Issue #305 – August 5, 2019

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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 July! *
3. September 13 deadline to honor NACC Members and Professional Colleagues
4. Thank you to those of you who have already given to our 2019 Annual Member Campaign! Please join them! *
5. Congratulations to those who received Board Certification at the July Certification Commission meeting! *
6. August 22, 2019 Free Webinar on Renewal of Certification!
7. Would you be interested in a network group for those ministering in trauma settings? *
8. Death of a former NACC member *
9. In Vision: Taking the very long view of lay leadership *
10. NACC Networking calls for August/September 2019 – All are welcome to participate! *

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
2020 CONFERENCE, Monday, May 11 – Thursday, May 14 in Cleveland, Ohio!

11. Monday May 11 – Thursday, May 14, 2020, for 2020 Conference!

CHAPLAINCY NEWS, EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL SUPPORTS

12. It is not too late to register for NACC’s next Webinar on August 15, 2019!! Engaging the Religious Aspects of End of Life Decision Making, presented by Rev. Rebekah Wagner, MA, BCC *
13. 2019 NACC Conference Workshop Recordings for Sale! *
14. Register today for free webinar on the CHA/NACC Spiritual Care Survey
15. NACC Local Events *
16. Interested in submitting a proposal? *
17. Healing Tree: a request for prayers *
18. Recent job postings *

1. Executive Director’s Reflection *
Wow! It’s difficult to believe it’s already early August! Where is the summer going? Perhaps, you still need to fit in your summer break, or you are trying to catch up after some days off. Maybe some projects are still hanging, or you are feeling good about something you accomplished these past weeks. Funny, how we mark our time, and try to give a value to it. How we estimate what’s been or will be valuable or meaningful.

I think about the people I have encountered through ministry who are trying to live in a “here and now” but are weighed down by what has occurred or what might happen in the future. A death, an illness, a surgery, a relationship scrapped, a lost job, or a new home – we cannot help but wonder about, and try to put some meaning to, the things that can preoccupy us. It’s hard to let those go without trying to put a “context” to those things we are thinking about. It’s a constitutive part of our human reality – to mull over items that don’t yet have a place in our way of estimating our life’s purpose. It’s at the heart of our spirituality too, isn’t it? The 4th edition of the Clinical Practice Guidelines of Palliative Care provides the definition of spirituality as “a dynamic and intrinsic aspect of humanity through which individuals seek meaning, purpose, and transcendence, and experience relationship to self, family, others, community, society, and the significant or sacred.” https://www.nationalcoalitionhpc.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/NCHPC-NCPGuidelines_4thED_web_FINAL.pdf

I was thinking about this “aspect of humanity” as I read yesterday’s readings. How down was the writer of Ecclesiastes (1:2; 2:21-23) who wrote about the seeming meaninglessness of life – vanity of vanities! How burdensome was life when “All his days sorrow and grief are his occupation; even at night his mind is not at rest.” I was struck by “even at night his mind is not at rest.” I thought about all the times when I struggled with, and could not let go of, something that weighed me down until I found a way of giving it a context or meaning. I reflected on the many people we encounter who experience this: a child with a lingering, life- and money-draining illness; a husband whose wife experiences oncoming dementia; a mother who tries to live with the tragic, violent killing of her son. How do we be with them as their minds do not rest day or night as they seek a meaning, a context, a “letting go?”

The second reading from Colossians (3:1-5, 9-11) offers a context to consider, “If you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Think of what is above, not of what is on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ your life appears, then you too will appear with him in glory.” At first glance, this seems more remote than real. How do I “think of what is above, not of what is on earth?” What context of meaning does that offer the people I mentioned above? Seems too pietistic and ethereal.

Yet, I found myself not so much stuck on trying to find a relevance to “think of what is above,” but reflecting on the very attempt or longing to put a context to what is happening, the very experience of knowing something is not right, and wanting to put a meaning to it. I was reminded of a Rahner scholar, Harvey Eagan, who expressed how Rahner understood experiencing God, “The God-experience is the cause of our dissatisfaction with life, for nothing measures up to that which rests at our deepest center. The immense longing speaks to us, even if at times only in a whisper: this or that finite thing is ultimately not where we have set our hearts.” (Harvey D. Egan, Karl Rahner: Mystic of Everyday Life: New York, NY: Crossroad Publishing, 1998, 60-61).

It reminded me also of one of Rahner’s prayers:

I go back to my sentence, “I think about the people I have encountered through ministry who are trying to live in a ‘here and now’ but are weighed down by what has occurred or what might happen in the future.” So, how can I be better at living with my and other’s thinking about and longing for a context that might never come? How good can I be at blessing, being and living with the longing, the wondering, and view it not as burdensome but part of my human, graced condition?

Maybe this is too much thinking and wondering? Maybe it’s best to end with another of my favorite Rahner prayers.

How is your longing?

Blessings,

David Lichter, D.Min.
Executive Director

2. A warm welcome to our new NACC members who joined us in July! *
Please join us in welcoming our new NACC members who joined us in July! Welcome!

Affiliate Member
Ms. Jean M. Korte (Highland, IL)

Full Members
Sr. Audrey J Abbata (Girard, OH)
Rev. Onyekachi Innocent Duru CMF (Levittown, NY)
Mr. Christian G. Spencer (Mount Angel, OR)

Ministry Volunteer
Rev. Sean W. Anderson (Arlington, TX)

Student Member
Mr. John Cusick OFS (Silver Spring, MD)
Mrs. Janet L. Howerton (South Weber, UT)
Rev. Robert C. Irwin (Forest Park, IL)
Ms. Susan A. Neihart (Tucson, AZ)

3. September 13 deadline to honor NACC Members and Professional Colleagues

Send us your nominations for the NACC Distinguished Service Award, Emergent Leader Award, and Outstanding Colleague Award. The deadline is Friday, September 13. You can learn more and access the nomination forms at https://www.nacc.org/about-nacc/annual-awards/.

Do you know someone who has inspired you in the work and profession of chaplaincy? We want to know. Now is your chance to express your gratitude and nominate this person. Two (2) awards, Distinguished Service Award and Emergent Leader Award, recognize NACC members for outstanding dedication and service to NACC or to the field of chaplaincy. One (1) award, Outstanding Colleague Award, is presented to a non-NACC member individual or group whose work has proven complementary to, supportive of, or otherwise has contributed to the advancement of the profession of chaplaincy.

Please consider nominating. These awards will be presented at our joint Vision 20/20 The Future of Spiritual Care Conference in 2020!, May 11-14, 2020, in Cleveland Ohio.

4. Thank you to those of you who have already given to our 2019 Annual Member Campaign! Please join them! *
We are deeply grateful to all those who have been able to give so far to our 2019 Annual Campaign. To date, we have received 287 gifts totaling $36,345 compared to 292 gifts totaling $33,062 at this time last year. If you have not yet been able to donate, please consider doing so today or this week! Thank you!

Please note: You can also make your donation online RIGHT NOW by going to the Annual Campaign webpage (https://www.nacc.org/donate/) or just click here to donate: https://nationalcatholicwiassoc.wliinc32.com/donate. Please give as you can! Blessings!

5. Congratulations to those who received Board Certification at the July Certification Commission meeting! *

Congratulations to the following NACC members who were granted Board Certification at the July NACC Certification Commission meeting.

6. August 22, 2019 Free Webinar on Renewal of Certification!
Thursday, August 22, 2019 – 12:00 noon to 1:30 p.m. Central Time: Renewal of Certification by the NACC. This 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 free webinar will be presented by NACC Certification Commissioners, Kathleen M. Ponce, BCC and Austine O. Duru, BCC. To register, click on this LINK.

7. Would you be interested in a network group for those ministering in trauma settings? *
We have had a half a dozen responses to forming a networking group for those ministering in various trauma settings. Would you like to join this networking group? Please, contact Ramune Franitza at rfranitza@nacc.org if you would like to be part of this group.

8. Death of a former NACC member *
We learned that our former NACC member, Msgr. Joseph Dowell, died on July 26, 2019. Msgr. Dowell joined NACC in 1978 and retired in 1991. May the Lord grant him lasting peace. You can read more about him at:
https://buffalonews.com/2019/07/30/monsignor-joseph-m-dowell-83-teacher-and-pastor/.

9. In Vision: Taking the very long view of lay leadership *
Something new is in the process of being born in the Catholic Church, and plenary speaker Zeni Fox gave her NACC audience a summary of her thoughts at the 2019 conference. For coverage of her speech and much more in the new issue of Vision, click below.
https://www.nacc.org/vision/july-august-2019/zeni-fox-taking-the-very-long-view-of-lay-leadership/

10. NACC Networking calls for August/September 2019 – All are welcome to participate! *

Thursday, August 22, 2019 at 12 p.m. CT…………NACC Palliative Care/Hospice Networking Call
Monday, September 9, 2019 at 1 p.m. CT………….CPE-E Community of Practice Networking Call
Wednesday, September 11, 2019 at 2 p.m. CT………NACC Nurse Chaplain Networking Call

To sign up or for more information, questions, comments or concerns contact Ramune Franitza at rfranitza@nacc.org.

As the time of the call gets closer and you have replied that you will participate, we will forward ZOOM passcodes for a visual connection via internet or, if you prefer, you can still call in via a phone line. Registering for the call, even if you cannot participate, will allow you to receive notes of the conversation and resources shared.

If you’ve had difficulty in joining calls using ZOOM, please let Ramune Franitza (rfranitza@nacc.org) know so that we can address the difficulty. THANK YOU!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
2020 CONFERENCE, Monday, May 11 – Thursday, May 14 in Cleveland, Ohio!

11. Monday May 11 – Thursday, May 14, 2020, for 2020 Conference!
Mark your calendars for the Vision 20/20 The Future of Spiritual Care Conference in 2020! This conference will be held Monday, May 11, through Thursday, May 14, 2020, in Cleveland, Ohio. It will be preceded by pre-conference workshops (PDI) and a Conference retreat. Plan to join us!

CHAPLAINCY NEWS, EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL SUPPORTS

12. It is not too late to register for NACC’s next Webinar on August 15, 2019!! Engaging the Religious Aspects of End of Life Decision Making, presented by Rev. Rebekah Wagner, MA, BCC *
On Thursday, August 15, 2019 – 12:00 noon to 1:30 p.m. Central Time, NACC is offering the webinar, Engaging the Religious Aspects of End of Life Decision Making, presented by Rev. Rebekah Wagner, MA, BCC. This presentation will explore and engage various religious belief systems, their views on death and dying, and how those beliefs influence medical decision making at end of life. It will also discuss strategies to sensitively engage in conversation about these issues when conflict between medical providers and patients/families occur.

Program Objectives

1. The participant will be able to identify the concepts of shared decision making and how religious preferences may enter into that conversation.
2. The participant will be able to identify common themes in basic religious groups that may emerge in discussions of end of life care.
3. The participant will be able to verbalize strategies to use when conflict about religious beliefs and end of life interventions occurs between the medical team and patients/families.

The presenter, Chaplain Rebekah Wagner, MA, BCC, APBCC, is the Manager of Spiritual Services at Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee, WI. She previously worked as the Palliative Care Chaplain at Froedtert and has many years working in Hospice and Palliative Care. Prior to becoming a chaplain, she was a physical therapist specializing in Home Health and Hospice for 26 years. She has a special interest in physician communication related to religious beliefs and values especially at end of life.
More info: NACC Webinars – registration and information

13. 2019 NACC Conference Workshop Recordings for Sale! *
Recordings of many of the 90-minute workshops from the NACC 2019 national conference are now available for purchase. If you were unable to participate in the conference or the workshops, or if you would like to review workshops that you attended, this is an opportunity to enhance your learning and earn CEHs.

Information about the available recordings, and how to order them, is available at the following link:
2019 NACC Conference Workshop Recordings.

14. Register today for free webinar on the CHA/NACC Spiritual Care Survey
Register today for the CHA Chaplaincy Webinar Series. Learn the results of the 2019 NACC/CHA chaplaincy survey on the August 13, 2019 Webinar and gain access to a new chaplaincy staffing metrics tool on the August 27, 2019 Webinar. For more information about these webinars go to: https://www.chausa.org/events/calendar-of-events/pastoral-webinar—aug-13-2019/overview
NACC members can register free. Contact Ramune Franitza (rfranitza@nacc.org) at the NACC office for the passcode to enter.

15. NACC Local Events *
To learn more about our NACC local and regional events and how to help with them, go to:
https://www.nacc.org/education-resources/nacc-regional-events/

• Buffalo, MN
  The 2019 Fall Chaplains’ Conference will take place on September 12-13 at the Christ the King Retreat Center in Buffalo, Minnesota. Rev. Michele Guest Lowery will be the guest speaker, presenting on the subject of “Coming Down from the Ledge: Insights and Applications from Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Changing Self-Destructive Behaviors.” We are expecting a high turnout for this event, so room-sharing opportunities are offered. For full details of the program, please visit the following page on our website: https://www.nacc.org/event/2019-fall-chaplains-conference/. To register online and pay by credit card, please click on this LINK.

  Rev. Michele Guest Lowery is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ and a board-certified chaplain with the Association of Professional Chaplains (APC). She has almost 20 years of experience in behavioral health chaplaincy as both a direct care provider and program manager. Rev. Lowery currently serves as Spiritual Care Manager at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston, Maine. She has presented several workshops and webinars on various behavioral health topics and has published numerous articles on ministry to those living with a mental illness, most recently “Behavioral Health Basics for Chaplains” in Health Progress. Rev. Lowery has the distinction of being the first (perhaps the only) chaplain to complete Dialectical Behavior Therapy Intensive Training with Behavioral Tech, a Marsha Linehan Institute Training Company (Linehan is the founder of DBT).

• Save the date for local gatherings currently being planned:

  Buffalo, NY: November 8
  Seattle, WA: November 9
  Baltimore, MD: November 12
  Milwaukee, WI: November 14

  Information about these events and registration details will be available soon – stay tuned!

16. Interested in submitting a proposal? *
The Ohio State University College of Medicine has a Call for Abstracts (Deadline is September 27, 2019) to the 2020 Conference on Medicine and Religion. They are inviting abstracts for 75-minute panel and workshop sessions, 15-minute paper presentations (with 10-minutes for discussion), and posters that address issues at the intersection of medicine and religion, including but not limited to the conference theme. For more information, go to: http://www.medicineandreligion.com/

17. 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: Edward and Connie Laviolette (parents of Lisa A. Laviolette-Bondt BCC), Becky Evans (on the death of her sister, Betty Murray), Art Schute, Sr. Louise Zaplitny, Susan Crowley (for her husband Brian), Linda F. Piotrowski, BCC (on the death of her husband, Richard), Sr. Mary Ann DuPlain and her family (for her brother Larry), Debra (Debbie) Shea and her family (for healing after the death of her husband Danny), Nolan (4-year-old grandson of member Dale Recinella), Sr. Mary Clare Boland, SP, Fr. Jim Radde, SJ, Isabelita Boquiren, Susan Balling, Jim and Frances Castello.

18. 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.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
North Olmsted, Ohio – Chaplain Partnership

CATHOLIC STAFF CHAPLAIN
Dallas, TX – Parkland Health & Hospital System

MANAGER, SPIRITUAL CARE
Fullerton, CA and Orange, CA – Providence St. Joseph Health

CHAPLAIN RESIDENCY PROGRAM
New York, NY – The VA New York Harbor Healthcare System Chaplain Service

CERTIFIED CHAPLAIN
Toledo, Ohio – Mercy Health

CLINICAL PASTORAL EDUCATION MANAGER
Peoria, IL – OSF HealthCare

STAFF CHAPLAIN
Carroll, Iowa – St. Anthony Regional Hospital

SPIRITUAL CARE REGIONAL DIRECTOR
Youngstown, OH – Bon Secours Mercy Health

DIRECTOR of PASTORAL CARE
Baltimore, MD – Mercy Health

BOARD-CERTIFIED CHAPLAIN as FACILITATOR-GUIDE
Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN – Allay Care

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