Issue #262 – November 20, 2017
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(Items marked with a * are new or updated items)
NACC
1. Executive Director’s Reflection*
2. Join us in commending to the Lord three NACC members who have recently died.*
3. NACC member news! Congrats to our two members who passed their Associate Educator Review with ACPE!*
4. Would you consider submitting prayers for the World Day of the Sick cards?*
5. Please help us reach our 2017 NACC Annual Campaign Goal! Continued thanks to those who have given to the Campaign!*
6. NACC Networking Calls for December 2017*
7. Vision seeks authors on spiritual care amid disasters*
8. In Vision: Conflict mediation is part of chaplain’s job in ED*
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
APC/NACC 2018 CONFERENCE, Thursday, July 12, to Sunday, July 15, 2018!
9. NACC announces the 2018 awards recipients!
CHAPLAINCY NEWS, EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL SUPPORTS
10. End-of-life care must acknowledge our mortality, Francis reminds physicians*
11. Don’t miss the final 2017 NACC Webinar on ways to develop your competencies!*
12. Member Request: Has anyone developed a cell phone app for requesting chaplains?*
13. CHA webinar offering on “Spiritual Care Interventions for Persons with Dementia,” Tuesday, December 5, 2017, 3:00 p.m. central time*
14. A free webinar tomorrow, November 21, on Addiction Recovery: A Catholic Solution*
15. Friday, December 8, is deadline for applications for the 2018 NACC Webinar Series!*
16. Healing Tree: a request for prayers*
17. Recent job postings*
1. Executive Director’s Reflection
I am sure you noticed again in yesterday’s second reading from Thessalonians the theme of being watchful as we know not the day or hour. That theme is central to these last weeks of the liturgical year. In Thessalonians 5:1-6, Paul writes, “But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness, for that day to overtake you like a thief. For all of you are children of the light and children of the day. We are not of the night or of darkness. Therefore, let us not sleep as the rest do, but let us stay alert and sober.”
I began to reflect on Thanksgiving this week, and wondered about the connection of being alert and attentive to being thankful. The place in scripture where I see these two dispositions in the same sentence is Colossians 4:2, “Persevere in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.”
I did not have to think too long, as I reflect on this past weekend when I spent time again with our son, Dan, and his buddies going deer hunting in northern Wisconsin. For over a decade, this time together has been an important ritual for us. Dan’s the hunter; I am still learning to sit, stay attentive, alert, and watch… for hours. I have not seen up close, much less shot at, a deer. However, I am getting better at the practice of sitting, staying attentive and alert, with my eyes fixed and ears attuned.
I remember so well the first time I went out years ago with Dan. We left before dawn to locate and get comfortable in our spot in the woods. While I recall the cold creeping into my limbs, I still smile at how restless I was with my distracted mind and imagination as I tried to sit still – to remain attentive, alert, and watchful. It was humbling, very humbling. After years of meditation and contemplation, I thought I would be pretty good at it. I wasn’t. Thirty minutes in the woods that first morning had me laughing at myself for the novice I was at sitting, being attentive, alert, and watchful…for deer. Compared to our young son, I was not even a novice, as my mind wandered and my eyes darted all over!
However, gradually a quiet gratitude came over me, as I accustomed myself to the quiet and enjoyed the soft rustling of leaves created by squirrels foraging, the subtle creaking of a branch as birds landed on them, and my own breathing. Thankfulness and watchfulness came together that first morning. Now I pray for the grace of such an intermingling in life. How can being alert to life about me help me to see and hear differently in a way that makes me even more grateful for life itself, for the ministry moments with the people I serve or with whom I serve?
I pray for each of you that your gratitude is stirred and fired by your attentiveness to the life about and within you. May you give yourself the gift somewhere for a few moments (or longer) to sit, stay attentive and alert, and let your gratitude grow.
Blessings,
David Lichter, D.Min.
Executive Director
2. Join us in commending to the Lord three NACC members who have recently died.
In recent weeks we have learned of the death of so many of our current and former NACC members. We share here three more members whom we hold up to the Lord in prayer with gratitude for their lives that continued the healing ministry.
- Our Emeritus Member, Sally Redmond, BCC, died on October 29, 2017, at the age of 83. She joined NACC in 1984 and became board certified in 1991. She remained an Emeritus member until she died. She served so compassionately the elderly at St. Camillus Center in Milwaukee.
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/jsonline/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory&pid=187110876 - Our dear Sister Ramona Nowak, OP, BCC, died on November 8, at the Dominican Life Center in Adrian, Michigan, at the age of 72 during the 51st year of her religious profession in the Adrian Dominican Congregation. She joined NACC in 1987, and was board certified in 1988. She also received from NACC in 2016 specialty certification as Advanced Certification for Hospice and Palliative Care (ACHPC). Shortly after receiving this advanced certification she was diagnosed with cancer and personally lived, reflected on, and shared her own experience of palliative and hospice care, and the loving support of her religious community and friends, right up until her death. She was a gift to all of us.
http://www.catholic-sf.org/CSF-home/article/csf/2017/11/14/sister-romona-nowak-op - One of our longtime members, Sr. Mary Antona Ebo, FSM, BCC, died on November 11, 2017, at the age of 93. She joined and was board certified with NACC in 1980. Sr. Ebo was well known for early and courageous involvement in the civil rights movement, including her speaking out during the March 10, 1965, march in Selma, Alabama. Her funeral Mass is being celebrated today, November 20, in St. Louis with Archbishop Robert Carlson of St. Louis presiding. http://stlouisreview.com/article/2017-11-11/obituary-sister-ebo
3. NACC member news! Congrats to our two members who passed their Associate Educator Review with ACPE!
4. Would you consider submitting prayers for the World Day of the Sick cards?
We again invite our members to write prayers to be used on these prayer cards for the February 11, 2018 World Day of the Sick. We will again publish two cards: Prayer for Sick Persons and Prayer for the Caregiver. You may submit prayers for either or both. We hear from many people who appreciate and utilize these cards in hospitals, hospices, long-term care facilities, parishes, and for anyone else interested in the spiritual needs of sick persons and caregivers. Prayers may be written in any style or format you like, but they should be no more than 32 lines long, with an average line length of not more than 10 syllables. To see examples of past prayers, click here. Deadline for receiving these prayers will be Friday, December 8, 2017. We will notify the person(s) whose prayers will be used by Friday, December 15. We are not able to offer payment, but the authors will be credited. We will share a total of two prayers in pdf printable form. Please send your submissions to Ramune Franitza (rfranitza@nacc.org). Thank you in advance for sharing your gifts.
5. Please help us reach our 2017 NACC Annual Campaign Goal! Continued thanks to those who have given to the Campaign!
Many of our members have recently responded to a reminder request. We are deeply grateful to all those who have been able to give to our 2017 Annual Campaign. Please help us reach our Annual Campaign Goal of $54,000. We are still $5,650 shy of that goal.
To date we have received 446 gifts totaling $48,350, compared to 471 of gifts totaling $49.462 at this time last year. If you have not yet been able to make a donation, please consider doing so today or this week! Thank you!
Perhaps, you would like to use next Tuesday, November 28, 2017, #Giving Tuesday (https://www.givingtuesday.org/), as the day to make your first or another gift to NACC to help us reach our goal?
Please note: Also, you can make your donation online by going to the Annual Campaign webpage (https://www.nacc.org/donate/) or just click here to donate. Please give as you can! Blessings!
6. NACC Networking Calls for December 2017
If you wish to participate on any of these calls and are not already on that particular call list, please contact Ramune Franitza at rfranitza@nacc.org
- Palliative Care/Hospice Networking Group Call; Thursday, December 7; 11 a.m. CT
- Nurse Chaplain Networking Group Call; Thursday, December 7 at 2 p.m. CT
- CPE Educators Networking Group Call; Friday, December 8; 10 a.m. CT
7. Vision still seeks authors on spiritual care amid disasters
The theme of the January-February issue of Vision will be spiritual care amid disasters. If you have been deployed to the scene of a disaster – or if you have dealt with large-scale tragedy in your own area – or if your institution has made chaplaincy plans in advance for a disaster – we would like to hear from you. Please send an email describing your idea to Vision Editor David Lewellen, dlewellen@nacc.org. The copy deadline is Dec. 4.
8. In Vision: Conflict mediation is part of chaplain’s job in ED
When Jayne Nachtrab was called to the emergency room for a child who had been shot accidentally, her duties as a chaplain suddenly expanded to include conflict mediation between grieving family members. Read more about a heartbreaking but ultimately affirming experience.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
APC/NACC 2018 CONFERENCE, Thursday, July 12, to Sunday, July 15, 2018!
9. NACC’s announces the 2018 awards recipients!
The NACC Board of Directors is delighted and proud to announce the 2018 recipients of its three awards. These awards will be presented during the APC/NACC 2018 Conference.
- The Distinguished Service Award will go to Mary Lou O’Gorman, BCC, who has been board certified with NACC since 1985 and has generously and selflessly served the NACC and the profession over all those years.
- The Emergent Leader Award will go to Teresa Sullivan, who has been board certified with NACC since 2005 and has served within the NACC as an interviewer and ITE, and serves the profession in diverse ways.
- The Outstanding Colleague Award will go to Beverley Johnson, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Institute for Patient- and Family-Centered Care (http://www.ipfcc.org/about/team.html). She has been a strong supporter of chaplaincy services as integral to patient- and family-centered care.
Please join us in congratulating them. Watch for more information in the coming weeks. For more information about these awards, go to www.nacc.org/about-nacc/annual-awards.
CHAPLAINCY NEWS, EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL SUPPORTS
10. End-of-life care must acknowledge our mortality, Francis reminds physicians
Did you see this article? Last Thursday the Pope addressed medical professionals about end-of-life care.
“[Pope Francis] pointed to the importance of palliative care, which is proving most important in our culture, as it opposes what makes death most terrifying and unwelcome – pain and loneliness.”
Read the article here: www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/end-of-life-care-must-acknowledge-our-mortality-francis-reminds-physicians-32690
11. Don’t miss the final 2017 NACC Webinar on ways to develop your competencies!
On Thursday, December 14, 2017, will be the final NACC webinar, Developing & Competent Chaplains, presented by Tom O’Connor, PhD. It will provide valuable insights into how you can intentionally focus on growing professionally in a competency. Good perspectives for all of us! Watch your email in the coming days for more information!
To register now for this webinar, as well as for recordings of previous NACC 2017 webinars, please visit the webinar page on our website by clicking on this LINK. The web page contains a link to a downloadable paper registration form, and also a link enabling you to register online.
12. Member Request: Has anyone developed a cell phone app for requesting chaplains?
Our NACC member, Dr. Evelyn Sanchez, BCC, is a member of the Steering Committee for Spiritual Care at two hospitals in Mesa, AZ. Their committee members would like to know if anyone has developed a cell phone application that can be used by staff and patients to request chaplain visits. If you or your staff have explored and developed this, would you please contact Evelyn at dr.eve.az@gmail.com? NACC staff was only aware of this app that links employees to chaplains: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mchapusa.chapapp&hl=en
13. CHA webinar offering on “Spiritual Care Interventions for Persons with Dementia,” Tuesday, December 5, 2017, 3:00 p.m. central time
CHA is offering a webinar “to explore aspects of dementia that affect spiritual care and interventions designed to reignite spirituality in persons suffering from memory loss. The program will cover spiritual care needs in various stages of dementia and suggest approaches for addressing these needs. The program will also discuss outreach to faith-based organizations to help them meet spiritual care needs of persons with dementia within their congregations.” For more information and to register go to: www.chausa.org/store/meeting?ID=3600
14. A free webinar tomorrow, November 21, on Addiction Recovery: A Catholic Solution
Ave Maria Press is offering a free Webinar, tomorrow, Tuesday, November 21, 2017, 2:00-3:00 p.m. central time, on “Addiction Recovery: A Catholic Solution” presented by Scott Weeman, Author of The Twelve Steps and the Sacraments (https://www.avemariapress.com/product/1-59471-725-7/The-Twelve-Steps-and-the-Sacraments/). Read more about it and register at:
https://www.avemariapress.com/webinars/parish/?utm_source=bronto&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Now+Available+-+Christian+Labyrinths&utm_content=Free+Live+Webinar!+Addiction+Recovery:+A+Catholic+Solution&utm_campaign=171115+Webinar+-+Weeman+Invite+-+PMR&_bta_tid=41407214831401968224973794334095588940930368336280720006034094730683251541058242453507977558289057379746582&_bta_c=gj4pgici8bvktyse6em402pv3c6dy
15. Friday, December 8, is the deadline for applications for the 2018 NACC Webinar Series!
The NACC is in the process of planning its 2018 webinar schedule and would like to invite you to submit an application to present a webinar next year. NACC webinars (hereafter referred to as webinars) are usually held on the second or third Thursday of each month of the year, excluding the month in which the NACC National Conference falls (in 2018 the conference will take place in July). Each webinar is scheduled for 90 minutes (including a 15-20 minute Q&A session after the presentation itself), starting at 12:00 p.m. Central Time. All webinars are recorded, and therefore the presenter(s) will be required to sign a consent form to that effect.
Below is a suggested list of topics that the NACC Education Advisory Panel thought would be of interest to NACC members for our 2018 webinar series:
- Mental health
- Substance abuse
- Palliative care and end of life
- Self-care
- Outpatient services
- Research (how to apply research to accentuate the effectiveness of chaplaincy; how to apply research to improve one’s practice; how research helps us; being able to read and understand existing research)
- Death of a child
- Ethics
- Those at most risk today:
- Abuse victims
- Sex trafficking victims
- Immigration issues (working with people in ICE detention centers)
If you are interested in presenting a NACC webinar in 2018 on one of the above topics (or if you have a suggestion for a different topic), please complete the application form and return it to the NACC national office (akursietis@nacc.org) by December 8, 2017. Submissions will be reviewed and decisions made by December 21, 2017, at which time you will be notified of the results.
16. Healing Tree: a request for prayers
Please let us know if you would like our membership to pray for your health and healing. We will leave the person’s name on the Healing Tree list for three months, unless you ask us to remove your or the person’s name earlier. You can always request us to leave the name on longer.
We continue to pray for: Anne Murphy, Sr. Mary Clare Boland SP,
Fr. Jim Radde, SJ, Julie Bablin, Sheila Amrich (niece-in-law of NACC member Sr. Paracleta Amrich), Isabelita Boquiren, Susan Balling, Jim and Frances Castello.
17. Recent job postings
The following positions have been posted recently on our Positions Available page.
For more information go to www.nacc.org/resources/positions.
MAYO CLINIC CPE
Rochester, Minnesota
CPE OPPORTUNITIES for GROWTH and LEARNING
La Crosse, WI – Gundersen Health System
DIRECTOR of PASTORAL CARE
Baltimore, MD – Bon Secours Health System
DIRECTOR of MISSION INTEGRATION & SPIRITUAL CARE
Medford, OR – Providence Medford Medical Center
DIRECTOR of MISSION INTEGRATION & SPIRITUAL CARE
Colville, WA – Providence Mt. Carmel Hospital
PART-TIME CHAPLAIN OPPORTUNITY
Redding, CA – Mercy Medical Center Redding – Dignity Health
View these jobs and more at: www.nacc.org/resources/positions.
