Rev. Jim Huth, BCC

Registered NACC members from Canada, attending the Spiritual Care Collaborative Summit ’09 in Orlando, had a feeling of coming home. A place where this connection was experienced was at the NACC luncheon and business meeting during the Summit. Upon entering the banquet room, members were invited to sit at designated tables based on where they were from. Each table had a placard representing a state or a region of states in the US. Realizing that there was no table marked “Canada” gave us from Toronto an opportunity to be welcomed by fellow members who had room at their tables.

Over lunch, we had the occasion to hear about the kind of ministries that our colleagues from the states are doing. This time together also gave us a chance to let them know that NACC membership extends beyond the borders of the US, and how we value being NACC Board Certified Chaplains in Canada.

We are asked by our peers and co-workers in Canada why we choose certification with an association outside of the country. We can be certified with the Canadian Association for Pastoral Practice and Education (CAPPE), which is the primary education and certifying body for chaplains of all religious denominations in Canada. This association serves chaplaincy very well in Canada. However, for some of us Roman Catholic chaplains, we choose to receive our certification with NACC, because it is an essential way for us to enhance and celebrate our Roman Catholic identity as chaplains.

What we would like to communicate to all our NACC colleagues in the US is that our association is alive and well in Canada, particularly in Toronto. Although small in number, we represent NACC both locally and at national conferences. For instance, our certification is recognized and highly respected at the hospitals in which we minister. Two of us at the Summit ’09 in Orlando presented a 90-minute workshop entitled “Two Voices Speaking a Common Language of Hope: Spiritual Care and Bioethics in Creative Collaboration,” as well as a presentation entitled, “Hearing the Story”.

As with our colleagues in the US, communication and networking are vital for our sustainability and growth as NACC members in Canada. In his article “Decisions of next 2-3 years crucial to future of Catholic chaplaincy” (Vision July/August 2009), David Lichter advocates for the necessity of networking. He stresses how essential it is to have local gatherings and listserv as ways to promote professional growth, mutual spiritual and emotional enrichment, and colleague support. A way for us in Toronto to ensure that networking among us takes place is through the office of the Lay Ministry, Chaplaincy and Parish Social Ministries of the Archdiocese of Toronto. This office hosts our gatherings, inviting us to meet on occasion to learn from each other and to give ourselves the time and space to renew our own spirit so we can continue ministering to those in need. At a recent gathering, some of us who are NACC-certified facilitated a dialogue among the chaplains on the significance of narrative inquiry as a best practice skill in providing pastoral care to those living with physical disabilities.

We look to a future that allows us in Canada to increase our networking and formal connection with our colleagues in the US. We have turned to our NACC leadership to assist us in this endeavor and are thankful to them for their ongoing support and encouragement in our efforts to make this possible. In closing, we want to say to our NACC leadership and colleagues in the US how grateful we are to you for helping us to feel “at home” when we network with you or come together at conferences.