NACC Certified Associate Chaplains are Roman Catholics who have formal education in Catholic theology and spiritual care praxis and develop competence in all NACC-Specific competencies and select Common Competencies in the areas of Professional Identity and Conduct and Professional Practice Skills. Certification is determined through written materials (see below, CP231.3) and an in-person interview in which an Interview Team assesses the Applicant’s competencies for certification. At the completion of the interview, the Team recommends or does not recommend the Applicant to the Certification Commission for certification. It is the decision of the Certification Commission to certify or not to certify. The NACC encourages Applicants for certification to engage in a mentoring relationship with a NACC Certified Chaplain or Certified Educator upon entering the certification process.
Please complete the education equivalency application before applying for Certified Associate Chaplaincy (CAC) to determine if you qualify to apply.
Graduate Degree Equivalency Form for CAC Instruction Sheet
Graduate Degree Equivalency Application Form- Equivalency For CAC (MS Word Version)
Graduate Degree Equivalency Application Form- Education Equivalency For CAC (PDF version)
Timeline
The next application deadline is September 15, 2022. Six applicants that meet the prerequisites will be accepted for this process. Interviews will be held in October 2022.
NOTE: Due to the COVID-19 crisis, that has NACC staff working remotely with limited time in the NACC office, online submission of certification materials is greatly preferred. Click here to upload.
For more information and instructions on this option, please email certification@nacc.org.
If you need to send a binder to the NACC office, we advise you to use USPS for delivery as we receive frequent mail; however, whichever method you use, please email certification@nacc.org with the tracking number.
Application Documents
- Checklist for Supportive Materials Required for a Certified Associate Chaplain Interview – This is a user-friendly document corresponding to the formal Certification Procedures Manual. It outlines exactly the way application materials are to be organized and submitted to the NACC office. This is your step-by-step guide to assembling your Certified Associate Chaplain (CAC) Application Portfolio.
- Certified Associate Chaplain Narrative Statement – Writing Guide-2-2022
- Certified Associate Narrative Statement Template
- Integrative Theological Narrative ITP1.1 2-2022
- NACC Required eLearning Module and Post-Test 2-2018
- CAC Documentation of Ministry Hours Form-12-2018
- CAC Spiritual Care Encounter Cover Sheet
- Code of Ethics for Spiritual Care Professionals – 2022 approved
- Ethics Accountability Statement for Certified Associate Chaplain
- Certification Procedures Manual CAC
- Qualifications and Competencies for Certified Associate Chaplain
- Pastor or Priest Letter of Recommendation TEMPLATE – Please have your pastor/priest use this template for their letter of recommendation if you are located anywhere but New York.
- NEW YORK Pastor or Priest Letter of Recommendation TEMPLATE – Please have your pastor or priest use this template for your letter of recommendation if you are located in New York only.
If you have any questions/concerns, you are strongly encouraged to contact the Administrative Specialist, Certification at certification@nacc.org.
