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Contents:
1. Executive Director’s Reflection
2. A Reminder about NACC Office Summer Hours
3. Ongoing thanks for our annual member support campaign!
4. See Logo of the NACC 2011 National Conference, May 21-24, 2010!
5. How do I count continuing education hours within the revised NACC standards?
6. Involved in any special ministries?
7. New positions for NACC members
8. Request: Ritual to Expand Blessing at Time of Miscarriage
9. Request: Mass Stipend
10. Request: Emergency Parking Practice
11. Request: Communion Services
12. Upcoming NACC audio conferences
13. Remember the Spiritual Care Champions Series!
14. APC webinars
15. Are you planning to give any presentations on chaplaincy?
16. Order your video promoting the chaplaincy profession
17. Local/regional event dates
18. Other education events
19. Healing Tree: a request for prayers
20. Recent job posting
21. Positions wanted
This coming Sunday is the Feast of the Assumption of Mary. We know that this feast was celebrated for centuries, but it was only on November 1, 1950, that Pius XII dogmatically and infallibly defined in his Apostolic Constitution, Munificentissimus Deus, that, after her death, Mary was taken bodily to Heaven.
In the late 70’s a doctoral student shared with me his research on the global milieu that preceded the defining of this dogma in 1950. It was fascinating, and profound.
His contention was that the horrific experience of the wars of the first half of the 20th century in which millions of people were tortured, killed, maimed, incinerated, and evaporated in atomic explosions, seeped deep into the human/spiritual consciousness of humanity, leading to profound, sustained reflections on the diminishment, disregard for, and desecration of the human body. What is the ultimate purpose for the human body, and end of the human person? How sacred is our spirit’s temple? How integral to our salvation is being body, mind, spirit?
The student researched newspapers, magazines, journals, and all media for any reflections on these question and found significant evidence to support his thesis. I never did find out how his thesis ended up, but his perspective was very helpful to me.
This coming Monday, August 16, 1985, is the 25th anniversary of the day my dad died at home after months of cancer in home hospice. The day before, August 15th, we had celebrated a home mass on this feast of Mary. After the mass, I recall lifting his frail body, 40 pounds lighter than his normal weight and marked with visible bedsores, from his favorite chair back to the hospital bed. Yes, his body diminished and his spirit grew stronger, but his dying experience was not a dualistic fight of one against the other, but a partnership of preparation for his ultimate peace in God. His bodily cancer coaxed and coached him to prepare himself for the next life. My mom cared for his body in those last weeks, lavishing love on him, making moments special. I can still feel the coldness of his feet, then in his ankles, and up his body as death overcame his physical presence. For him, his mind remained sharp, his spirit strong, as his breaths became fewer, and his eyes still. As he spoke his last words, we were enveloped in peace; our hands lingered on his body. How sacred the moment!
I know we do not all have such precious moments of death, but daily we are witnesses of and bystanders to the mystery of the sacred partnership of the human person’s body, mind, spirit. Sometimes we must be the voice for the sacredness of the body in the midst of the business of health care. Most times, we are asked to accompany others in their own journey as their bodies seem to “betray” them and they want to fight their life circumstances.
On a global level, we can identify many ways that the human body continues to be desecrated and mistreated. Daily in our ministry we are called upon to hold up the totality and wholeness of the human person in the healing process. Perhaps we can embrace anew, through the Feast of the Assumption, the deepest religious intuition that we live in sacred vessels with a final transformed Glory that infuses these vessels now, and appreciate deeply that we are walking arks of the covenant exuding God’s presence and commitment to be among us.
Four years ago Monday, August 16, 2006, at his general audience at Castel Gondolfo, Benedict XVI reflected, "We may be sure of it: from on high, Mary follows our footsteps with gentle concern, dispels the gloom in moments of darkness and distress, reassures us with her motherly hand. Supported by awareness of this, let us continue confidently on our path of Christian commitment wherever Providence may lead us. Let us forge ahead in our lives under Mary's guidance." Amen!
What has been your experience with the sacred partnership of the human person’s body, mind, spirit?
Feedback on my prior Executive Director’s Reflections
Thanks to many of you who offered comments on my Executive Director Reflections on Quoheleth in the prior NACC Now. It seemed to spark many thoughts and directions. Bob O’Gorman of The Institute of Pastoral Studies, Loyola Chicago, connected me to David Brook’s column in the August 2, 2010, of the New York Times that spoke to the Summoned Life. Maybe you would enjoy it as well. Here's the link.
Appreciatively,
David Lichter
Executive Director
We remind our members that the NACC Office summer hours are Monday-Thursday, 8:30-5:00 p.m., CDT, and Friday, 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. CDT. Thank you.
Ongoing thanks for our annual member support campaign!Thank you again to those who have so far given to this year’s Member Support Campaign! Thirteen percent of our members have contributed so far to our Campaign. In 2009 15.3 percent of our members participated. Our goal for 2010 was to reach 20 percent member participation. This past week a second invitation was sent to participate to those from whom we have not yet heard. Please join your colleagues in support our Annual Member Support Campaign!
See Logo of the NACC 2011 National Conference, May 21-24, 2010!Pathways to Healing: People and Communities is the theme of the NACC 2011 National Conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, May 21-24, 2010. Go to www.nacc.org/conference to see the new conference logo! We appreciate your prayers and your ideas as we move toward finalizing speakers and workshop leaders. Please contact Linda Piotrowski, Conference Chair, with your ideas at Linda.F.Piotrowski@hitchcock.org.
How do I count continuing education hours within the revised NACC standards?We continue to receive calls from our members regarding how to categorize/count their continuing education hours within the framework of the revised NACC Standards. Go to www.nacc.org/certification/renewal.asp for guidelines and suggestions, particularly noting the Certification Procedures Manual section on Renewal of Certification. Each particular revised Standard from 302 through 305 (Theory of Pastoral Care, Identity and Conduct, Pastoral, and Professional) corresponds to one of the old Standards (Theological, Pastoral, Professional) and you will need to read over the revised Standards (302-305) in order to see where your continuing education hours may fit in. A very helpful document which compares our old Standards with our Revised Standards is the Parallel of 2-2006 NACC Standards and Revised 11-2007 Standards at the same location. For more information, please plan to participate in our Renewal of Certification Audio Conference, August 19 (12:00 noon central time).
Involved in any special ministries?We are always glad to share with members what other ministries you might be involved in. Rod Accardi, D.Min, BCC, shared with us his “other” ministry once leaving the NACC Certification and Standards Commissions. Thanks for sharing, Rod! Click here to read about Rod's ministry. What are you doing?
New positions for NACC membersJust a reminder to you, please let us know if you have accepted a new position/responsibility. E-mail Cindy Bridges (cbridges@nacc.org). We want to congratulate you and let others know, too. Below is our current list of updates from members:
Joseph Rinderknecht
Joseph Rinderknecht, D Min. has been hired by Lutheran Chaplaincy Service to be Director of Spiritual Care at Medina Hospital, a Cleveland Clinic Hospital in Medina Ohio starting August 16, 2010. Mr. Rinderknecht leaves a position as Healing Services Practitioner/Spiritual Care Specialist in the Medical Intensive Care Unit of the Cleveland Clinic main campus. Prior to that position he completed four units of a CPE residency at the main campus in Cleveland, OH. From 1978 to 2008 he served two congregations as a pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. In December of 2009 he and his wife Gail were received into the Roman Catholic Church.
Patricia Stockdale
Patricia Stockdale has been appointed to head the ministry to the Sick and Homebound at the parish of St. James in Stratford, Connecticut.
Rev. George Henninger
Reverend George Henninger has a new assignment as the parish priest at Holy Family Parish in Victoria, Texas. Father George has three major hospitals that he visits.
Our member, Deacon Charlie Stump, asks if anyone of our members has developed a Ritual to expand the “Order for the Blessing of Parents after a Miscarriage” to include the Naming of the Child. This question has arisen with staff and parents at a time when the focus is on the birth of a child and the parents are being told of the child’s death. The Blessing seems to focus on the parents without really acknowledging the presence of the child, and including the often important step of naming the child as part of the healing process, knowing the only time the Church asks this question is to the parents at baptism. If you have some type of ritual for this, please contact Deacon Charlie Stump at cstump@cathdal.org.
Request: Mass StipendOur member, Brother Kenney Gorman, C.F.X., asks: Auditors have raised the question of how a priest-employee receives a stipend for Mass offered during regular work hours. Does any facility/system have a procedure or best practice in place as to how the stipend is paid? If you have something to share on this, please send to kgorman@reshealthcare.org.
Request: Emergency Parking PracticeOur member, Diane McKinley, contacted us regarding their circumstances at a non-Catholic facility where there is no emergency parking for their chaplains. While there is always a chaplain on site, times dictate for an emergency call of a chaplain. What is the 'industry' standard regarding this at non-Catholic affiliated hospitals? Diane would like examples of practices to provide to administration. If you have a practice in this regard, please e-mail Diane McKinley at diane.m.mckinley@gmail.com.
Request: Communion ServicesOur member, Frank Zlotkowski, is trying to do a survey on Catholic Communion Services in hospitals. He wants to know: a. Do you regularly offer these in your hospital? b. Does the hospital have a priest who regularly presides at Mass in the hospital? c. Is there more than one Catholic parish within 10 miles of the hospital? If you want to share your information, please e-mail Frank at FZlotkowski@seton.org. He will gladly share with you the results of his fact-finding.
Upcoming NACC audio conferencesNACC is pleased to announce our audio conferences planned for July through September. Please mark your calendars and register early as space is limited.
1. Renewal of Certification with the NACC
August 19, 2010 at 12:00 noon central time to 1:30 p.m. central time
This audio conference will provide participants with an overview of the renewal of certification process and documentation and provide a forum for answering questions about NACC renewal of certification.
This audio conference is offered to our members at no cost. For more information and to register, click here.
2. Certification with the NACC
August 26, 2010 at 12:00 noon central time to 1:30 p.m. central time
This audio conference will provide participants with an overview of the NACC certification process, with special attention to the revised NACC standards and procedures. We will present key information about certification and provide a forum for answering questions about certification with the NACC.
This audio conference is offered at no cost. For more information and to register, click here.
3. “Pastoral Care of the Sick and Dying: Theology and Practice of the Rites” presented by Bruce T. Morrill, S.J.
September 9 and September 16, 2010 at 12:00 noon central time to 1:00 p.m. central time
These audio conferences (2) will start with an overview of what the best of current biblical and historical scholarship tells us about the phenomenon of healing. We shall then turn to the anointing of the sick, viaticum for the dying, and the other pastoral rites associated with them in Pastoral Care of the Sick: Rites of Anointing and Viaticum (1983) to explore how these renewed rites grace us with treasures from the tradition that meets genuine human needs today.
For more information and to register, click here.
4. “The Parables of Jesus: Hope for a Broken World” presented by Dr. Mary Ann Getty-Sullivan
October 14 and October 21, 2010, at 12:00 noon central time to 1:00 p.m. central time
More details coming soon.
5. “Spirituality and Aging” presented by Dr. Kathleen Fischer
November 11 and November 18, 2010, at 12:00 noon central time to 1:00 p.m. central time
More details coming soon.
6. “The Heroic Journey of Chaplaincy: Discovering the Wounded Healer Within,” presented by Edward M. Smink, Ph.D.
December 9 and 16, 2010, at 12:00 p.m. noon central time to 1:00 p.m. central time
More details coming soon.
We will continue to hold the audio conferences on Thursdays so as not to conflict with the Champion Series that are held on Wednesdays. For questions about our audio conferences, please contact Jeanine Annunziato (jannunziato@nacc.org).
Remember the Spiritual Care Champions Series!Please remember that you can sign up for individual sessions of the Spiritual Care Champions Series. For more details on how to register for these sessions, go to: www.che.org/mission/index.php?id=46. Upcoming sessions include:
Have you visited the APC site to learn about their webinars? You can review and sign up for them by going to this link.
Are you planning to give any presentations on chaplaincy?We continue to encourage members to promote the chaplaincy profession. Please remember that the NACC office staff want to make sure you have resources to share. If you are planning to do a presentation, please contact Cindy Bridges (cbridges@nacc.org) so that she can send you brochures. Also we remind you that you can access on our NACC website the Chaplaincy Ministry video (or order one – see below) as well as two PowerPoint slideshows to use as a basis for the presentation at www.nacc.org/advancing/promo.asp.
Order your video promoting the chaplaincy professionOur video on Chaplaincy, both a recruitment version (that begins and ends with “Is God Calling You?”) and a version without this question, are available in DVD format. The charge is just $6.00, the cost of production and shipping. You may preview the video below. To order copies please email Cindy Bridges for instructions.
More 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.
Here are other events for our members. For a complete listing of events, go to www.nacc.org/resources/edops.asp.
Please let us know if you would like our membership to pray for your health and healing. Also please let us know when you want us to remove your name from our Healing Tree. We continue to pray for: Jane Smith (macular hole in right eye – eye surgery), Kathy Brier (hospitalization-daughter of NACC member Theresa Brier), Ginny Conron (POP surgery), Sister Maria Theresa Hronec, SS.C.M. (surgery late June), Marcella Keefe-Slager (lung cancer and treatment), Fr. Art Schute (at the death of his father, Arthur Edward Schute), Sr. John Marie Stack, OSF (lymphoma cancer), Mary Pawicz (recovering from shoulder surgery), Gloria Troxler (preventive chemotherapy after ovarian surgery), Fr. Kevin Ikpah (eye troubles), Sr. Micheletta McGee, RSM (pancreatic cancer), Lourdes B. Ruta (wife of Peter Ruta, in recovery), Fr. Bob Nee, BCC, LICSW, CT (intractable epilepsy), Kelly Elizabeth Sexton (cancer: daughter of NACC member Melyssa Sexton), Joyce Fink (heart attack/recovery from open heart surgery), Fr. Bill Spacek (detached retina and other eye issues); Sr. Nancy Crane, OP (cancer treatment); Sr. Hilda Mallet, MHS (cancer treatment), and Sr. Rita Rzeppa, IBVM (recovering/rehab from knee surgery).
Recent job postingThe following position has been posted in the last two weeks. Please go to www.nacc.org/positions/available.asp for more information.
CATHOLIC PRIEST CHAPLAIN
Bridgeport, CT - Full-Time, Various Shifts and Hours, Day/Evening & Night Rotation. St. Vincent's Medical Center
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.