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Contents:
1. Executive Director’s Reflection
2. NACC 2009 Annual Appeal’s early return is greatly appreciated!
3. NACC staff member Susanne Chawszczewski completes her MAPS degree
4. Audio Conferences being planned for the coming months
5. 2009 One Book, One Association Selection
6. Hospice/Palliative Care NACC Chaplains will hold conference calls this week!
7. 2010 NACC National Conference - Save the Date
8. Certification Interviewers Needed
9. June 24, 2009 Praying…Witnessing…Gathering for Health Care for All
10. Practical Bearings: The Critical Bibliography for Health Care Chaplains
11. Summit ’09 Workshop and Plenary Speaker CD’s available for loan
12. Request: survey participation
13. Request: studies of patients wanting to see a chaplain but did not
14. Request: pamphlets on Catholic Ministry/Spiritual Care Services
15. Request: practices regarding communion for patients who cannot swallow
16. Local/regional event dates
17. Other educational events
18. Healing Tree: a request for prayers
19. Recent job postings
20. Positions wanted
Just one week ago, we observed May 1st, a date that packs multiple meanings from diverse political, religious, and cultural contexts. We are aware that Pius XII instituted the feast of St. Joseph the Worker in 1955 as communist party highlights May Day. For some countries, May 1st carries the influence of Labor Day for us.
This year we did not need a May 1st to remind us of the dignity of work, nor the pain of the growing number of Americans without work. The trauma, anguish, anxiety, questioning, as well as the emotional and spiritual drain, of being unemployed can not be underestimated or ignored these days. (continue reading on our website…) Most of you encounter daily people in your care who feel the burden of income and security loss along with health issues.
In the past week, I have had NACC members choose diverse means (e-mail, phone, a note with a membership renewal or cancellation notice) to let our staff and me know that they are or remain unemployed. Many members remain positive and hopeful in the midst of job loss. Others struggle on all levels to keep moving forward. We have heard from older members who, upon having their jobs eliminated, decided it was time to retire from the ministry. God bless them and their ministry also.
In the past few NACC Now’s we have reflected on how to support our members who are unemployed during these times. A few NACC Now’s ago I invited members to offer to be a chaplain to chaplains in times of job loss. Several offered to do this. Some chaplains sought the support. This is still available for members. Two NACC Now issues ago, Margot Hover offered her thoughts on what to do in times of job loss. We were appreciative of her insights.
We need to do more, but what are the next steps? Here are some other reflections that have come my way regarding networking for those in job loss times.
Finally, we realize that our unemployed certified members still need to continue to get their continuing education hours for certification. This can be another financial burden. Where NACC is offering local events or audio conferences, we want to make it possible for our unemployed certified members to be able to participate in these events if at all possible. So, if you are unemployed and want to participate in a local gathering, please contact me at dlichter@nacc.org or Jeanine Annunziato, our Administrative Specialist Education Programs, at jannunziato@nacc.org. We will work with you to make that possible.
NACC 2009 Annual Appeal’s early return is greatly appreciated!We express a heart-filled “thank you” to all of you who have already contributed financially to the NACC 2009 Annual Appeal that was sent late March to you. The early responses have been generous. We are most appreciative. If you have not responded yet, please do. We welcome and need your support.
NACC staff member Susanne Chawszczewski completes her MAPS degreePlease join us in congratulating our Certification and Education Coordinator, Susanne Chawszczewski, Ph.D. for her successful completion of her Masters of Arts in Pastoral Studies (MAPS) degree. This degree prepares women and men for professional lay ministry. See the announcement at www.sfs.edu/sfsnews_2009layministergrads.html.
Audio Conferences being planned for the coming monthsWe have already scheduled two audio conference series for June and July. More will be scheduled for later this year. Please join your colleagues on these excellent offerings.
We are excited to introduce our One Book, One Association selection for 2009 – When Crickets Cry by Charles Martin. This NACC project has been designed to gather you, the members, together as a community by selecting one book and encouraging reading, writing, and discussion. More information will be available in the July/August issue of Vision and on the website. Be sure to start reading now! We thank all of the members who have participated in our book selection group. If you have questions or are interested in hosting a book club gathering that we can help to advertise to other members in your area, please contact Susanne at schaw@nacc.org.
Hospice/Palliative Care NACC Chaplains will hold conference calls this week!Nearly 80 Hospice/Palliative Care NACC Chaplains have signed up for and have been communicating through a list serve. This week, NACC is offering participants in this group two one-hour conference calls times (Tuesday, May 12th, 11:00 a.m. CDT, and Thursday, May 14th, 12:00 p.m. CDT) as another network option to discuss ways to support one another. If you would like to participate, please e-mail cbridges@nacc.org and we will get you involved in the list serve.
2010 NACC National Conference - Save the DateOur Conference Planning Task Force is hard at work developing the schedule, speakers, and workshops for our 2010 Conference in St. Paul, Minnesota. The theme for the conference will be Winds of Change, Spirit of Promise. Please mark your calendars now for Saturday, March 20 – Tuesday, March 23, 2010. More information will soon be available at the NACC website. For a list of task force members, click here.
Certification Interviewers NeededAs we finish up our spring 2009 round of certification interviews, we are already planning for our Fall 2009 round! Interviews will take place in Portland, OR; St. Louis, MO; Milwaukee, WI; and Boston, MA on October 3-4, 2009. If you are interested in serving on an interview team, please contact Susanne at schaw@nacc.org. Please indicate if you have ever served as a certification interviewer before.
June 24, 2009 Praying…Witnessing…Gathering for Health Care for AllMany faith-based associations are joining together to plan and hold an interfaith service of witness and prayer as an expression of support for healthcare reform now. What: An Interfaith Service of Witness and Prayer. When: 4 p.m. Wednesday, June 24, 2009. Where: Washington, D.C. (Freedom Plaza, Pennsylvania Ave. and 13th St.). As people of faith, we recognize the moral imperative of working for a health care future that includes everyone and works well for all of us. Across traditions, we unite hands and hearts, believing together we can bring to pass a more just society in which we all have access to affordable and quality care. Please consider participating in the event. More information at www.plainviews.org/Education&Research.php.
Practical Bearings: The Critical Bibliography for Health Care ChaplainsIssue 4 of this series is now available online at HealthCare Chaplaincy’s website: www.healthcarechaplaincy.org/practicalbearings. In “Discerning Patient Needs: Spiritual Assessment Perspectives for Health Care Chaplains,” P. Scott Richards, Ph.D., Professor, Counseling Psychology and Special Education, Department of Education, Brigham Young University, provides an annotated bibliography of key texts on religious-spiritual assessment strategies and methods. Richards proposes that “chaplains can fulfill a crucial role in health care settings by making sure that patients’ spiritual beliefs and needs are carefully assessed and fully understood.” “Practical Bearings” offers the most thorough and current resources for pastoral educators and pastoral practitioners through the generous support of the John Templeton Foundation and HealthCare Chaplaincy.
Summit ’09 Workshop and Plenary Speaker CD’s available for loanThe NACC has purchased a set of audio CD’s of Summit ‘09’s plenary speakers and workshops. They are available “on loan” to members for use at local gatherings for just shipping and handling fees. Please contact Jeanine Annunziato for information at jannuniziato@nacc.org.
Request: survey participationJohn Gleason, Editor, of the Ideal Intervention Project e-Newsletter, requests participation in an opinion survey of our members who have a vital interest in Spiritual Care. You will assess Spiritual Care in comparison with characteristics of a profession. Results will become the basis for a strategy toward performance improvement that will both help patients/clients and assure the continuing presence of Spiritual Care on the multidisciplinary team. Click here to access survey; save as word file, complete, then at your earliest convenience return the completed survey as an attachment to John Gleason at mariejohn50@att.net. Thank you!
Request: studies of patients wanting to see a chaplain but did notThe Ascension Spiritual Care Task Force is seeking to identify any studies in healthcare settings the gathering information regarding the number of patients who wanted to see chaplains and did not see them. If you have conducted such a study, please let either Mary Heintzkill maryheintzkill@borgess.com or Mary Lou O'Gorman mogorman@stthomas.org know. In return Ascension will share what they assemble with those who contribute.
Request: pamphlets on Catholic Ministry/Spiritual Care ServicesIf you have produced a pamphlet on information regarding Catholic ministry/services for patients and are willing to share that material, could you please contact Mary Lou O'Gorman at mogorman@stthomas.org to let her know. In return Mary Lou will work with NACC to make those available for members on the NACC website.
Request: practices regarding communion for patients who cannot swallowIf your department has a procedure/protocol/guideline for handling the reception of a Holy Communion when a patient cant swallow it, and are willing to share it, please send it to Rev. John Healy at JohnFather.Healy@chw.edu. In return Fr. John will work with NACC to make those available for members on the NACC website.
Local/regional event datesMore local gatherings are being set. Please review the list below, and mark your calendars. More details of events will be in future NACC Now's.
In the past two weeks we have been alerted to other educational events that you can find on the NACC website. They include:
Please let us know if you would like our membership to pray for your health and healing. We continue to pray for Raymond Kelleher (heart surgery); Fr. Bill Spacek (detached retina and other eye issues); Sr. Nancy Crane, OP (cancer treatment); Sr. Hilda Mallet, MHS (cancer treatment); Sr. Rita Rzeppa, IBVM (recovering/rehab from knee surgery), and Dennis Eldridge (Kathy's husband, for cancer treatment).
Positions availableThe following positions have been posted in the last two weeks. Please go to our Positions Available page for more information about them.
CHAPLAIN
Mission Viejo, CA – Mission Hospital
DIRECTOR OF PASTORAL CARE
Warren, MI – Sanctuary at the Abbey
CPE RESIDENT
La Crosse, WI – Gundersen Lutheran Health System
CHAPLAIN
Buffalo, NY – St. Francis of Buffalo
CHAPLAIN
Austin, TX – Seton Family of Hospitals
In this time of change and uncertainty it is more important than ever to use every resource available. If you have lost your job recently, if you’re just seeking a new or better position, or if you are an employer seeking a chaplain for your organization, be sure to visit our Positions Wanted webpage. NACC members can take advantage of this free service by placing a job-seeking ad, for free, which will run for 60 days. To see the ads, visit www.nacc.org/positions/wanted.asp
To place your own ad, send an email to Phil Paradowski: pparadowski@nacc.org.