiano del sufrimiento humano (1984)

Congregación para la Doctrina de la Fe, Declaración sobre la eutanasia (1980)

Sobre la disposición adecuada de los restos corporales (2023)

Directivas éticas y religiosas para organizaciones católicas de servicios médicos y de cuidado de salud, 6 ed. (2018) Las ERDs se actualizan periódicamente, por lo que la edición actual es vinculante.

Vivir dignamente cada día: Declaración acerca del suicidio asistido por un médico (2011)

Preguntas y Respuestas del Comité de Doctrina y del Comité de Actividades Pro-Vida de la USCCB sobre las Respuestas de la Santa Sede sobre Nutrición e Hidratación para Pacientes en “Estado Vegetativo” (2007)

Vivir el Evangelio de la Vida: un Desafío para los Católicos Estadounidenses (1999)

Fin de la Vida Lista actual de recursos producidos por la Secretaría de Actividades Pro-Vida

Arquidiócesis de Milwaukee, Serie de videos sobre la iniciativa sobre el fin de la vida

WCC, Defendiendo la dignidad de la vida humana: Declaración pastoral sobre las órdenes médicas para el tratamiento de soporte vital (POLST) (2012)

NCBC, Guía católica para las decisiones al final de la vida (2011)

  1. Wachterman, Melissa, et. al. “Donde mueren los estadounidenses: ¿realmente “No Place Like Home”?” New England Journal of Medicine (17 de marzo de 2022), Vol. 386 No. 11:1008-1010.
  2. Papa Juan Pablo II, Mensaje Urbi et Orbi (25 de diciembre de 2000).
  3. Papa Benedicto XVI, Homilía del Papa Benedicto XVI en la Misa de Toma de Posesión de su Cátedra (7 de mayo de 2005).
  4. Dicasterio para la Doctrina de la Fe, Declaración Dignitas infinita (sobre la dignidad humana) (2 de abril de 2024), 51.
  5. Papa Francisco, Audiencia general (9 de febrero de 2022).
  6. Catecismo de la Iglesia Católica, 2276-2279.
  7. Papa Pío XII, La prolongación de la vida: Discurso ante un congreso internacional de anestesiólogos (24 de noviembre de 1957), traducido en National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly (verano de 2009), p. 329.
  8. USCCB, Directivas éticas y religiosas para organizaciones católicas de servicios médicos y de cuidado de salud, 6 ed. (2018).
  9. Congregación para la Doctrina de la Fe, Declaración sobre la eutanasia (1980).
  10. Catecismo de la Iglesia Católica, 2278.
  11. Directivas éticas y religiosas, no. 58.
  12. Citando de la Congregación para la Doctrina de la Fe, Respuestas a algunas preguntas de la Conferencia Episcopal Estadounidense sobre la alimentación e hidratación artificiales (1de agosto de 2007).
  13. Directivas éticas y religiosas, no. 61.
  14. Papa Francisco, Discurso a los participantes en la plenaria de la Academia Pontificia para la Vida (5 de marzo de 2015).
  15. Catecismo de la Iglesia Católica, 2276.
  16. Ibíd., 2279.
  17. San Juan Pablo II, Mensaje del Santo Padre a todos los enfermos de Austria y a los que trabajan en el mundo del dolor (21 de junio de 1998).
  18. Papa Pío XII, Anestesia: Tres preguntas morales: Discurso del Papa Pío XII en un simposio de la Sociedad Italiana de Anestesiología (24 de febrero de 1957), traducido en El Papa Habla (verano de 1957), p. 33.
  19. Directivas éticas y religiosas, no. 61.
  20. USCCB, Matar el dolor, no al paciente: Cuidado paliativo versus suicidio asistido (2018).
  21. Catecismo de la Iglesia Católica, 1761.
  22. Cardenal Joseph Bernardin, El don de la paz (Chicago: Loyola Press, 1997), p. 126.
  23. Papa Francisco, Discurso a la Asociación Italiana para la Donación de Órganos, Tejidos y Células (AIDO) (13 de abril de 2019).
  24. Directivas éticas y religiosas, no. 25.
  25. Conferencia Católica de Wisconsin, Defendiendo la dignidad de la vida humana: Declaración pastoral sobre las órdenes médicas para el tratamiento de soporte vital (POLST) de los Obispos Católicos de Wisconsin (julio de 2012).
  26. Orden de los funerales cristianos, Comisión Internacional sobre el Inglés en la Liturgia (2018).
  27. San Francisco de Sales, “Quinta meditación” en Introducción a la vida devota (varias ediciones 1609-1619).
  28. Comité de Doctrina de la USCCB, Sobre la disposición adecuada de los restos corporales (23 de marzo de 2023), no. 2.
  29. Ibíd., no. 3.
  30. Congregación para la Doctrina de la Fe, Ad resurgendum cum Christo (25 de octubre de 2016), no. 4.
  31. Ibíd., no. 6.
  32. Sobre la disposición adecuada de los restos corporales, no. 5.
  33. Ibíd., nos. 9-11.
  34. Ibíd., no. 10.
  35. Damian Lenshek, “Pensando en el entierro ecológico”, Diócesis de Madison Catholic Herald (26 de febrero de 2021).
  36. Orden de los funerales cristianos, nos. 54 y 56.
  37. Ibíd., no. 46.
  38. Ibíd., no. 204.
  39. Pontificio Consejo para los Agentes Sanitarios, Nueva carta de los agentes sanitarios, NCBC (2017), no. 1.
  40. Catecismo de la Iglesia Católica, 2280.
  41. Declaración sobre la eutanasia.
  42. Catecismo de la Iglesia Católica, 1756-60.
  43. Directivas éticas y religiosas, no. 57.
  44. Directivas éticas y religiosas, no. 57.
  45. Ibíd., Parte V.
  46. Joseph T. Mangan, SJ, “Un análisis histórico del principio de doble efecto,” Theological Studies 10, 1 (marzo de 1949), p. 41-61.

Promotional Materials

We encourage parishes, Catholic institutions, and individuals to share these resources with their community and loved ones. To promote Now and at the Hour of Our Death, we offer the following materials:

Bulletin Insert (8.5″ x 11″)

Graphics for Bulletins & Social Media 

Half-Page Flyer (5.5″ x 8.5″)

Poster (11″ x 17″)

Contact us at office@wisconsincatholic.org if a different size or format is needed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Now and at the Hour of Our Death Pastoral Letter

The first edition of Now and at the Hour of Our Death was published in April 2002 and gave voice to the Wisconsin bishops’ concern and compassion for those facing critical health care decisions. Since then, the statement has been revised three times to reflect ongoing developments in the area of end of life decision-making.

The need for a fourth revision stems from new developments in the disposition of human remains and from Church teaching that has been issued since the 3rd revision was published in 2013.

Yes. While the fundamental moral guidance offered in the previous three editions remains the same in this 4th edition, it is applied to new practices in the disposition of human remains, such as alkaline hydrolysis and human composting. The 4th edition also contains new resources, such as the new legal document, Catholic Authorization for Final Disposition, which can ensure that believers receive a Catholic funeral and are laid to rest in a sacred space.

Do not wait until you or a loved one is near death to reflect on the issues we must face at the end of life. Now is the time to talk these issues through with your family and anyone you might designate to make health care decisions on your behalf.

Catholic Addendum and Non-Catholic Addendum to the Wisconsin Power of Attorney for Health Care

No. There are two forms with “Addendum” in the title because there are two versions of the form, one version for use by Catholics and one version for use by those who are not Catholic (such as a spouse, etc.). Only complete the version of the form that is applicable to you. 

Yes. You must complete a valid Power of Attorney for Health Care (POAHC) document and reference the Addendum in that document in order for the Addendum to be legally recognized. Under Wisconsin law, there are certain requirements that must be met in order for a document to be considered a valid POAHC document. The State’s POAHC meets these requirements and is valid when completed as required by law. The State of Wisconsin POAHC document is available free of charge from the Department of Health Services at www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/forms/advdirectives/Index.htm. To obtain the form by mail, send a request for the document along with a self-addressed stamped envelope to Division of Public Health, ATTN: POA, PO Box 2659, Madison, WI 53701-2659. An attorney can also draft a POAHC that meets Wisconsin’s legal requirements and instruct you on how to best incorporate the Addendum language into your POAHC.

If you are using the State of Wisconsin’s POAHC form, you will notice a section entitled “STATEMENT OF DESIRES, SPECIAL PROVISIONS OR LIMITATIONS” on Page 4 of 6 of the form. On line 1 of this section, write “See separate Addendum.” (The Addendum’s first page includes a blank line where you should reference this page (4 of 6) of the POAHC form.) Make certain to complete and include the Addendum with the POAHC form. Ideally the POAHC and Addendum should be signed, dated, and witnessed in the same manner and completed sequentially.

No. Each adult individual should complete a separate POAHC and Addendum. 

Each Addendum is the same as the 2014 revised version. If an individual has completed the 2014 revised version, there is no need to complete a new one. If an individual has completed an Addendum version prior to 2014, he or she may want to consider completing the revised form in its place, or at a minimum, provide further clarification to their health care agent and others who may reference the original form by supplying them with the revised language for Item 3 in Section II of the Addendum. 

The Non-Catholic Addendum is intended for use by individuals who are not Catholic, and therefore does not contain a provision requesting Catholic sacraments (as the Catholic Addendum does). Its purpose is to ensure that, in the event you are unable to make health care and end of life decisions for yourself, your wishes will be respected in accord with the Catholic faith. 

Catholic Authorization for Final Disposition

It allows individuals to declare their wishes regarding their funeral and final disposition of their remains, and/or delegate the authority to do so to another person. It also serves as a planning tool and a legally binding document that guides Catholics through some important questions regarding their faith and the final treatment of their bodily remains upon their death.

Yes. Baptized non-Catholics may also use this form to indicate their desire for a Catholic funeral service, though they cannot request a funeral Mass.

For your Catholic Authorization for Final Disposition to be legally recognized, it must be signed in the presence of two witnesses or a notary public.

Yes. The State of Wisconsin offers its own Authorization for Final Disposition, which is available free of charge on the Department of Health Services website at www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/forms/advdirectives/Index.htm. To obtain the form by mail, send a written request for the form along with a self-addressed, stamped, business-size envelope to: Division of Public Health ATTN: POA PO Box 2659 Madison, WI 53701-2659. An attorney can also draft an Authorization for Final Disposition that meets Wisconsin’s legal requirements and instruct you on how to best incorporate the Catholic language into your Authorization for Final Disposition.

Contact Us

If you would like a print version of the pastoral letter Now and at the Hour of Our Death for yourself, a loved one, or your parish, please reach out to your diocese:

Archdiocese of Milwaukee Catholic Cemeteries
Email: cemeteries@archmil.org
Phone: 414-448-6885

Diocese of Green Bay Office of Human Dignity & Life
Email: diocmail@gbdioc.org
Phone: 920-437-7531

Diocese of La Crosse Office for Sacred Worship
Email: worship@diolc.org
Phone: 608-791-0161

Diocese of Madison Office of Cemeteries
Email: cemetery@madisondiocese.org
Phone: 608-821-3055

Diocese of Superior Marriage Tribunal
Email: pholt@catholicdos.org
Phone: 715-394-0209

For other questions, contact us at the Wisconsin Catholic Conference.