A NACC member who holds Board Certification in one of the Strategic Partners in Spiritual Care (Strategic Partners) may apply to have his/her certification recognized by NACC. Strategic Partners approved for recognition of certification by the NACC are listed below.
Chaplain Certification:
- Association of Professional Chaplains (APC)
- Canadian Association for Spiritual Care (CASC/ACSS)
- National Conference of Veterans’ Affairs Catholic Chaplains (NCVACC)
- National Association of Veterans’ Affairs Chaplains (NAVAC)
Certified Associate Chaplain (CAC):
- Association of Professional Chaplains (APC)
Educator Certification:
- ACPE
- Canadian Association for Spiritual Care (CASC)
Palliative Care and Hospice Advanced Certification (PCHAC):
- Association of Professional Chaplains (APC)
- National Association of Veterans’ Affairs Chaplains (NAVAC)
Prerequisites
- Full membership in the NACC (Qualification 301.QUA2) and completed NACC Ethics and Accountability Statement (Code of Ethics 206.11.1)
- Documented proof of membership and valid certification by one of the accepted strategic partners (CP411-CP414).
- Adherence to the NACC Code of Ethics and knowledge of the requirements of that Code (Code of Ethics 100).
Application Process
- STEP 1 – Download the Recognition of Certification Checklist. Click HERE to download the Checklist. This is a user-friendly document that outlines exactly the way application materials are to be organized and submitted to the NACC office.
- STEP 2 – Request Letter of Recommendation – If you are a lay person, you will need a letter of recommendation from a priest in active ministry. Please follow the instructions on the Checklist for requesting this letter. You may provide the following template to your priest:
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- Click HERE to download a Pastor or Priest Letter of Recommendation template for priests anywhere but the Archdiocese of New York.
- Click HERE to download a Pastor or Priest Letter of Recommendation template for priests in the Archdiocese of New York.
- STEP 3 – Prepare Application Materials
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- Request a Recognition of Certification Application Form. It is available upon becoming a Chaplaincy member of the NACC. Please contact certification@nacc.org to obtain the form.
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- Prepare the Narrative Statement I Essay. This essay demonstrates how you meet the NACC-Specific Competencies. Click HERE to download the Narrative I Statement template for Recognition of Certification.
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- Prepare the Integrative Theological Essay – This essay demonstrates your understanding of the Catholic faith as outlined in Competency ITP1.1. Click HERE to download the Integrative Theological Essay template.
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- To meet the requirements of the NACC Competency ITP4.1, the Applicant must complete an eLearning module and pass an eight (8) question post-test. The Applicant will receive a Certification of Completion upon successfully passing the test with a score of 86% or higher. This certificate of Completion must be submitted with the application materials. Click HERE to access to the e-learning module and post-test.
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- Gather other materials required for submission– The Checklist outlines the complete list of materials to be submitted. Please refer to this list.
PLEASE NOTE: If you are a NACC Board Certified Chaplain seeking recognition of Educator certification, please refer to the Checklist for your submission requirements.
- STEP 4 – Submit Materials to NACC Office. Once you have completed all of the application materials according to the instructions outlined in the Checklist, please email the required documents to certification@nacc.org. All materials must be submitted in one email.
What happens after you submit your application?
- The NACC will email you an invoice for the certification application fee of $50.00.
- The NACC will review the application materials to ensure that all submission requirements have been met. The NACC will contact you if anything is missing or corrections need to be made.
- Once your application materials are approved, the NACC will request ecclesiastical endorsement.
- The NACC will then send your application materials to the Certification Commission for review. The Certification Commission’s decision to grant or to deny certification will be communicated to you within thirty (30) days of the Certification Commission’s action.
Reference Documents
- Qualifications and Competencies for Certification of Chaplains (2022-2027) – updated January 2022
- Qualifications and Competencies – Advanced Certification Hospice Palliative Care (2022-2027) – updated January 2022
- Qualifications for Renewal of Certification of Board Certified Educators (2022-2027)– updated January 2022
- Code of Ethics for Spiritual Care Professionals (2022-2027)
- Ethics Procedures Manual – Updated July 2021
- Recognition of Strategic Partner Certification Procedures– Part Four of the Procedures Manual, updated January 2022
- Certification Appeals Part Nine of the Procedures Manual, updated January 2022
