Issue #308 – September 16, 2019

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

NACC

1. Executive Director’s Reflection *
2. Thank you to those of you who have already given to our 2019 Annual Member Campaign! Please join them! *
3. Deaths of a current and a former member *
4. Vision seeks authors on perinatal care *
5. In Vision: Spiritual inputs from brain can modify physical pain *
6. Are you involved in any research projects where spiritual care/chaplaincy care is involved?
7. Find more resources on our Partners in Pastoral Care page on the NACC Website!
8. We have redone our ChooseChaplaincy page! Visit it! Send a link to others! *
9. NACC Networking calls for September/October 2019 – All are welcome to participate! *

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

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

CHAPLAINCY NEWS, EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL SUPPORTS

11. Last chance to register for NACC’s Webinar on September 19, 2019!! Chaplains in Wonderland: Narrative Medicine and the Reframing of Out-Patient Spiritual Care, presented by Anne M. Windholz, MDiv, PhD, BCC
12. Catholic Prison Ministries Coalition Webinar: Restorative Justice with People Impacted by Incarceration *
13. Catholic Prison Ministries Coalition launches its new website! *
14. Next issue of Journal of Pastoral Care & Counseling is now available for NACC members! *
15. CHA resources for the Feast of St. Francis, October 4, 2019 *
16. 2019 NACC Conference Workshop Recordings for Sale!
17. Now available: 2019 NACC Conference Formation/Training Program Recordings
18. NACC Local Events
19. Other professional development opportunities *
20. Healing Tree: a request for prayers *
21. Recent job postings *

1. Executive Director’s Reflection *
Driving to our parish yesterday, Jackie and I were talking about the will of a dear friend who died just a year ago, and the need for us to update ours. Friday night we had just celebrated her life with friends. Difficult to imagine she died a year ago.

We also discussed the opening of more burial plots in our parish cemetery, and our plans to purchase two of them. By the time the pre-Mass meditation song started, I was reflecting on my death. The song was, Bless the Lord, O My Soul. The refrain, first and final verses hit me hard, and some tears surfaced. https://www.worshiptogether.com/songs/10-000-reasons-bless-the-lord/
You know how it goes…

So what will it be like “on that day when my strength is failing, the end draws near and my time has come?” I appreciated so much the images from yesterday’s readings as I mused on that question. I was able to move from “What will it be like?” and “What will I be like?” to What will God be like?”

In the first reading (Exodus 32: 7-11, 13-14), Moses changes God’s mind, reminding God of the promise God made to the chosen people after the golden calf incident. In I Timothy 1: 12-17, Paul reflects on his conversion and the experiential realization that “Indeed, the grace of our Lord has been abundant, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.” And, of course, Luke’s Gospel 15:1-32, has us imagining God going after the one lost sheep, and the father waiting on the hillside, and running to embrace a lost son, then throws a feast for him, so happy he came home.

So what will God be like “when the end draws near and my time has come?” I imagine God much like I see you in your ministries every day when you are with people “on that day.” You are being with them tenderly, assuring them, being a peaceful presence, embodying God’s compassionate presence, especially for the anxious ones, the angry ones, the worried one who are wondering “What will God be like?” I pray that another’s gentle touch, soothing voice, quiet whisper of love, softly applying water or ice on parched lips, or firmly gripping a flailing hand, all communicate God’s nearness, God remembering His Promise, the abundant grace of Jesus, the running lover to embrace the worried and anxious one who does not need to rehearse what went wrong when seemingly distant from the Divine. It was just a perceived human distance from the Divine always present and embracing us.

What will God be like for you and me, “on that day?” How do you imagine God “on that day?”

Blessings,

David Lichter, D.Min.
Executive Director

2. 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 326 gifts totaling $39,068 compared to 303 gifts totaling $34,397 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. Please give as you can! Blessings!

3. Deaths of a current and a former member *
NACC recently learned that our NACC member, Fr. Rafi Kuttukaran, BCC, died August 10, 2019. Father Rafi joined NACC in 2011 and was certified in 2012. He served for many years at the University of Kansas Medical Center. May God’s compassion embrace him. To read more about Father Rafi, go to: https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/kansascity/obituary.aspx?n=rafi-kuttukaran&pid=193671248&fhid=4645

Our former NACC member, Sr Marie Josetta Wethington, SC, died on August 17, 2019, at the age of 87. Sister joined NACC in 1983 and remained a member until she retired in 2002. She served as a chaplain in diverse settings, both in Minneapolis and Denver, for several years. We commend her to the Lord of Life. To read more about her, go to https://detroitcatholic.com/news/detroit-catholic/may-they-rest-in-peace-sr-marie-josetta-wethington-sc.

4. Vision seeks authors on perinatal care *
The November-December Vision will cover perinatal care, and we are looking for authors who can address topics relating to pregnancy, birth, the NICU, and beyond. We are particularly looking for articles on ministry to bereaved parents and ministry to siblings and extended family, but many other ideas are welcome too. Please send a summary of your idea to Vision editor David Lewellen, dlewellen@nacc.org. The deadline is Oct. 7.

5. In Vision: Spiritual inputs from brain can modify physical pain *
Chaplains have plenty of experience with emotional and spiritual pain, but in the new issue of Vision, Dr. Kiran Tamirisa, a pain treatment specialist, explains how a patient’s spiritual resources (and other inputs from the brain) can actually alter the experience of physical pain. To read more, click below.
www.nacc.org/vision/september-october-2019/spiritual-inputs-from-brain-can-modify-physical-pain

6. Are you involved in any research projects where spiritual care/chaplaincy care is involved?
The NACC Research Advisory Panel wants to learn who among our NACC members might be involved in a research project that is investigating spiritual/chaplaincy services, either on their own, or as part of a larger clinical study. Would you please let us know if you are and provide a basic description of the study? In the future we would also like to create the opportunity among those doing research to share with others doing research. The Research Advisory Panel meets late September, so please let us know, if at all possible, by Wednesday, September 18. Please send your information to Ramune Franitza (rfranitza@nacc.org). Thank you in advance for sharing your research.

7. Find more resources on our Partners in Pastoral Care page on the NACC Website!
Immediately before our 2019 Conference late May, we launched our Partners in Pastoral Care page on our NACC website (https://www.nacc.org/about-nacc/partners-in-pastoral-care/). This page is growing with resources for you, as well as for those in dioceses who have the responsibility for preparing others for pastoral care ministry in the Church. We added recordings of several of the Conference workshops that pertain to preparing others for pastoral care. Keep watching for more resources!

8. We have redone our ChooseChaplaincy page! Visit it! Send a link to others! *
Thanks to the work of our Marketing Advisory Panel and Westwords Consulting, we have more resources and a new look to our ChooseChaplaincy page on our website https://www.nacc.org/about-nacc/choose-chaplaincy/. Please note the many resources you can use for presentations on chaplaincy. Let us know if you want to do a presentation to an audience, and we can also send materials. Please send a link to this page to those you know who want to learn more about chaplaincy! Contact Ramune Franitza (rfranitza@nacc.org) for more information.

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

Monday, September 16, 2019 at 10 a.m. CT………….Retired/Emeritus
Tuesday, September 17, 2019 at 2 p.m. CT………….Long Term Care
Wednesday, September 25, 2019 at 2 p.m. CT………..Deacon/Chaplain
Thursday, September 26, 2019 at 12 p.m. CT………..Palliative Care/Hospice
Tuesday, October 1, 2019 at 10 a.m. CT……………Corrections Chaplain
Tuesday, October 1, 2019 at 2 p.m. CT…………….One-Person Dept.
Wednesday, October 2, 2019 at 2 p.m. CT…………..under-45 Members
Thursday, October 3, 2019 at 10 a.m. CT…………..Directors of Spiritual Care
Monday, October 7, 2019 at 2 p.m. CT……………..Outpatient Settings
Tuesday, October 8, 2019 at 10 a.m. CT……………New Member
Wednesday, October 9, 2019 at 10 a.m. CT………….Hispanic Chaplain
Monday, October 14, 2019 at 3 p.m. CT…………….State Liaison
Tuesday, October 15, 2019 at 10 a.m. CT…………..Students

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!

10. 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

11. Last chance to register for NACC’s Webinar on September 19, 2019!! Chaplains in Wonderland: Narrative Medicine and the Reframing of Out-Patient Spiritual Care, presented by Anne M. Windholz, MDiv, PhD, BCC *
On Thursday, September 19, 2019 – 12:00 noon to 1:30 p.m. Central Time NACC is offering the webinar, Chaplains in Wonderland: Narrative Medicine and the Reframing of Out-Patient Spiritual Care, presented by Anne M. Windholz, MDiv, PhD, BCC. While chaplains have long championed the power of a patient’s story to effect change in teller and listener, the practice of narrative medicine has implications for how plot, characterization, and narrative technique might become tools of spiritual assessment and interdisciplinary collaboration. This webinar will focus on how chaplains can use literary analysis to help patients identify their spiritual and healthcare goals and how intervention site (hospital/clinic/home) and medium (face-to-face/ telephone/skype) affect patient-chaplain interactions and storytelling.

Program Objectives

1. To understand what narrative medicine is and how it functions in patient-clinician relations.
2. To gain tools for analyzing how setting impacts / reframes the chaplain’s role in a patient’s storyline.
3. To consider strategies for effectively entering patient space/place, both in the outpatient “real” world and within the patient narrative.

The presenter, Dr. Anne Windholz, holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in English from the University of Illinois-Urbana. Twenty years a college and university professor, Dr. Windholz earned her Master of Divinity from Catholic Theological Union-Chicago in 2012 and was Board Certified by APC in 2016. Active for over a decade in out-patient hospice ministry as both volunteer and professional chaplain, she currently serves as Staff Chaplain in Cardiac Telemetry and Critical Care at AMITA Health Alexian Brothers Medical Center in Elk Grove Village, Illinois.

For more information about our webinars, and how to register, please click on the following link: NACC Webinars – registration and information

12. Catholic Prison Ministries Coalition Webinar: Restorative Justice with People Impacted by Incarceration *
Tomorrow, September 17, 2019, 1:00 P.M. eastern time, the Catholic Prison Ministries Coalition
is offering a free webinar, “Restorative Justice with People Impacted by Incarceration,” presented by Caitlin Morneau, Director of Restorative Justice, Catholic Mobilizing Network and John Sage, Founder and CEO, Bridges to Life. This webinar will be recorded and made available by Catholic Prison Ministries Coalition. For details, including registration information, please click on this link:
https://www.catholicprisonministries.org/events/restorative-justice-with-people-impacted-by-incarceration/

13. Catholic Prison Ministries Coalition launches its new website! *
The Catholic Prison Ministries Coalition (CPMC) has now launched its new website:
www.catholicprisonministries.org. This website has a wealth of information, from prison ministry programs to preparing people for prison ministry pastoral care. The NACC is a member of the CPMC Steering and an organizational partner https://www.catholicprisonministries.org/our-partners/. NACC is also assisting in the developing of a credentialing process utilizing the Prison Ministry Pastoral Care Competencies developed by NACC and its Partners in Pastoral Care (www.nacc.org/about-nacc/partners-in-pastoral-care).

14. Next issue of Journal of Pastoral Care & Counseling is now available for NACC members! *
Please read the most recent issue of the Journal of Pastoral Care & Counseling, Volume 73, Number 3
(September 2019). This is a benefit for NACC members. You can access it by using the Member Login button at the top of the page at www.nacc.org, then clicking on the link “Access the Journal of Pastoral Care & Counseling” that you will find on your profile page.

15. CHA resources for the Feast of St. Francis, October 4, 2019 *
If you are looking for resources to commemorate the Feast of St. Francis, Catholic Health Association has many for you. Click here!

Oct. 4 is the Feast of St Francis — a day that calls us to pause and consider God’s creation and the life of Saint Francis of Assisi. To help your associates, volunteers and communities share in this feast day, CHA has developed several resources in addition to hosting a webinar you do not want to miss:

• The Urgent Need to Heal our Home: A Feast of St Francis Webinar — Sept. 26, 2019, from 3 – 4 p.m. ET
• Prayer Card — order by Sept. 25 in order to receiver in time for the Feast Day, free with free shipping
• Prayer and Reflection — new for 2019
• Video — Coming soon — Watch CHAUSA.org for availability

Check out all of CHA’s and the Catholic Climate Coalition’s Feast of St Francis resources today!

16. 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.

17. Now available: 2019 NACC Conference Formation/Training Program Recordings
The NACC is pleased to offer access to the recordings of the formation/training programs that were live-streamed during the 2019 NACC Conference. Recordings are available for the following programs that focus on the diverse ways and settings that pastoral care is provided as a ministry of the Church:

• Catholic Laity in Pastoral Care Ministry – Equipping, Coordinating, Sustaining
• Jail and Prison Ministry 101
• Fundamental Aspects of Geriatric Spiritual Care Education

Each program is eligible for 6.00 Continuing Education Hours.

Registration to receive access to the recordings is $75 per program.

Visit the NACC website to learn more about each of these programs. To register online, please click on this LINK.

18. NACC Local Events *

• Freehold, NJ
  A seminar on Medical Aid in Dying (MAID) will take place in Freehold, New Jersey on Saturday, October 5 (8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.) at CentraState Medical Center. A new MAID law recently went into effect for the state of New Jersey, and the aim of this seminar is to learn about the law and how it impacts Catholic Chaplains. Dr. Vikranta Sharma will be the presenter on this topic. For further details about this program, and information on how to register, please visit this page on our website: https://nationalcatholicwiassoc.wliinc32.com/events/Local-NACC-gathering-2019-Freehold-NJ-111/details.

  Dr. Vikranta Sharma serves as the Medical Director of Hospice and Palliative Care at VNA Health Group and Medical Director of Palliative Care at CentraState Healthcare System. In these roles, Dr. Sharma provides clinical oversight to hospice care teams, facilitates the growth and education of geriatric fellows, and assists in person and family centered medical care by providing medical expertise. Dr. Sharma started a palliative care rotation at CentraState’s FP program in collaboration with the Geriatric Fellowship Director and Program Director. She serves as the Medical Director and supportive physician for VNA Health Group’s ‘Transitions of Care” program, a CMMI project aimed at providing at-home evaluations to recently discharged hospital and care facility patients with the goal of dramatically cutting down the rate of readmission through clinical and culturally relevant care. Additionally, Dr. Sharma serves on the Steering Committee for Conversation of Your Life and as a Board Member of the New Jersey Foundation of Aging. She holds certifications in ABIM and Hospice and Palliative Medicine.

• Seattle, WA
  On Saturday, November 9 (9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.), Kay Gorka, MDiv, BCC, David Lichter, DMin, and Teresa Lynch, MAR, BCC will present on the topic of Our Chaplaincy as a Ministry: Its Mystery, Meaning and Movement. The gathering will take place at the Seattle Archdiocese’s Isaac Orr Conference Room.

  This day of professional and spiritual enrichment will explore three elements that make up our chaplaincy as a ministry: mystery, meaning and movement. The mystery involves the art of noticing the grace moments that occur during our ministry. Meaning explores the motivation that grounds what we do, how we got involved in this ministry, and what keeps us renewed in our calling. Lastly, we will explore how we are attentive to the movement of our lives, and what practices can help us be mindful, listening, reflective, and responsive to what is occurring in our lives and ministry.

  To register for this program, please click on this LINK.

• Milwaukee, WI
  A gathering of area chaplains is planned in Milwaukee on Thursday, November 21 (11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.). Chaplains Jake Taxis and Theresa Utschig will explore ways in which evidence-based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) can deepen pastoral encounters, strengthen a chaplain’s resilience, and enrich the art of spiritual caregiving. NACC Executive Director David Lichter will provide updates about NACC activities. To learn more about the program and to register online, please click on this LINK.

  Rev. Jake Taxis, MA, MDiv is an ordained minister in the North American Lutheran Church and the palliative care chaplain at Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee. He is also a hospice chaplain with Preceptor Healthcare. Jake completed a fellowship in mental health chaplaincy at the VA Southern Oregon Rehabilitation Center and Clinics in 2017, where he employed ACT to minister to military veterans in the context of PTSD, moral injury, and substance use disorder. If all goes according to plan, Jake will be board-certified by the time of this presentation.

  Theresa Utschig, MAPS, BCC is a Board-Certified Chaplain serving at Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin. Theresa has served as chaplain for the past 14 years, both at Wheaton (currently Ascension) and Froedtert Hospital. She has been a Spiritual Director for over 20 years, serving both in Europe and in the United States. She provides retreats on Wisdom and Embodied Spirituality. She currently owns her own business, Tau Healing Arts, creating spiritual art for healing the emotions and the spirit.

• Save the date for other local gatherings currently being planned: *

  Toledo, OH: October 29
  West Bloomfield, MI: November 7
  Buffalo, NY: November 8
  Baltimore, MD: November 12

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

19. Other professional development opportunities *
The offerings noted here can be found under the NACC Website Education Resources heading, under Events.

• November 10 @ 1:00 pm – 3:30 pm, Cleveland, OH: Bos Sona: May you have a happy death, with Dr. Kevin F. Dieter, M.D., FAAHPM. For more details, visit https://www.nacc.org/event/bos-sona-may-you-have-a-happy-death/.

20. 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: Sr. Patricia M. Walsh, OP, 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.

21. 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
Baltimore, MD – Mercy Medical Center

DIRECTOR of PASTORAL CARE, VP MISSION
South Charleston, WV – Thomas Health

CHAPLAIN (ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST) Full-Time, Shift Varies
Miami, FL – Baptist Hospital of Miami

PASTORAL CARE MANAGERS
Tampa Bay, FL – BayCare

CHAPLAINS
Tampa Bay, FL – BayCare

DIRECTOR of SPIRITUAL CARE
Toledo, OH or Lorain, OH – Bon Secours Mercy Health

ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST HOSPITAL CHAPLAINS
Archdiocese of New York – ArchCare