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1. Executive Director's Reflection
2. Help for survivors of Hurricane Gustav
3. Deadline is approaching for your Board Election Ballot!
4. 2008 SCC Salary and Compensation Survey Is Ready for Members
5. Best Practices for Sacramental Coverage
6. NACC Equivalency Procedure Update
7. Chaplains Association of Ohio Educational Event
8. NACC teams with APC for Colorado Springs, CO Event
9. Loyola University Chicago Institute of Pastoral Studies Offers Educational Events
10. Healing Tree: A request for prayers
11. We need ministry photos for marketing materials
12. Recent job postings
13. Please go to the NACC website for these local gatherings

As we now head into the fall schedule of our respective work settings, many diverse professional development opportunities have been set for our members throughout the country. We are pleased that more groups are letting us know of their gatherings so we can also make them known through NACC Now. Along with the NACC Now we also have been doing targeted e-mail blitzes to our membership in specific states alerting them to the professional development opportunity and member gathering and directing them to the registration material either in file-form attached to the e-mail or with a link to the NACC website. These targeted e-mail alerts seem to be working very well.

The diversity of ways gatherings are being formed is creative and vital to their sustainability. Here are some of the sample ways these gatherings are beginning to happen:

— A group of local NACC members worked with the NACC office to determine a place, date, and program, and NACC sends out the information (Southern California, Pittsburgh, Florida)
— A planning team of both NACC state liaisons and other NACC members create a program in coordination with NACC with sponsorship assistance from local Catholic health systems (Northwest gathering)
— A Catholic health system takes the lead to prepare a day for their system spiritual care providers and then invites chaplains from throughout the state to join them for the day (the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System, Baton Rouge)
— A Catholic health system offers to host and sponsor a gathering and NACC works with local chaplains to determine the date, time, and program (Catholic Health West)
— The state/regional representatives of the Association of Professional Chaplains (APC) work with newly appointed NACC state representatives to plan a joint program (Omaha and Colorado Springs)
—A planning committee comprised of several NACC members annually prepare a two-day event keeping costs low, format simple, and quality of program high (North Central Prairie group)
—The local diocesan liaison to chaplains sets up meetings of spiritual care providers (Boston, Long Island/Rockville Centre)
—Healthcare systems work with NACC to convene chaplains for professional and spiritual renewal (Bon Secours, Ascension)
—State chaplain association collaborates with NACC to co-plan their annual gathering (Wisconsin Chaplaincy Association)
—NACC State Liaison begins to poll members for how best to organize state meetings (Texas, Oklahoma)
—NACC State Liaisons from neighboring states begin planning future meetings

I really appreciate that several Catholic health systems have been very open and willing to help with these events. Every leader with whom I have spoken has a deep commitment to the profession and ministry of spiritual care and wants to partner with NACC to provide more professional and spiritual support to their chaplains. In the coming months I will be speaking to mission and pastoral care directors of several Catholic health systems to learn how NACC can partner with them.

Over the past months we have tried to set calls with as many NACC state liaisons as we can to assist in their communication and coordination process. While we have made good headway, we still have a ways to go in the coming weeks to complete this process. This is a new beginning. We welcome calls from NACC members who have suggestions on creating local gatherings or who need more assistance and information regarding them.

God’s blessings, David

As you know, Hurricane Gustav hit the coast yesterday. NACC members of the American Red Cross Spiritual Care Response team (SRT) are being contacted to learn of their availability to serve. Please visit the NACC website for more information. We all keep in prayer those affected by Gustav and those ministering to them.

Not many days left to vote in the NACC board election process! Please vote by completing and sending your ballot today! The postmark deadline is Friday, September 19. Be part of building our NACC board. To view candidates James Castello, Blair Holtey, Rev. Baaju Izuchi, CSSp, Rev. Dean Marek, and Marie Polhamus go to the Board Election page on our website.

As you know, NACC, APC, NAJC, and ACPE collaborated on a 2008 Salary and Compensation Survey. It is now ready for your use on the NACC Website at this page. Individuals who are not members of these four associations will be directed to the SCC website to access this survey for a cost. We appreciate the excellent work of Reinders Research (www.reindersresearch.com).

Recently, a number of members engaged in an email discussion regarding sacramental coverage from priests in their facilities: what practices are employed; are there on-call opportunities; is there compensation; what kind of education has been developed. We are looking to put together a list of best practices surrounding this issue and would appreciate your input. Specifically, we are looking for:
— Best Practices for Sacramental Coverage
— Models of Educating, both in house and within a diocese
Please send responses to Susanne at schaw@nacc.org

With the recent revision of the NACC Standards and Procedures, there has also been a revision to the NACC Equivalency Procedure. Members seeking certification may apply for an equivalency for one unit of CPE. The revised procedure can be found at our website here.

The official fall conference of the Chaplains Association of Ohio will be October 10, 2008 from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm at Blanchard Valley Health System. The conference theme “The Endless and Messy Work of Forgiveness” will focus on forgiveness as a critical and lifelong project for caregivers. The keynote speaker, Frederick Niedner, teaches biblical studies and Hebrew language in Valparaiso University’s Department of Theology. To register for the conference, please see the full brochure.

NACC and APC chaplains in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and New Mexico will be meeting for a morning of continuing education on Friday, October 31, 2008. A special afternoon program for NACC chaplains has also been planned. For details, click here and scroll down to “October 31””

The Skilled Helper Model in Pastoral Settings: Facilitating Change and Fostering Faith
Presenters: Maureen Bacchi, LSCW and Gerard Egan, Ph.D.
Saturday, October 11, 2008, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Loyola University Chicago, Lewis Towers, Water Tower Campus
Click here for the event brochure (pdf file)

Remembering Thomas Merton: Contemplative Practice for Today
Presenter: James Finley, Ph.D.
Saturday, December 6, 2008, 9:00 am – 4:30 pm
Loyola University Chicago, Mundelein Center Auditorium, Lake Shore Campus
Click here for the event brochure (pdf file)

Please continue to keep in prayer Teddi Tomsic (major surgery), Rev. Mike Burns, SDS (eye surgery), Sr. Hilda Mallet, MHS (undergoing cancer radiation treatments which followed chemo), Sr. Joyce Troyer, CSC (recovering from surgery), Sr. Albertine Kramer, CSC (recovering from extensive surgery, is in rehabilitation, and is in transition after serving for 18 years at St. Joseph Medical Center in South Bend, IN), Sr. Paula Jacobs, SSM (terminal cancer), Dennis Eldridge (Kathy’s husband, for cancer treatment), and Sr. Mary Anna Euring, OP (bout with Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma). Sr. Maria Rios, SMR also requests prayers for the nephew (25 yrs. old, in Mexico hospital) of a sister in her community.

In September we want to complete more marketing materials but really need more photos of chaplains in ministry settings to choose from. If you, or your place of ministry, have access to photos, please assist us by e-mailing them in digital form to Cindy Bridges in the next week. We so appreciate it!

The following positions have been posted in the last two weeks. Please go to our positions available page for more information about them.

PRIEST CHAPLAIN
     Grand Forks, ND – Altru Health System

CPE SUPERVISOR
     Spokane, WA – Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children’s Hospital

Our local gathering list is growing. Therefore, we ask you to visit our local event calendar for more information on:

Portland, OR, September 19-20, 2008
Alexandria, MN, September 25-26, 2008
Green Lake, WI, October 26-28, 2008
Colorado Springs, CO, October 31, 2008
St. Louis, MO, November 4, 2008
Baltimore, MD, November 12, 2008