Issue #280 – August 6, 2018

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

NACC

1. Executive Director’s Reflection *
2. NACC joins its Strategic Partners in committing to a Memorandum of Understanding to explore more ways of collaborating and unifying our efforts. *
3. Thank you for voting for the NACC Board Candidates for the 2019 open seat! Dr. Elizabeth (Beth) Lenegan will be our new NACC Board member in 2019. *
4. Welcome to our new NACC members who joined us in July 2018! *
5. 2018 Annual Campaign Update! Thanks to those who have given! Please join them! *
6. In Vision: Full conference coverage *
7. Members in the news *
8. Death of our former NACC member, Sr. Janice Ernst, S.C. *
9. NACC Networking Call for August/September 2018 *
10. Have you visited our NACC Networking Forums yet? *

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

11. Thank you to our Joint Conference sponsors. *
12. Thank you to those who contributed to our Joint Conference Scholarships. *
13. Ordering audio recordings of 2018 Joint Conference materials.
14. 2018 Conference resources can be accessed on the NACC website.
15. Conference photos requested!

2019 NATIONAL CONFERENCE, MAY 31 – JUNE 3, 2019

16. Friday, May 31, to Monday, June 3, 2019, for NACC National Conference! *

CHAPLAINCY NEWS, EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL SUPPORTS

17. In case you did not see Pope Francis’ change to the Catechism’s text on the death penalty! *
18. Final and Urgent Request: Have you ministered during and in the aftermath of an employee strike? *
19. It is not too late to register for these two upcoming August webinars! *
20. There is still time to respond! The NACC is seeking presentation applications for its 2019 NACC Webinar Series! *
21. NACC Local Gatherings *
22. Important resource *
23. Healing Tree: a request for prayers *
24. Recent job postings *

1. Executive Director’s Reflection
Yesterday’s liturgical readings reminded me of how different is the experience of God compared to how I can expect to experience life. What I want, long for, and desire on a daily basis, and what desiring and longing for God is really like.

Of course, we are so familiar with the Exodus 16 narrative of the grumbling and grousing of the Israelites who remembered and longed for their food in Egypt. Would that we had died at the LORD’s hand in the land of Egypt, as we sat by our fleshpots and ate our fill of bread! But you had to lead us into this desert to make the whole community die of famine! (Exodus 16: 2-3) Thus manna was given to them “to test them.” Would they recognize the gift of God in this food?

Then we see Jesus in the Gospel chastising the crowd at Capernaum who had followed Jesus after the miracle of the loaves and fishes. Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled. Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. Will they eventually recognize the food of the Son of Man?

In both cases, we realize that there is something different about the way God is present to and feeds us. Tasting and seeing the Lord’s goodness is an acquired test, yes?

These readings reminded me of the Ascent of Mount Carmel by St. John of Cross, especially chapter 13, as St. John describes how we need to be accustomed to God’s experience by weaning ourselves of the “senses” or anything that can deter us from God. (www.ccel.org/ccel/john_cross/ascent.txt)

In St. John’s words, For the mortifying and calming of the four natural passions, which are joy, hope, fear and grief, from the concord and pacification whereof come these and other blessings, the counsels here following are of the greatest help, and of great merit, and the source of great virtues.

St. John goes on to offer these counsels:

1. Strive always to prefer, not that which is easiest, but that which is most difficult;
2. Not that which is most delectable, but that which is most unpleasing;
3. Not that which gives most pleasure, but rather that which gives least;
4. Not that which is restful, but that which is wearisome;
5. Not that which is consolation, but rather that which is disconsolateness;
6. Not that which is greatest, but that which is least;
7. Not that which is loftiest and most precious, but that which is lowest and most despised;
8. Not that which is a desire for anything, but that which is a desire for nothing;
9. Strive to go about seeking not the best of temporal things, but the worst.
10. Strive thus to desire to enter into complete detachment and emptiness and poverty, with respect to everything that is in the world, for Christ’s sake.

He then suggests that the soul embrace these acts with all its heart and strive to subdue its will thereto. For, if it perform them with its heart, it will very quickly come to find in them great delight and consolation, and to act with order and discretion.

Soon after these counsels, St. John shares a series of dialectical negations that seem very harsh:

1. In order to arrive at having pleasure in everything, Desire to have pleasure in nothing.
2. In order to arrive at possessing everything, Desire to possess nothing.
3. In order to arrive at being everything, Desire to be nothing.
4. In order to arrive at knowing everything, Desire to know nothing.
5. In order to arrive at that wherein thou hast no pleasure, Thou must go by a way wherein thou hast no pleasure.
6. In order to arrive at that which thou knowest not, Thou must go by a way that thou knowest not.
7. In order to arrive at that which thou possessest not, Thou must go by a way that thou possessest not.
8. In order to arrive at that which thou art not, Thou must go through that which thou art not.

OK, are you still with me after reading all these heavy lines? They do tell us that God is not just another player on our ball field, and how much I expect from life/ministry, how much I dwell upon what ministry should be like can all obstruct me from being with God, who and how I can truly be with God.

Perhaps, my dour moods, and lingering anxieties, my slight or serious disappointments with myself, my ministry, or life about me, all signal to me that I have lost my acquired taste for my loving, compassionate God, who is there to embrace me.

So how is your acquired taste coming?

Blessings on you and your pastoral care ministry!

David Lichter, D.Min.
Executive Director

2. NACC joins its Strategic Partners in committing to a Memorandum of Understanding to explore more ways of collaborating and unifying our efforts.
NACC Board Chair Mary T. O’Neill, Chair-elect Jim Letourneau, and Executive Director David Lichter met on Sunday morning, July 15, with the leaders of our other five Strategic Partners to move forward together on several partner initiatives, as well as to affirm their Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). This MOU was unanimously adopted by the six Strategic Partners in Spiritual Care (AAPC, ACPE, APC, CASC/ACSS, NACC, and NAJC) to deepen relationships and capitalize on strategic opportunities in order to ensure all those served by the associations have the best possible spiritual care and to safeguard the future of the spiritual care profession. This MOU frames our commitment to develop a mutually agreeable and beneficial way of organizing ourselves that will allow the member organizations to align respective resources, take strategic action in areas where goals overlap, and needs converge, and to develop a fleet of services for our members, our employers and all those we are privileged to serve. Combined with the “Joint Statement from the Strategic Partners in Spiritual Care” (issued July 10, 2018), this MOU represents the next significant step in the continuous improvement and integration of the profession.

3. Thank you for voting for the NACC Board Candidates for the 2019 open seat! Dr. Elizabeth (Beth) Lenegan will be our new NACC Board member in 2019.
We thank all our members who voted during July for one of the three board candidates, Rev. Lawrence X. Chellaian, BCC, Deacon Jack R. Conrad, BCC, and Dr. Elizabeth A. Lenegan, PhD, BCC, who graciously made themselves available to member discernment and election.

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Elizabeth A. Lenegan, PhD, BCC, as the newly elected 2019 Board member. We thank both Fr. Chellaian, BCC, and Deacon Jack Conrad, BCC, for being willing to be candidates. Both will continue to serve the NACC in their current volunteer leadership roles, for which we are deeply grateful.

4. Welcome to our new NACC members who joined us in July 2018!
Please join us in welcoming our new NACC members who joined us in July!

Education Institution
University of Dallas, Neuhoff School of Ministry (Irving, TX)

Full Members
Rev. David W. Allen (Lakewood, CO)
Rev. Jerome E. Amaechi (Springfield, MO)
Rev. Leonard M. Gicheru (Kansas City, MO)
Bro. Jerome P. McCallum (Washington, DC)
Mr. Patrick J. Murray (San Francisco, CA)

Student Members
Ms. Margaret Z. Cele (Pittsburgh, PA)
Dr. Robert I. Colbert (Columbia, MD)

5. ANNUAL CAMPAIGN

6. In Vision: Full conference coverage
The July-August issue of Vision has been posted, with full coverage of the recent successful joint conference with the APC. If you missed the initial round of blog coverage, Vision now has the fullest account of the conference.
www.nacc.org/vision

7. Member in the news
NACC members Mary Davis and Maggie Jones (and colleague Peggy Huber) had clinical ministry vignettes published in Paediatric Chaplaincy: Principles, Practices and Skills. https://www.amazon.com/Paediatric-Chaplaincy-Principles-Practices-Skills/dp/1785920766 The varied vignettes are included in the book’s chapters on diverse aspects such as children’s spirituality, medical ethics, bereavement care, multicultural ministry, and being chaplain to the institution. Mary, Maggie and Peggy minister in San Antonio, Texas, at The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio and CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Health System.

8. Death of our former NACC member, Sr. Janice Ernst, SC
We just learned of the recent death of our former NACC member, Sr. Janice Ernst, SC, a Sister of Charity of Cincinnati, OH, who joined NACC in 1992, was certified in 1995, and left NACC in 2001. Sr Janice died June 11, 2018. She had been a chaplain working with mothers who lost an infant. God bless her with the fullness of Life! For more about Sr. Janice, please see her obituary.
https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/cincinnati/obituary.aspx?n=sr-janice-ernst-sc&pid=189271936&fhid=27732

9. NACC Networking Calls for August/September 2018
If you wish to participate on this call and are not already on this particular call list, please contact Ramune Franitza at rfranitza@nacc.org for more information. Time listed is Central Time Zone.

• Thursday, August 23; 3:00 p.m. CT – NACC Palliative/Hospice Networking Call
• Friday, September 7; 10 a.m. CT – NACC CPE Educators Networking Call
• Wednesday, September 12; 2 p.m. CT – NACC Nurse Chaplain Networking Call
• Tuesday, September 18; 2 p.m. CT – NACC Canadian Member Networking Call

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 appreciates the effort it takes to participate and also hears of the value these calls provide our members. Unfortunately, the calls lose value if there are few participants, limiting the sharing that could take place. In order 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.

10. Have you visited our NACC Networking Forums yet?
Also, NACC now offers NACC members opportunities for online networking! 39 comments have been left by members to various Networking Forums. Welcome to all members. Sign into the NACC website with your user name and password. Choose NACC Professional Networking Forums. You will note a list of Forums. Choose the one you are interested in: e.g., Nurse Chaplain Group. This forum will grow as members share thoughts, questions and ideas. Remember that this is a PILOT and any feedback directed to Ramune Franitza at rfranitza@nacc.org will help us make it more user friendly.

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

11. Thank you to our Joint Conference sponsors.
The NACC is deeply grateful to all our 2018 Joint Conference Sponsors, whose financial support helps us keep our fees reasonable, and makes affordable our top-quality speakers and excellent events! Thank you all. Please go to www.nacc.org/conference/2018-conference-sponsors to recognize our 2018 Joint Conference Sponsors.

12. Thank you to those who contributed to our Joint Conference Scholarships.
The NACC is grateful to all those who generously donated to provide scholarship assistance for attendees of the 2018 Joint Conference. This generosity made it possible for the Joint Conference to help several chaplains who were able for the first time to attend a conference. Please go to www.nacc.org/conference/2018-conference-scholarship-donors to recognize our 2018 Joint Conference Scholarship donors.

13. Ordering audio recordings of 2018 Joint Conference materials
If you are interested in audio recordings of any of the 2018 Joint Conference offerings, you can place an order at www.dcprovidersonline.com/nacc.

14. 2018 Conference resources can be accessed on the NACC website.
Whether you participated in the 2018 Joint Conference or not, you can access the support materials and PowerPoints for many of the workshops on our NACC website on the 2018 Joint Conference Workshops page.

15. Conference photos requested!
If you took any photos at the conference that you wish to share with the NACC, please send them to us at info@nacc.org! We’d love to see your best shots of your fellow attendees, conference events, and Anaheim.

2019 NATIONAL CONFERENCE, MAY 31 – JUNE 3, 2019

16. Friday, May 31, to Monday, June 3, 2019, for NACC National Conference!
Mark your calendars for the NACC Conference in 2019! This conference will be held Thursday, May 31, through Sunday, June 3, 2019, at the University of St. Mary of the Lake Conference Center in Mundelein, IL. It will be preceded by preconference workshops and our NACC retreat. Plan to join us!

CHAPLAINCY NEWS, EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL SUPPORTS

17. In case you did not see Pope Francis’ change to the Catechism’s text on the death penalty!
Pope Francis has approved a new revision of paragraph number 2267 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, according to which “a new understanding has emerged of the significance of penal sanctions imposed by the state,” thus “the death penalty is inadmissible”. The decision was announced by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in a ‘Letter to the Bishops’ dated 1 August and signed by the Prefect, Cardinal Luis Francisco Ladaria. For more news of this announcement and the revised text and what had been the prior text, please go to:
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-08/pope-francis-cdf-ccc-death-penalty-revision-ladaria.html

18. Final and Urgent Request: Have you ministered during and in the aftermath of an employee strike?
Please offer Fr. Crabb any experience you might have… Fr. Jack Crabb writes: “University of Vermont Medical Center recently had a 2-day nurses’ strike. What ways have chaplains who have been in similar settings of a strike been able to help heal the aftermath (programs, activities, etc.); what did the leadership of the hospital do to heal the hurts and anger?”
Send to jack.crabb@uvmhealth.org. Fr. Crabb will make what he receives available to NACC for placement as a resource on the NACC website. Thank you in advance!

19. It is not too late to register for theses two August webinars!

• Thursday, August 16, 2018 (12:00 – 1:30 p.m. Central Time). Renewal of Certification by the NACC, presented by NACC Certification Commissioners Kathleen M. Ponce, BCC and Austine O. Duru, BCC. This free webinar will provide participants with an overview of the renewal of certification process and documentation, and provide a forum for answering questions about NACC renewal of certification. This webinar is highly recommended for anyone who is renewing their NACC certification, or considering doing so.
• Thursday, August 23, 2018 (12:00 – 1:30 p.m. Central Time). Ministry on the Streets – Chaplains on the Way, presented by Rev. Rebecca Sheble-Hall and Rev. Tina Walker-Morin. Since 2008, Chaplains on the Way has been ministering to those experiencing homelessness, poverty, mental illness and/or addiction on the streets of Waltham, Massachusetts. Walking side-by-side with the individuals they meet, staff and volunteers offer companionship, listening, spiritual care, hope and healing. The ministry setting is not what is typically associated with chaplaincy but has been very successful. Reverends Becky and Tina will speak about the joys and challenges of this specialty ministry and some of the spiritual programs that they offer.

  Program Objectives

  1. Learn about an alternative ministry model that serves some of the most vulnerable in our society.
  2. Learn about the unique challenges posed by this ministry and how to best address them.
  3. Gain knowledge about public worship/spiritual practices that best serve the needs of this unique setting.

  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.

Additional information about these webinars (and our other 2018 webinars) can be found at the following link: 2018 webinars.

20. There is still time to respond! The NACC is seeking presentation applications for its 2019 NACC Webinar Series!

The NACC is starting to plan its 2019 webinar series schedule and would like to invite you to consider applying to present a webinar next year.

NACC 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 2019 the conference will take place at the end of May). Each webinar is scheduled for 90 minutes (which includes 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. A stipend is offered for each presentation.

Below is a preliminary list of topics that the NACC Education Advisory Panel thought would be of interest to participants in our 2019 webinar series:

• Mental health
• Substance abuse
• Palliative care and end of life
• Interdisciplinary teams
• Outpatient pastoral care
• Staff education
• Working with LGBTQ patients

If you are interested in presenting a NACC webinar in 2019 on one of the above topics (or if you have a suggestion for a different topic), please download and complete the application form from the following link: WEBINARS 2019 and submit it to Andris Kursietis at the NACC national office (akursietis@nacc.org) by September 20, 2018. Please note that you do not need to be an NACC member to present a webinar.

21. NACC Local Gatherings

• Alexandria, MN
  The 2018 Fall Chaplains’ Conference will take place in Alexandria, Minnesota, on September 20-21. The theme for this year’s event is “The Prophets: Speaking to Us in Times of Loss, Trauma, and Injustice,” with Rev. Dale Launderville, OSB, and Dr. Corrine Carvalho as the speakers. The full registration fee is $135, or $65 for students. Daily rates are also available. A total of 7.75 CEHs are offered for participation in both days’ activities. For further details about the event, and to register online, please click on REGISTER.
• Houston, TX ~ Saturday, September 29, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. central (this meeting will be live-streamed)
  The topic for this event is: A Bold Model for Diocesan Pastoral Care Ministry and Equipping Catholic Laypersons to Serve. The NACC is pleased to welcome colleagues from the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, who will present an overview of a major diocesan initiative: assessing pastoral care needs, designing and implementing a multiple-dimensional program addressing those needs, and developing a three-tier educational program to equip Catholic laity to provide pastoral care ministry. This event will be live-streamed and therefore available to be accessed nationally. Further details and registration information will be made available soon.
• • Charleston, SC ~ Monday, October 22
  Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital in Charleston, SC, is holding its 7th annual Richard H. Fitzgerald Lecture in Pastoral Education on Monday, October 22 (9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.). This year’s speaker will be the NACC Executive Director, David Lichter. The NACC would like to invite you to participate in this event as an integral part of a local NACC gathering – David will present relevant NACC updates after lunch. Details about the lecture can be found at this link: LECTURE. You can register for the event by calling 843-402-2273. The $15 fee includes morning coffee, lunch, and the program.

Save the date!
Additional local gatherings are being planned at the following locations. Please note the dates on your calendars – further details will be announced in due course.
• Livonia, MI (Madonna University) ~ October 18
• Milwaukee, WI ~ November 9
• Baltimore, MD ~ November 13

If you have any questions about NACC webinars or local gatherings, please contact Andris Kursietis at the NACC national office at 414-483-4898 or akursietis@nacc.org.

22. Important resource
Did you see the recent July-August Health Progress on the theme of Suffering?
https://www.chausa.org/publications/health-progress/current-issue
They also provided a reflection guide on one article.
https://www.chausa.org/docs/default-source/health-progress/hp-reflection-guide-july-aug-2018.pdf?sfvrsn=2

23. 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: Fr. Art Schutte, Janet Furman (at the death of her brother Robert Furman), Dr. Maritza Ramos-Pratt, Danny Shea (husband of Debra Shea), Larry DuPlain and Dorothy Bricker (brother and sister of Sr. Mary DuPlain); Dan Waters (at the death of his mother, Betty Jane Waters), Sr. Theresa Chiappa SSC, Emory Tavss (5-year-old grandson of member Carol Bamesberger), Nolan (3-year-old grandson of Dale Recinella), Tim Charek, 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.

24. 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.

CHAPLAIN ASSOCIATE
Burlington, Vermont – University of Vermont Medical Center

PRIEST-CHAPLAIN
Methuen, MA – Holy Family Hospital

PRIEST
Eugene, OR – PeaceHealth’s Sacred Heart at Riverbend Medical Center

CPE OPPORTUNITIES for GROWTH and LEARNING
La Crosse WI – Gundersen Health System

PRIEST CHAPLAIN
Rochester, MN – Mayo Clinic

CHAPLAIN
Waterloo, IA – Covenant Medical Center

CHAPLAIN PASTORAL CARE
Lorain, OH – Mercy Health

PASTORAL CARE TEAM MEMBER, Full Time Exempt
Monroe, MI – IHM Senior Living Community

TEAM LEADER, PASTORAL CARE
Janesville, WI – SSM St. Mary’s hospital

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