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Vol. 19, No. 5
September/October 2009
Vision is published six times a year by the
National Association of Catholic Chaplains.
Its purpose is to connect our members with
each other and with the governance of the
Association. Vision informs and educates
our membership about issues in pastoral/
spiritual care and helps chart directions for
the future of the profession, as well as the
Association.
ISSN: 1527-2370
Executive Editor
David A. Lichter, D.Min.
Editor
Laurie Hansen Cardona
lcardona@nacc.org
Graphic Designer
Gina Rupcic
The National Association of Catholic
Chaplains advocates for the profession of
spiritual care and educates, certifies, and
supports chaplains, clinical pastoral
educators and all members who continue
the healing ministry of Jesus in the name of
the Church.
NACC Editorial Advisory Panel:
Sr. Michele LeDoux Sakurai; Michelle Lemiesz; Linda
Piotrowski; Rev. Freddy Washington, CSSp;
and board representative Norma Gutierrez,
MCDP.
NACC National Office
4915 S. Howell Avenue Suite 501
Milwaukee, WI 53207-5939
(414) 483-4898
Fax: (414) 483-6712
info@nacc.org
www.nacc.org
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Name:
Richard M. Leliaert (Ph.D.)
Work: Pastor, St. Robert Bellarmine Parish, Redford, MI.
Member since: 1987
Volunteer service: NACC Liaison to NCHPEG (National Coalition for Health Professional Education in Genetics)
Book on your nightstand: Bishop Ken Untener's “The Practical Prophet: Pastoral Writings” (NY: Paulist Press, 2007)
Book you recommend most often: Viktor Frankl's “Man's Search for Meaning”
Favorite spiritual resource: Centering prayer plus “Lectio Divina”
Favorite fun self-care activity: Photography
Favorite movie: Lord of the Rings
Favorite retreat spot: Manresa (Jesuit Retreat House in the Detroit area)
Personal mentor or role model: Mother Teresa
Famous/historic mentor or role model: Abraham Lincoln
Why did you become a chaplain? When I left teaching, I felt uncertain about
where God was leading me next. There were chaplains in my religious
community at the time and I sensed that their ministry was a good
combination of pastoral challenge, deep spiritual and sacramental life, and
hands-on ministry to people at key/crisis moments in their life. I judged
I wasn't prepared then to be a pastor of a parish, but chaplaincy was that
right balance of community life and a ministry of healing service to God's
people in the spirit of Jesus in the Gospels.
What do you get from NACC? A professional Catholic chaplaincy organization
offering certification, excellent opportunities for ongoing education
(especially regional and national conferences), a comprehensive network of
support and spiritual bonding anchored in the Catholic tradition, and a
wonderful link to the other chaplaincy organizations dedicated to spiritual
care in healthcare settings.
Why do you stay in the NACC? Simply because it's still a vital link to and
extension of my life and ministry as a pastor of a strong suburban parish
with a good school. The NACC reinforced for me the importance of lay people
in the church of the 21st century, the need to develop administrative
abilities as part of pastoral ministry, the challenge of leadership and
bringing out the pastoral gifts of others, and the key element of service in
the healing ministry of Jesus. All this was centered in the rich prayer and sacramental, and liturgical heritage of the Catholic tradition.
Why did you volunteer? I wanted the NACC to be a leader in getting on
board early with the impact of genetics in health care and the
ethical/spiritual challenges it presents and will present to healthcare in
the future.
What volunteer activity has been most rewarding? My serving as liaison to
NCHPEG because of what I've learned and whom I've met, especially Mr. Joe
McInerney (the executive director of NCHPEG) and Dr. Francis Collins, currently President
Obama's choice to head the National Institutes of Health. I was especially heartened when APC also joined NCHPEG and their representative at the
time, Vincent Guss, and I worked with Mr. McInerney to put on a panel at a
national NCHPEG meeting on the spiritual and ethical aspects of genetics. The
sessions were well received and we were “recognized” at subsequent national
meetings.
What have you learned from volunteering? The importance of outreach and the
importance of taking risks, based on the saying, "if not you, who?"