My name is Ryan Bilodeau, and I founded Catholic Cases.
After my Mother passed away, and amidst the fog of grief and pain, I stood in the ICU surrounded by family. Entering the room was a doctor and a question: “Would you like to have an autopsy performed on your Mom Marie?”
Unable to think clearly, and overwhelmed with emotions after witnessing my Mom fight for her life throughout the night at the Miriam Hospital ICU, I was rendered speechless. More importantly, I honestly didn’t know about the permissibility of autopsies as outlined in the positions of the Catholic Church. Naturally I did what anyone else would do and Googled it. My efforts were in vain, however, as I had trouble getting a clear answer on the matter.
It occured to me afterward that even the most intelligent and genuine of Catholics don’t always know or have the ability to find out the answers to complicated moral questions on the fly. This is where the idea for Catholic Cases was born.
Searching through the Catechism of the Catholic Church or other official documents can be a timely and confusing process. The Catholic Cases app collects, categorizes and stores all of the official moral teachings of the Catholic Church in one place.
The Catholic Cases app helps everyday Catholics solve moral predicaments in which we all typically find ourselves. The app places the Magisterium at your fingertips by categorizing and allowing users to sort through specific moral cases as explained by means of official church documents.
Despite what the title of the app might suggest, the Catholic Cases app is not a modern manifestation of the post-Trent Catholic approach to morality known as casuistry. Rather, the play on words is meant to draw attention to the importance of “encasing” oneself with a proper understanding of the Church’s moral teachings. And although the app does list specific Catholic teachings, it is vital to remember that Catholic morality is more than just a minimalist program of rigorism that sets forth a list of rules to be followed only for obedience’s sake. Catholic morality is, instead, part of a larger program of flourishing and as such involves a bigger discussion on things like the natural law, the imago Dei, beatitude, the virtues and prudence in particular.
It is my hope that you will turn to the Catholic Cases app the next time you are faced with a difficult moral decision.
God Bless,
Ryan Bilodeau
Founder, Catholic Cases