Issue #267 – February 5, 2018

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(Items marked with a * are new or updated items)

NACC

1. Executive Director’s Reflection
2. A warm welcome to our new NACC members who joined us in January 2018!
3. Recent deaths of NACC members
4. May 19 & 20, 2018 Certification Interviewer Recruitment
5. February 11, 2018 is World Day of the Sick. Have you accessed the NACC Prayers available on the NACC website for download and use?
6. In Vision: Hurricane Harvey forces system to put plans into action
7. Coming closer! DEADLINE FEBRUARY 15, 2018 – Initial Certification and Advanced Certification for Hospice Palliative Chaplain Application
8. NACC Networking calls for February/March 2018

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

APC/NACC 2018 CONFERENCE, Thursday, July 12, to Sunday, July 15, 2018!

9. Call for Joint Conference Poster Presentations

CHAPLAINCY NEWS, EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL SUPPORTS

10. The Joint Commission’s The Source publishes a two-part series on chaplaincy!
11. This month’s 2018 NACC webinar! Thursday, February 22, 2018. How Chaplains Can Help Patients and their Families Decode Provider Information, presented by Prudence R. Hopkins, MA, BCC-ACHPC
12. Have you registered yet for NACC’s 2018 webinar series?
13. Request: A member’s interest with chaplains who main responsibility is employee support
14. Two other valuable offerings from APC and ACPE
15. NACC Local Gatherings!
16. Other educational events
17. In case you were not aware and did not see these resources
18. Healing Tree: a request for prayers
19. Recent job postings

1. Executive Director’s Reflection

David Lichter, D.Min.
Executive Director
Ok, so yesterday’s reading got me thinking and smiling…

I first thought, with Job’s reading (Job 7:1-4, 6-7), “Isn’t this a good reading for the first week of February as winter weariness is already seeping in pores and emotions!” 😊 “Is not man’s life on earth a drudgery?” Or “So I have been assigned months of misery, and troubled nights have been allotted to me.” Or “Remember that my life is like the wind; I shall not see happiness again.” 😊

Or perhaps, our ministry might be growing weary under the pressure of St. Paul’s conviction, “I have become all things to all, to save at least some.” Or maybe we feel we have had days like Jesus in Mark’s Gospel (Mk. 1:29-39) when he, even after a full day, spent the entire evening curing the sick and driving out demons! Then to get up early again the next morning with the hopes to find some quiet only to be hounded by the apostles with “everybody is looking for you!”

The combination of weariness by weather or feeling overwhelmed by ministry can taunt and tire us these days of early February. Still, does Life’s purposefulness still give us energy and sustain us? I thought Jesus’ response to the disciples’ plea was instructive, “Let us go on to the nearby villages
that I may preach there also. For this purpose have I come.” For what purpose have I come? For what purpose do you come?

Not every answer is found on the internet, but I found a curious site that gave seven symptoms that indicate I might not be living my purpose? sensophy.com/what-is-the-purpose-of-life-or-meaning-of-life

1. You’re not waking up excited in the morning.
2. You have really “high highs” and really “low lows.”
3. Your life isn’t entirely fulfilling you anymore.
4. You’re surrounded by people who are bringing you down.
5. You’re ignoring your dreams because you’re scared to move on.
6. You’re working in a job that depletes you of energy.
7. You feel stuck in the “rat race” but don’t know the next step.

Any of those sound familiar? I thought the solutions to finding purpose were interesting also, although most fairly predictable.

1. Make your motivations intrinsic.
2. Live in integrity with your values.
3. Become comfortable with feeling uncomfortable.
4. Embark on the Hero’s Journey.
5. Combine your strengths with your passions.
6. Avoid the trap of validation.
7. Grab a free copy of The Purpose Pack! (Of course, there is a sell, isn’t there! 😊)

So, when I was asking myself about my life’s purpose, I could not help but return to St. Ignatius of Loyola’s First Principle and Foundation to his Spiritual Exercises. This is the contemporary version by David Fleming, S.J.

I recall when beginning my 30-day retreat (now 40 years ago!) how long I spent on trying to truly embrace this “purpose” and to make this motive “intrinsic” (See the first point above!)! Over the years this Principle and Foundation remains one of my core reflections on Life’s Purpose.

How does this fit you? How would you express your “purpose” right now? How would you fill in this blank today? “For this purpose ___ have I come.” What gets you through February?

Maybe February 14 will help us this year, being both Valentine’s Day and Ash Wednesday! 😊

Blessings on your February,

2. A warm welcome to our new NACC members you joined us in January 2018!
Please join us in welcoming our new NACC members who joined us last month!

Affiliate Members
Deacon Charles A. Corder (Tucson, AZ)

Full Members
Rev. Lawrence D. Ahyuwa (Tampa, FL)
Sr. Philomina Jose DHM (Mt. Prospect, IL)
Mr. Mark Wolski (Chicago, IL)

Student Members
Sr. Margaret I. Alokan (Tyler, TX)
Ms. Maria G. Brantman (Deerfield, IL)
Ms. Mary C. Harrington (Seattle, WA)

3. Recent deaths of NACC members
Please remember in your prayer with gratitude for their healing ministry:

• Sr. Sheila Prendeville, CPPS, BCC, died on January 8, 2018. She was certified with NACC in 1977, and remained an NACC member. She had a 28-year service as a hospital chaplain at St. John’s Hospital in Springfield, IL. stlouisreview.com/article/2018-01-19/obituary-sr-sheila

Former NACC member, Alberta Utrup, died on January 7, 2018. Alberta joined NACC in 1983 and was certified in 1990. Her obituary noted that “For 27 ½ years she served untiringly in ministry at Mercy Hospital Western Hills and Mercy Franciscan at Westpark, a Senior Living Community, both in Cincinnati. Alberta provided encouragement, support, comfort, and consolation to patients, residents, families, and staff in both settings. Hers was a compassionate heart.” www.legacy.com/obituaries/cincinnati/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory&pid=187777176

4. May 19 & 20, 2018 Certification Interviewer Recruitment
Recruitment for May 19 & 20, 2018 Certification Interviews is beginning! Interviews are being held in Portland, OR; Irving, TX; Milwaukee, WI; and Middletown, CT. If you live near any of those areas, are a Board Certified Chaplain and are willing and able, we would love to have you volunteer. To volunteer or for more information, please contact Ramona Zeb, Administrative Specialist for Certification at rzeb@nacc.org or call (414)483-4898 Ext. 304.

5. February 11, 2018 is World Day of the Sick. Have you accessed the NACC Prayers available on the NACC website for download and use?
2018 World Day of the Sick is just a week away. You can access the 2018 World Day of the Sick prayer cards. You will find both a prayer for the sick and a prayer for the caregiver, both are in English and Spanish. Please download and use as you would like. Here’s the webpage: www.nacc.org/resources/spirituality-and-prayer-resources/world-day-of-the-sick/.

We are grateful to the several NACC members who submitted prayers for consideration. And we are grateful to Chaplain Daniel Doyon, Spiritual Care & Chaplaincy, St. Mary’s Health System, Lewiston, Maine for allowing us to use his prayers. Also thank you for the selection work of David Lewellen, Vision Editor, and Becky Evans, Diego Sansone of Idea Translations, our translator, and the design of Gina Rupic.

6. In Vision: Hurricane Harvey forces system to put plans into action
CHRISTUS Southeast Texas Health System is used to hurricanes. When Hurricane Harvey came ashore last summer, the spiritual care team put its plan into action and got ready to improvise. Nancy Cook gives more details in the current issue of Vision.
www.nacc.org/vision/january-february-2018/hurricane-harvey-forces-system-put-plans-action

7. Coming closer! DEADLINE FEBRUARY 15, 2018 – Initial Certification and Advanced Certification for Hospice Palliative Chaplain Application
We are currently accepting application portfolios for initial certification and advanced certification for the February 2018 deadline. Please note the deadline for application portfolios is Thursday, February 15, 2018. The application portfolios have to be postmarked by the deadline. If you have any questions or would like informational materials on initial or advanced certification, please contact Ramona Zeb at rzeb@nacc.org or call (414) 483-4898 Ext. 304. Please keep our applicants and those considering Board Certification in your prayers.

8. NACC Networking calls for February/March 2018
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 for information. Times listed are Central Time Zone.

Friday, Feb. 9, 2018; 10 a.m. CT CPE Educators Networking Group
Tuesday, Feb. 13; 10 a.m. CT Behavioral Health Networking Group
Tuesday, Feb. 13; 2 p.m. CT Hispanic/Bilingual Networking Group
Monday, Feb. 19; 2 p.m. CT Patient Satisfaction Networking Group
Tuesday, Feb. 20; 2 p.m. CT Ambassador Networking Group
Wednesday, Feb. 21; 10 a.m. CT Corrections Ministry Networking Group
Thursday, Feb. 22; 11 a.m. CT Palliative/Hospice Networking Group
Thursday, Feb. 22; 2 p.m. CT Deacon Member Networking Group
Friday, Feb. 23; 10 a.m. CT State Liaison Networking Group
OR
Monday, Feb. 26; 2 p.m. CT State Liaison Networking Group
Monday, Feb. 26; 10 a.m. CT Integrative Care Networking Group
Tuesday, Feb. 27; 10 a.m. CT Long-Term Care Networking Group
Wednesday, Feb 28; 10 a.m. CT New Member Networking Group
Wednesday, Feb 28; 2 p.m. CT Age 45 & Below Networking Group
Thursday, March 1; 10 a.m. CT One-Person Dept. Networking Group
Thursday, March 1; 2 p.m. CT Dir. of Spiritual/Pastoral Care Networking Group
Monday, March 5; 10 a.m. CT Outpatient Settings Networking Group
Monday, March 5; 2 p.m. CT African Member Networking Group
Tuesday, March 6; 2 p.m. CT Nurse Chaplain Networking Group
Wednesday, March 7; 10 a.m. CT Retired/Emeritus Member Networking Group
Thursday, March 8; 10 a.m. CT Student Members Networking Group

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

APC/NACC 2018 CONFERENCE, Thursday, July 12, to Sunday, July 15, 2018!

9. Call for Joint Conference Poster Presentations
The 2018 Joint Conference Education Subcommittee invites you to submit poster presentation proposals for the 2018 APC/NACC Joint Conference, July 12 – 15 at the Marriott Anaheim in Anaheim, CA. Poster presentations will allow you to share your expertise, inspire colleagues, stimulate thoughtful discussion and educate others on important issues within chaplaincy. Accepted posters will be displayed on Friday, July 13 through Sunday, July 15, 2018. There will be a session 5:30 p.m. – 6:45 p.m. on Saturday, July 14 that will allow presenters to interact with conference participants. For more information and to download a poster presentation application, please visit the Joint conference website. www.nacc.org/conference/call-poster-proposals

For more information about the Conference go to:
www.nacc.org/conference

CHAPLAINCY NEWS, EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL SUPPORTS

10. The Joint Commission’s The Source publishes a two-part series on chaplaincy!
The Joint Commission’s The Source publication has published a two-part series on chaplaincy (The Source, Jan. 2018 Vol.16.1, “Part 1. Body, Mind, Spirit,” and The Source, Feb. 2018, Vol.16:2, “Part 2. Body, Mind, Spirit”). You can access these two articles on the NACC website at: www.nacc.org/resources/administrator-resources. These two articles provide education on chaplaincy for the Joint Commission surveyors. Part one explores “how chaplains improve the satisfaction and well-being of hospitalized patients and their families.” Part two describes “how chaplains help hospitals meet various Joint Commission standards; perform spiritual or religious screenings, histories, and assessments; assist in decisions about end-of-life care; and conduct evidence-based research.”

We are very grateful to Mr. James Parker, Executive Editor, Department of Publications and Education Resources, Joint Commission Resources, for his decision to have these articles written, and to those who were interviewed and provided resources to Mr. Parker. These were published due to the collaboration of representatives of APC, ACPE, COMISS, and NACC who have dialogued with diverse representatives of Joint Commission over the past four-plus years. Mary Lou O’Gorman, MDiv, BCC, has been our Joint Commission representative over these years.

These articles can be very useful for you in your education of staff and administration.

11. This month’s 2018 NACC webinar! Thursday, February 22, 2018. How Chaplains Can Help Patients and their Families Decode Provider Information, presented by Prudence R. Hopkins, MA, BCC-ACHPC
On Thursday, February 22, 2018, the NACC will host the second NACC webinar of our 2018 series, How Chaplains Can Help Patients and their Families Decode Provider Information, presented by Prudence R. Hopkins, MA, BCC-ACHPC. Participants will explore ways medical providers show they have difficulty with goals of care discussion. The webinar will discuss how from a position of empathy for the providers as well as the patients, chaplains can help decode the veiled messages, providing a more open dialogue.

Additional information about this webinar (also all our 2018 webinars) can be found at the following link: 2018 webinars.

To register online and pay by credit card, for this webinar as well as for any other NACC 2018 webinar, please visit the registration page by clicking on this LINK. If you prefer to register using a paper registration form and pay by check, a downloadable registration form can be accessed at this LINK.

12. Have you registered yet for NACC’s 2018 webinar series?
A full list of offerings, with program details, is available at this link: 2018 webinars. The registration fee for individual webinars is $40 for NACC members and $55 for non-members. Please note that we are offering a package deal that encompasses all of the regular series of 2018 NACC webinars, available at a significant discount: $320 for NACC members, $430 for non-members.

To register online and pay by credit card please visit the registration page by clicking on this LINK. If you prefer to register using a paper registration form and pay by check, a downloadable registration form can be accessed at this LINK.

NOTE: All of the NACC webinars are recorded, and online access to the recordings is made available to all registrants. If you cannot participate live, you still have the opportunity to enhance your learning (and earn CEHs) by means of the recordings.

13. Request: A member’s interest with chaplains who main responsibility is employee support
One of our NACC members seeks to network with other chaplains who are assigned to be of support for employees. If your ministry includes a significant amount of spiritual care for employees and you would like to network with other chaplains providing such support, please contact Ramune Franitza (rfranitza@nacc.org). We will plan a call for this group. Thank you.

14. Two other valuable offerings from APC and ACPE
On February 20 Dr. George Fitchett will present the webinar “Spiritual Assessment in Palliative and End of Life Care” through the Association of Professional Chaplains. This event will be of interest both to chaplains and palliative care teams beyond chaplaincy. This 90-minute webinar, from 1-2:30 p.m. CST, offers 1.5 CEH’s for Methodology 8 – Research.

ACPE is hosting a series of webinars called “Advancing Chaplaincy: Learning to Think and Act Strategically.” The series kicks off on February 15 from 1-2 p.m. CST with a session on advanced care planning presented by Amy Greene (Cleveland Clinic) and Aoife Lee (Rush Oak Park Hospital). Subsequent sessions will be on April 2 and May 17; details are available at the link above.

15. NACC Local Gatherings

• Winter Park, FL, Thursday, February 15, 2018 (8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.). The NACC is presenting a program at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church (in Winter Park, near Orlando). David Lichter, Mary Reichert and Maritza Ramos-Pratt will facilitate discussion on the subject of Spiritual Care and End of Life. For details about the program and information about registering, please click on this link: REGISTER.

16. Other educational events

• Fordham University Pastoral Counseling and Spiritual Care Conference
  Fordham University is hosting its annual Pastoral Counseling and Spiritual Care Conference on Friday, March 2. The topic for this year’s conference is “Calming the Chaos: Clinical and Pastoral Responses in Traumatic Times.” The NACC has approved it for 4.5 CEHs. For further information about this event and registration details, please click on this LINK.

17. In case you were not aware and did not see these resources

• Have you seen the CHA 2018 Lenten Podcast series available to you?
  www.chausa.org/prayers/videos-podcasts/lent-podcasts

• Have you seen or accessed the Pope Francis 2018 World Day of the Sick letter yet?
  w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/sick/documents/papa-francesco_20171126_giornata-malato.html
• Have you checked the section of the Transforming Chaplaincy website where a guest commentator offers insights into a specific resource? Check it out at:
  www.transformchaplaincy.org/2018/01/02/dr-irene-harris-on-veterans-moral-injury

18. 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: Sheila Fonseca, Russ (Husband of Linda Bronersky, BCC-E), Vicki Farley (on the recent death of her husband, Tom), Maggie Finley, Mary K. Pauluk BCC, 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.

19. 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.

SPIRITUAL CARE MINISTERS
Green Bay, WI – St. Vincent Hospital

CHAPLAIN RESIDENT
Santa Monica, Burbank, & Tarzana, California – Providence Health & Services California Center for CPE

DIRECTOR of PASTORAL CARE
Columbia, SC – Providence Health

VICE PRESIDENT of MISSION
Marshall, Minnesota – Avera Marshall Regional Medical Center

CHAPLAIN – SPIRITUAL CARE SERVICES
Reading, PA – St. Joseph Medical Center

DIRECTOR of PASTORAL / SPIRITUAL CARE
Notre Dame, IN – The Sisters of the Holy Cross, Inc

CERTIFIED CHAPLAIN
Beaumont, TX – CHRISTUS St. Elizabeth Hospital

CHAPLAIN/ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST
Anchorage, Alaska – Providence Alaska Medical Center

DIRECTOR of SPIRITUAL CARE
Toledo, Ohio – St. Vincent Medical Center

View these jobs and more at: www.nacc.org/resources/positions.