Issue #270 – March 19, 2018
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(Items marked with a * are new or updated items)
NACC
1. Executive Director’s Reflection *
2. Please join the NACC Board of Directors tomorrow, March 20, for its final listening call on NACC 2018-2020 Strategic Plan. *
3. NACC has display and member volunteers at the LA Religious Education Congress
4. Vision seeks writers about opioid crisis. *
5. In Vision: Chaplain in outpatient office gets reimbursed for “the conversation.” *
6. NACC Networking calls for March/April 2018 *
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
APC/NACC 2018 CONFERENCE, Thursday, July 12, to Sunday, July 15, 2018!
7. How to Register for the Conference *
8. As you register, please consider a donation to the NACC Scholarship Fund.
For more information about the Conference go to:
www.nacc.org/conference
CHAPLAINCY NEWS, EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL SUPPORTS
9. Important communication from Amy Greene, ACPE Board Chair, regarding ACPE and HCCN current state of affairs. *
10. Two important NACC Webinars coming in April! Register today! *
11. You can still register for NACC’s 2018 webinar series.
12. NACC Local Gatherings *
13. Other educational events *
14. Healing Tree: a request for prayers *
15. Recent job postings *
For more news, updates, and resources, be sure to read Vision on our website six times a year.
1. Executive Director’s Reflection
Yesterday’s gospel for the fifth Sunday of Lent turns our hearts ever more to the pending suffering and death of Jesus. In John 12:20-33 we meet Jesus saying, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies,
it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit.” And a little further in the citation, we read, “And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.” He said this indicating the kind of death he would die.
In these coming days and weeks, we are reflecting ever more deeply on the presence and meaning of suffering and death as we encounter it in our ministry. We listen to, stand with, and often hold those who are in severe suffering whether it is temporary or the final moments of life. We attend to the person in the unique belief (or no belief) context of their life as they seek to describe whatever meaning or purpose (or meaninglessness or purposelessness) this mystery is to him or her.
Over the years, I have appreciated different authors’ and presenters’ reflection on suffering and death as they have enlightened me and given me new perspectives. Here are three that Betty Ferrell, PhD, MA, RN, FAAN, FPNC, provided in her presentation on “The Global Imperative of Palliative Care” at the 2013 Supportive Care Coalition Congress:
She quoted Cesare Pavese Nardos Gorgios, MD: Suffering is by no means a privilege, a sign of nobility, a reminder of God. Suffering is a fierce, bestial thing, commonplace, uncalled for, natural as air. It is intangible; no one can grasp it or fight against it; it dwells in time – it the same thing as time; if it comes in fits and starts, that is only so as to leave the sufferer more defenseless during the moments that follow, those long moments when one relives the last bout of torture and waits for the next.
Betty continued: As caregivers, we encounter many, as [Boris] Pasternak notes, who trigger those cracks in our heart and open us once again to suffering. Our work as caregivers of those who are dying is never to deny the truth and presence of suffering, impermanence, and death. As we are touched by these realities of existence, we realize that compassion is a moral, social, psychological, and spiritual imperative. But to do this work, we need to focus attention on our own spiritual resources to support our work.
One of my favorite theologians who reflected on the topic was Edward Schillebeeckx, OP. As we embrace in faith the mystery of Jesus’ suffering, death and resurrection, he writes, prayer “shouldn’t continue with your saying: God must have an intention here, but rather with your saying: we are still in God’s hands, even in grim situations like this one. This terrible event isn’t the last word. And you have to say that with all the strength that is in your being.” (God is New Each Moment, 108)
www.amazon.com/Each-Moment-Father-Edward-Schillebeeckx/dp/0826477011
Perhaps, in these final weeks of Lent, you might want to reflect again upon and to share with your colleagues one or more of your inspiring quotes on your ministry to those who suffer. I will post them in my reflection in our next NACC Now, which will be Easter Monday.
Continued blessings on your Lenten journey,
David Lichter, D.Min.
Executive Director
2. Please join the NACC Board of Directors tomorrow, March 20, for its final listening call on NACC 2018-2020 Strategic Plan.
The NACC Board of Directors is enthused to share with you the draft of the NACC 2018-2020 Strategic Plan. The Board members are very appreciative of NACC members’ input on our priorities, both through the member survey of March 2017 and at the NACC Conference business meeting. The Board worked with a professional planning consultant during the summer and fall to complete this plan. We believe it will assist us in setting a strong future direction for our mission effectiveness and sustainability.
We are inviting you to review the plan, and, for those who would like, to join in this final conference call to share with Board members what excites you about the plan, and how we can best engage you as members to move the plan implementation forward.
Here is the final date and time.
Tomorrow, Tuesday, March 20, 12:00 p.m. Central Time is the final date and time.
To register for this call, go to this LINK. After you have registered we will send you the meeting access information.
If you have any questions, please contact Ramune Franitza at rfranitza@nacc.org.
3. NACC has display and member volunteers at the LA Religious Education Congress
We are grateful to our NACC members who volunteered to staff our NACC display at the LA Religious Education Congress this past weekend,March 16-18, 2018. They include: Catherine Valeriote, Mary Bomba, DW Donovan, Jacqueline Trinkaus, Sr. Judeen Julier, Rev. James Barrand, Michael Harkay, Sister Barbara Jean Lee, Sr. Janet Husung, Rev. Chris Ponnet.
4. Vision seeks writers about opioid crisis.
The May-June issue of Vision will cover the growing opioid crisis in America and the steps that spiritual care can take to address it. If you facilitate a support group, or intervene regularly in the emergency room, or have access to research that offers insights or have any other angle on the epidemic, we would like to hear from you. Please send your article idea to Vision editor David Lewellen, dlewellen@nacc.org. The copy deadline is April 16.
5. In Vision: Chaplain in outpatient office gets reimbursed for “the conversation.”
Under the latest Medicare rules, doctors may now bill and be reimbursed for discussing advance care plans with their patients. But most doctors don’t feel qualified or have the time, to do so. That is why CHRISTUS Santa Rosa of San Antonio has placed a chaplain on an outpatient practice payroll to have those conversations. Read more details in the new issue of Vision.
6. NACC Networking calls for March/April 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.
- Deacon Member Networking Group; Wed., March 21; 10 a.m. CT
- Palliative Care/Hospice Networking Group; Thurs., March 22; 3 p.m. CT (NEW TIME)
- African Member Networking Group; Thurs., April 12; 10 a.m. CT
- Behavioral Health Networking Group; Tues., April 17; 11 a.m. CT
- New Member Networking Group; Wed., April 18; 10 a.m. CT
- Palliative Care/Hospice Networking Group; Thurs., April 26; 3 p.m. CT (NOTE TIME)
NACC realizes the value of networking and appreciates members taking time out of their schedules to share and lend support to others who are ministering in the same area. NACC is looking at alternate ways to connect our members, but until then, this quarterly call is a means to that end.
Unfortunately, the calls lose value if there are few participants, limiting the sharing that could take place. For the call to have the most value for participants, we will postpone a call until the next quarter if there are fewer than 5 participants who have signed up for the call a week prior to its scheduled date.
NACC appreciates the effort it takes to participate and hears of the value these calls provide our members.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
APC/NACC 2018 CONFERENCE, Thursday, July 12, to Sunday, July 15, 2018!
7. How to register for the conference
STEP ONE (1): Make your reservation at the Conference Hotel
Conference attendees who book sleeping rooms at the conference hotel will receive a $159 discount off their full conference registration fee. To receive this discount you must be registered at the conference hotel (Anaheim Marriott) and provide your confirmation during the registration process. Information on how to register at the hotel can be found on the NACC website.The discount will also be extended to locals whose mailing address is within 50 miles of the conference hotel as they will be commuting to the conference.
STEP TWO (2): Know the Email Address on File for You at NACC
For an NACC member to receive the discounted Member rate for conference registration, the member must register utilizing the same email address that is on file with the NACC. The online system will recognize the member’s email address and discount the registration. If you are unsure of the email address you have on file with NACC, please contact the NACC national office. If you do not have an email address on file, please contact NACC for further direction.
STEP THREE (3): Navigate to the Online Registration web-page and Register for the Conference.
Navigate to the conference online registration system. Be sure to have your confirmation number and your email address handy. Follow the screen prompts to register.
Registration Options:
- Register online and pay with Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or DiscoverCard.
- Register online and indicate you will send a check.
8. As you register, please consider a donation to the NACC Scholarship Fund.
Please consider a donation to the Joint Conference scholarship fund. All donations received will help an NACC member to attend the Joint Conference. Every dollar counts; no amount is too big or small. Thank you for your support.
For more information about the Conference go to:
www.nacc.org/conference
CHAPLAINCY NEWS, EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL SUPPORTS
9. Important communication from Amy Greene, ACPE Board Chair, regarding ACPE and HCCN current state of affairs.
Dear Colleagues,
If you are like me, you receive regular emails from the HealthCare Chaplaincy Network and from the Spiritual Care Association. Many of your administrators have received calls from HCCN staff offering services and products. In January, HCCN, an accredited ACPE center since 1974, announced they would be dropping their accreditation with us and pursuing a new option. Many of you have wondered how to respond and what the facts are behind this announcement.
As chair of the ACPE Board of Directors, I would like to provide you with what we know and what we hope you will share with your colleagues. This message is going to all ACPE Certified Educators and Spiritual Care Professionals with the goal of clarifying several statements that have been made, providing the most accurate information available to us. Please let us know if you have questions.
10. Two important NACC Webinars coming in April! Register today!
- Thursday, April 12, 2018. Rediscovering the Art of Dying, presented by Sr. Nuala P. Kenny OC, MD, FRCP
Our Canadian colleagues have developed a special NACC webinar which is scheduled for Thursday, April 12, 2018, 12:00 noon to 1:30 p.m. Central Time. Sr. Nuala P. Kenny OC, MD, FRCP, will present Rediscovering the Art of Dying.
The goals for this session are to provide lessons for disciples of Christ from the legalization of medically assisted death (MAD) in Canada and to propose challenges to the faith community in response.
We will clarify the reasons persons request MAD, which is the medicalization of human suffering and death. As such, it is in contradiction to the tradition of a good death and of the Paschal Mystery itself. Catholics need to be clear about the reasons for requesting assisted death, our cultural and medical context and inherent threats to protection of conscience and to the most vulnerable among us. This is an urgent issue because the more common MAD becomes, the more likely even Catholics will accept it as the ‘new normal.’ Reflecting together on Jesus’ story and stories of patient, family and caregiver experience, we will identify specific clinical, ethical and pastoral challenges that arise in health decisions and care for the seriously ill and dying. Finally, we will address some challenges to disciples of Christ and the need for a robust parish ministry of care and companionship.
To register online and pay by credit card for this 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, please contact Andris Kursietis at the NACC national office at akursietis@nacc.org.
- Thursday, April 19, 2018. How Do We Hold the Tension Between Chaplain Beliefs and Patient Choices? presented by Dr. Vicki J. Farley, DMin, BCC
On Thursday, April 19, 2018, the NACC will host the next NACC webinar of our 2018 series, How Do We Hold the Tension Between Chaplain Beliefs and Patient Choices? presented by Dr. Vicki J. Farley, DMin, BCC. Chaplains walk with people of all faiths and no faith. As chaplains, we hold our own faith and the faith of our patients as we walk with them through many life choices. We meet our patients where and how they are and walk alongside them, treating each with dignity, honor, and respect. On this journey, we often encounter patient choices that do not fit with our personal beliefs or the beliefs of our faith community. How do we, as chaplains, hold this tension when it goes against our beliefs? Participants of this webinar will articulate one’s own experience when one’s beliefs are challenged by patient choice, explore coping strategies and how effective they are in this circumstance and identify one’s values surrounding one possible conflict of values such as assisted death.
Additional information about this webinar (and our other 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 regular series 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.
11. You can still register 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.
12. NACC Local Gatherings
- Save the date!
The NACC is planning a local gathering on April 21, (9:30 am to 4 pm) at the CentraState Medical Center Jack Aaronson Conference Center in Freehold, New Jersey. Details will be announced shortly.
13. Other educational events
- The First Train-the-Trainer Inter-professional Spiritual Care Education Curriculum (ISPEC), July 10-12, 2018, Washington, DC. The 2018 Application is now Open!
What: The 2018 Inter-professional Spiritual Care Education Curriculum Train-the-Trainer Leadership conference will prepare physicians, nurses, and other clinicians from a variety of clinical settings to advocate spiritual care at their institutes and cultivate organizational change.
Attendees will be chosen through a competitive selection process.Who Should Apply:
Each organization will have the opportunity to send a two-person team consisting of clinician-chaplain pairs.If selected, attendees will receive:
- Free Registration
- All course supplies, including syllabus, workbook, and resources
- Breakfast, lunch and snacks
- Continuing Education Credits (CME, Nursing credit hours, CEH)
Each organization selected to attend will receive free, unlimited access to the ISPEC online course for healthcare providers of their organization for one full year!
How to Apply: Please Review Request for Applications. All Applications are due by Monday April 2, 2018!
14. 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: Tim Charek, Joe Cipriano, 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.
15. 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.
MANAGER of SPIRITUAL CARE
Philadelphia and Darby, PA – Mercy Philadelphia and Mercy Fitzgerald Hospitals
VICE PRESIDENT, CHIEF MISSION OFFICER
Little Rock, AR – CHI St. Vincent Health System
DIRECTOR OF PASTORAL CARE
Lauderdale Lakes, FL – Catholic Health Services
CHAPLAIN
Madison, WI – UW Health
CPE OPPORTUNITIES for GROWTH and LEARNING
La Crosse, WI – Gundersen Health System
LIFE CARE CHAPLAIN
Philadelphia, PA – Holy Redeemer Health System
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT of MISSION
Sioux Falls, SD – Avera Health
SUPERVISOR SPIRITUAL CARE
Springfield, MA – Mercy Medical Center
CHAPLAIN
Baltimore, Maryland – Mercy Medical Center
View these jobs and more at www.nacc.org/resources/positions.
