Issue #311 – October 28, 2019

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

NACC

1. Executive Director’s Reflection
2. NACC announces the 2020 Award recipients.
3. Thank you to those of you who have already given to our 2019 Annual Member Campaign! Please join them!
4. Death of former NACC members
5. Thank you for our members’ responses to “We Need Your Help!”
6. Thank you to our many members who contributed to the October 19 & 20, 2019, Certification Interviews!
7. In Vision: Listening to residents’ concerns helps alleviate spiritual pain

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

8. Monday May 11 – Thursday, May 14, 2020, for 2020 Conference!
9. We are delighted to announce the plenary speakers for the 2020 Conference!

CHAPLAINCY NEWS, EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL SUPPORTS

10. Register now for a special 3-part NACC webinar series on Addressing the Spiritual Needs of Persons with Dementia, presented by Dr. Debbie Armenta.
11. There is still time to register for our next Webinar on October 31, 2019!! Integrating Spirituality in Team Practice: Lessons from Palliative Care, presented by Denise Hess, MDiv, BCC-HPCC and Woody English, MD, MMM
12. You have until November 4th to submit a presentation application for the 2020 NACC Webinar Series!
13. NACC Local Events
14. We were glad to hear from NACC members regarding their Spiritual Care Week activities! Here is an example.
15. Healing Tree: a request for prayers
16. Recent job postings

1. Executive Director’s Reflection
How does one ever just talk to oneself when God is ever present, ever near? Do I say to God, “Please give me a little privacy so that I can self-talk?” 😊 Yesterday’s readings had me reflecting on God’s Presence and the subject of prayer.

The reading from Sirach muses on who God hears and how God responds, “The Lord is not deaf to the wail of the orphan, nor to the widow when she pours out her complaint. The one who serves God willingly is heard; his petition reaches the heavens. The prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds; it does not rest till it reaches its goal, nor will it withdraw till the Most High responds, judges justly and affirms the right, and the Lord will not delay.” (Sirach 35:12-14, 16-18)
Or Psalm 34:7, “This poor one cried out and the LORD heard, and from all his distress he saved him.”

Then in the Gospel (Luke 8: 9-14) we all remember the parable Jesus offered about the two in the temple praying, the Pharisee up front and the Tax Collector in the back. The Pharisee brags about how good he is, and the Tax Collector beats his breast and cries, “O God, be merciful to me a sinner.”

However, a line in the Gospel (Luke 8:11) which I had not noticed before really struck me “The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself.” (My underline.) This was the New American Bible Translation used in the USCCB readings. I had to look at other translations, such as The New International Version, “The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed;” the English Standard Version, “The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus;” or the New American Standard Bible, “The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself.”

While one version emphasized his location (standing by himself), the other highlighted to whom he was addressing his prayer (to himself). It was this second version that got me re-thinking, to himself? Really? I know I talk to myself enough. However, is this a conversation that is always being overheard, and even participated in by God? Could God be right there listening, and even trying to interject some Divine Dose of Wisdom or Perspective? “Ah, David, step back a little bit. Let’s look at this from their point of view. Or… David, I love you with an everlasting Love. Or… David, I got this; quit fretting about it. Or…Shhh, David, stop talking to yourself, and just listen in the silence for a moment. Hear your heartbeat and your anxious thoughts and what they are doing to you, and to others.”

So, was it that the Pharisee was thinking he was praying or talking to God, when really he was more talking to or congratulating himself for being such a model Pharisee? Could the issue have been not so much that he was self-congratulating, but that he was not aware of the One with him “right there listening, and even trying to interject some Divine Dose of Wisdom or Perspective?” Perhaps, something like, “Seriously, dude! Ever read Sirach or Psalm 34? You’re supposed to be pretty good with that, yes? Hmm, the orphan’s complaint, the widow’s cry, the lowly’s piercing the clouds… are you hearing me in them?” Perhaps, it was God trying to say, “I am not deaf to all those cries, what about you?”

So, back to my original question… How does one ever just talk to oneself when God is ever present, every near? Do I say to God, “Please give me a little privacy so that I can self-talk?” 😊
Do I really want that?

This reminds me of the framed quote in our family dining room growing up. “Christ Is The Head Of This House, The Unseen Guest At Every Meal, The Silent Listener To Every Conversation.” Yesterday’s readings gave me a fresh appreciation for that last statement. However, maybe in my conversations with myself, God might want a word or two if I allow.

Who’s present in your self-talk?
Blessings,

David Lichter, D.Min.
Executive Director

2. NACC announces the 2020 Award recipients.
The NACC Board of Directors is excited and proud to announce the following recipients of the 2020 Awards.

Emergent Leader Award

Distinguished Service Award

More information about our awardees will be forthcoming, and we will be honoring them at the Vision 20/20 The Future of Spiritual Care Conference in 2020, Monday, May 11, through Thursday, May 14, 2020, in Cleveland, Ohio.

3. 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 448 gifts totaling $51,963 compared to 414 gifts totaling $46,882 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 (www.nacc.org/donate) or just click here to donate. Please give as you can! Blessings!

4. Death of former NACC members
We recently learned of the death of two former NACC members:

• Rev. Baaju Izuchi CSSP, died August 14, 2019. He joined NACC in 2000; was certified in 2001; and remained a member until 2017. He served on the NACC Board of Directors 2008-2014. Learn more about his life and ministry at: www.lawlerfuneralhome.com/notices/REVFRDRBAAJU-IZUCHICSSp-1
• Sister Mary Rose Boothe, SCJ, a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Chambery, West Hartford died October 18, 2019. She joined NACC in 1987; was certified in 1990 and remained a member of NACC until she retired in 2003. Learn more about her life and ministry at: www.courant.com/obituaries/hc-obituary-mary-rose-boothe-20191022-story.html

We commend them to the Lord of Life. May they rest in God’s limitless compassion.

5. Thank you for our members’ responses to “We Need Your Help!”
We are grateful to the more than 50 members who responded with a willingness to share NACC Choose Chaplaincy materials with their parishes during Spiritual Care week and Vocations week. We ask for your help in bringing awareness of the profession of chaplaincy. Visit our webpage: www.choosechaplaincy.org to see what is available to download, including bulletin graphics. You can contact Ramune Franitza (rfranitza@nacc.org) to receive brochures and posters for your parish. Our NACC member Catherine Valeriote wrote us, “I have very good news about my parish on Vocations Sunday…. Nov 3 my pastor will allow me to speak for a moment about chaplaincy after the announcements at all the masses, and to staff a table just outside the church doors to give out the materials you sent! He’s also allowing me to insert an 8″ X 11″ page into the church bulletin if I like. I would be responsible for stuffing the insert into 500 bulletins Saturday the 2nd.” So, this can happen! Please approach your pastor!

6. Thank you to our many members who contributed to the October 19 & 20, 2019, Certification Interviews!
The National Office and many volunteers completed the October 19 & 20, 2019, certification interviews. The interviews were held in Rockville Centre, NY; Milwaukee, WI; and Burbank, CA. There are at least 76 people who were involved in the interview weekend: 26 applicants, 36 interviewers, 7 Interview Team Educators (including 1 shadow ITE), 3 Site Coordinators, 1 Certification Commissioner-on-Call, and 3 Spiritual Support Volunteers as well as other volunteers. Here is a link to a list of these volunteers. We are so thankful for all our volunteers’ hard work and dedication to the NACC Certification process! We are also very grateful to the applicants who went through the interview process, whether they were recommended or not for certification this time. We are mindful of the many personal and professional sacrifices and commitments that are required to have gotten this far.

7. In Vision: Listening to residents’ concerns helps alleviate spiritual pain

Residents in a long-term care facility, uprooted from their previous lives, are particularly susceptible to spiritual pain. In the current issue of Vision, Michele A. Boccia describes how her institution asked residents about their concerns and instituted new programming to meet their needs.
www.nacc.org/vision/september-october-2019/listening-to-residents-concerns-helps-alleviate-spiritual-pain

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

8. 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). Plan to join us!

9. We are delighted to announce the plenary speakers for the 2020 Conference!
We have a great lineup of plenary speakers for our Vision 20/20 The Future of Spiritual Care Conference in 2020! Please plan to join us!

• Monday, 5/11/20, Dr. Shane Sinclair, PhD, Associate Professor, Faculty of Nursing, University of Calgary
• Tuesday, 5/12/20, Dr. Rhonda Magee, MA JD, Professor of Law, University of San Francisco
• Wednesday, 5/14/20, Dr. Adrienne Boissy, MD, MA, Chief Experience Office, Cleveland Clinic
• Thursday, 5/14/20, Dr. Eboo Patel, MD, MA, President, Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC)

Learn more about them at: https://www.nacc.org/2020-vision/2020-plenary-speakers/

CHAPLAINCY NEWS, EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL SUPPORTS

10. Register now for a special 3-part NACC webinar series on Addressing the Spiritual Needs of Persons with Dementia, presented by Dr. Debbie Armenta.
Earlier this year NACC member Dr. Debbie Armenta presented a workshop at the NACC national conference entitled Addressing the Spiritual Needs of Persons with Dementia in Parish Ministry. Based on the positive reception to her workshop and the expressed requests by NACC webinar participants for more information about working with dementia patients, at the invitation of the NACC Debbie has agreed to present a webinar series, in three parts, that covers the topic in more depth.

Dr. Debbie Armenta is an Assistant Professor of Pastoral Theology, and an Associate. Coordinator of Teaching Parish Formation Program for Mundelein Seminary. Dr. Armenta has spent over three decades in parish and diocesan ministry as well as chaplaincy in 4 dioceses across the US. She has an MA and an MDiv and completed her Doctorate in Spirituality as a Bernardin Scholar at Catholic Theological Union. Her doctoral dissertation appropriates Eastern Christian desert spirituality for formation of ministers in the Church. Additional certifications and training for Dr. Armenta include courses in Spirituality, Spiritual Direction, Leadership, Pastoral Associate Certification and Dementia Person Centered Care Training. In Sept. of 2019, Dr. Armenta was recently selected to present research at the International joint Conference for the Society of the Study of Christian Spirituality/Forum of Spirituality Professors, Italy. Her work will be published by Dec. of 2019 in Mysterion Magazine. She is currently working towards her board certification with the National Association for Catholic Chaplains. Debbie has been married for 33 years, is a proud mother of four sons and lives in Northern Illinois.

Participant cost for these three sessions is $75 for NACC members, $90 for non-members, which includes all three sessions. This series will provide 4.5 CEH’s.

The three sessions will take place on the following dates:

• Tuesday, November 19 (12:00 noon – 1:00 p.m. Central Time)
• Tuesday, November 26 (12:00 noon – 1:00 p.m. Central Time)
• Tuesday, December 3 (12:00 noon – 1:00 p.m. Central Time)

For further details, including information on how to register for this webinar series, please click on the following link: REGISTER.

11. There is still time to register for our next Webinar on October 31, 2019!! Integrating Spirituality in Team Practice: Lessons from Palliative Care, presented by Denise Hess, MDiv, BCC-HPCC and Woody English, MD, MMM
On Thursday, October 31, 2019 – 12:00 noon to 1:30 p.m. Central Time NACC is offering the webinar, Integrating Spirituality in Team Practice: Lessons from Palliative Care, presented by Denise Hess, MDiv, BCC-HPCC and Woody English, MD, MMM. Recognizing that chaplains and the spiritual dimension of health care are often under-represented in both in- and outpatient health care settings, this 90-minute session will introduce a model for interdisciplinary team facilitated goals of care conversations that attends not only to the spiritual needs of patients and their loved ones, but also includes practices to encourage team member self-reflection and well-being. Participants will leave the session equipped with a clinical practice toolkit developed from a three-year pilot project with interdisciplinary palliative care teams across the US.

Program Objectives:

1. To describe a model for interdisciplinary team collaboration that encourages team self-reflection and spiritual development.
2. To practice utilizing goals of care conversation tools designed to highlight the spiritual dimension of patient and family suffering.
3. To introduce data-informed clinical practices to the interdisciplinary team to promote a culture of whole person care.

Dr. English was the Clinical Project Leader for the Supportive Care Coalition’s: Integrating Spirituality in Palliative Team Practice – Goals of Care Conversations. Currently retired, Dr. English was previously the Medical Director of the Palliative Care Program for the Oregon Region of Providence Health and Services (PH&S) and a member of the SCC Board of Directors, chairing the Spirituality Steering Committee. Board certified in Internal Medicine, Infectious Diseases and Hospice and Palliative Medicine, he held many leadership positions within PH&S and currently serves on several Oregon community boards and task forces to improve advance health care planning and palliative care across the continuum of care.

Denise Hess comes to palliative care through over a decade as a full-time palliative care chaplain with Providence St. Joseph Health. Denise has a master’s degree and license in marriage and family therapy, a master’s degree in divinity, and is an ordained minister with the Presbyterian Church (USA). She was board certified with the Association of Professional Chaplains in 2011 and received palliative care and hospice advanced certification in 2014. She is currently the Executive Director for the Supportive Care Coalition, a national partnership of Catholic health ministries committed to advancing excellence in palliative care. She speaks nationally and internationally on the topics of spirituality in palliative care and mindfulness for palliative care clinicians.

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

12. You have until November 4th to submit a presentation application for the 2020 NACC Webinar Series!
The NACC invites you to submit an application to present a webinar for the 2020 season. Here are the topic areas the NACC Education Advisory Panel thought would be of interest to participants in our 2020 webinar series:

• Interpreting staffing models for chaplaincy
• Addressing controversial issues (transgender care, pediatric and geriatric EOL)
• Challenging issues in chaplaincy (research breakthroughs in spiritual care)
• Emerging horizons of spiritual care/chaplaincy
• Medical Assistance in Dying

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 2020 the conference will take place in mid-May). Each webinar is scheduled for 90 minutes, 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 speaker stipend of $250 is offered per webinar.

If you are interested in presenting a NACC webinar in 2020 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 2020 and submit it to Andris Kursietis at the NACC national office (akursietis@nacc.org) by November 4, 2019.

13. NACC Local Events

• Naperville, IL
  NACC members are invited to an informal gathering over breakfast at 8:00 a.m., prior to the start of the Mayslake Ministries annual conference at the Marriott Hotel in Naperville, on Saturday, November 2. There is no charge for participating in the pre-conference gathering, and NACC members will receive a special discounted registration fee of $50 for the conference itself. For further details, please visit this webpage: NACC Illinois Gathering. Please inform the Illinois NACC State Liaison, Deedee Van Dyke, of your interest to gather, network and give thanks with your fellow NACC colleagues by e-mailing her at Dorothy.Vandyke@amitahealth.org.
• Bloomfield Hills, MI
  On Thursday, November 7 (8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.), NACC chaplains in Michigan will be hosting a day dedicated to the topic of Gratitude, Challenges and Blessing on our Journey in Ministry. The program of events includes several speakers, including Dr. Howard Schubiner, Clinical Professor, Michigan State University College of Human Medicine who will be delivering the keynote talk on “Sorrows Leading to Symptoms”. To learn more about this event and to register online, please click on this LINK.
• 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.

• Baltimore, MD
  On Tuesday, November 12 (12:00 – 4:00 p.m.), Dr. Joel Shuman will present on the topic of Reclaiming Broken Bodies: Thinking Theologically about the Opioid Crisis at the Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore. In the second half of the program, NACC Executive Director David Lichter will provide updates on NACC activities and initiatives.

  For further details and registration information, please use the following link: REGISTER.

• 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.

14. We were glad to hear from NACC members regarding their Spiritual Care Week activities! Here is an example.
Mark Campbell Dickson, Vice President of Mission, Roper St. Francis Health Care, in Charleston, SC, sent us photo of spiritual care and chaplaincy displays created by their Jennifer Ryo:

Father Chris Ponnet, Director, Department of Spiritual Care, LAC+USC Medical Center, shared the daily reflections sent out to staff last week.

If you have examples or samples from your marking Spiritual Care Week, please let us know by sending to Phil at pparadowski@nacc.org.

15. 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: Kathi Schaaf (Charlene Schaaf’s sister who recently died and for Charlene and her family), Edward and Connie Laviolette (parents of Lisa A. Laviolette-Bondt BCC), Nolan (4-year-old grandson of member Dale Recinella), Fr. Jim Radde, SJ, Isabelita Boquiren, Susan Balling, Jim and Frances Castello.

16. 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.

ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST HOSPITAL CHAPLAINS
Archdiocese of New York – ArchCare

CHAPLAIN, PASTORAL CARE
Lakeland, FL – Lakeland Regional Health

STAFF CHAPLAIN – Full Time
Camp Hill, PA – Geisinger Holy Spirit Hospital

CHAPLAIN-VOLUNTEER SERVICES
Quincy, IL – Blessing Health

SPANISH LANGUAGE CHAPLAIN, Full Time
Washington, DC – Children’s National Hospital

FULL-TIME CHAPLAIN
Jacksonville, FL – Ascension St Vincent’s Riverside Campus

CERTIFIED CHAPLAIN (Part-Time)
El Paso, TX – Bienvivir All-Inclusive Senior Health