Issue #330 – July 20, 2020
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(Items marked with a * are new or updated items)
NACC
1. Executive Director’s Reflection *
2. Save the date! Friday, September 25, 2020, 12:00-1:30 pm Central for the NACC Annual Meeting: Honoring the Mission of Chaplains! *
3. NACC will be hosting on August 19 a virtual Missioning Prayer Service for those newly certified. *
4. Death of our NACC member, Father Paul Merry *
5. Honor NACC Members, Professional Colleagues and Groups! – September 13 deadline *
6. NACC continues to hold a COVID-19 listening/resource sharing ZOOM session this week. *
7. NACC Networking Calls for August 2020 – All are welcome to participate! *
8. Do you need a Listening Heart?
9. Would you like to meet with other chaplains to process your experience during these times?
10. In Vision: Being present with no agenda helps with grief – and in other situations *
11. Vision seeks articles about grief
12. Healing Tree: a request for prayers *
CHAPLAINCY NEWS, EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL SUPPORTS
13. Don’t forget to check the NACC Coronavirus page for resources! *
14. Did you participate this past week in the survey on impact of COVID-19 on chaplains? *
15. You can still register for the special two-part NACC Webinar in July! *
16. Recent job postings *
1. Executive Director’s Reflection *
In the midst of these times, I find I can be hard on myself as I try to adapt to and deal with uncertainties, and to continue to adjust my work, whether alone or with others. In prayer, I often need to face my edginess and allow God to show me the path to life and renewal. I am prone to be a planner and organizer, a scenario builder and reflector on what if’s. These have been tested daily, and I am being taught to be more present and listening, and allow others to lead me to what I really need to attend to and care about. This is a humbling lesson. So, yesterday’s scripture readings were helpful again.
The line from Wisdom 12:16 “But though you are master of might, you judge with clemency,
and with much lenience you govern us.” I loved the “master of might” phrase. Then I was moved by the words clemency and lenience. I thought about the word “gentleness” as the fruit of clemency and lenience, and how our spiritual strength reveals itself in gentleness. Many writers have noted these together. One of my favorite quotes was from the 13th-century Persian poet and Sufi mystic, Rumi, “Our greatest strength lies in the gentleness and tenderness of our heart.” Of course, Thomas Merton noted that “It is in deep solitude and silence that I find the gentleness with which I can truly love others.”
So that took me to the second reading from Romans 8: 26-27: “The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes with inexpressible groanings. And the one who searches hearts knows what is the intention of the Spirit, because he intercedes for the holy ones according to God’s will.” It brought a familiar smirk to my face, as I had again to face humbly that the Spirit’s inexpressible “groanings” takes many expressions in the silence and solitude. Sometimes for me it’s the Spirit’s groaning that can be revealed in my “Oh no, not again.” wherein I need to face humbly anew how I can be hard on myself, as I face my personal disappointments, or the edginess that also reveals my inner frustration as I realize again that my “plans” are not God’s plans. Am I able to sit long enough in these “groanings” for me to trust the Spirit coming to my aid with the Master of Might’s clemency and lenience, to trust the Spirit coming to me to open my eyes and heart anew, and allowing God to nurture the gentleness of heart that God desires me to live out, to allow God to show me again the path to life and renewal?
How are you at sitting in the solitude and allowing the Master of Might to visit you with clemency and lenience, and allowing the Spirit’s groanings to help you nurture the gentleness of heart that is the hallmark of your chaplaincy ministry?
Blessings,
David Lichter, D.Min.
Executive Director
2. Save the date! Friday, September 25, 2020, 12:00-1:30 pm Central for the NACC Annual Meeting: Honoring the Mission of Chaplains! *
We were unable to gather as NACC members at our annual conference. We still want to gather virtually in 2020 as NACC members to honor our members and our mission. Please hold this date, Friday, September 25, 2020, 12:00-1:30 pm central for our NACC Annual Meeting: Honoring the Mission of Chaplains! Read more in this letter from NACC Board Chair Jim Letourneau:
Honoring the Mission of Chaplains
3. NACC will be hosting on August 19 a virtual Missioning Prayer Service for those newly certified. *
The NACC each year holds a Missioning Ceremony during Mass at the NACC Annual Conference. Due to the cancelation of this year’s Conference, we will be recognizing, praying for, and missioning those certified in 2019. Bishop Donald Hying, the USCCB Episcopal Liaison to the NACC, will also be participating and leading our prayer and commissioning. This session will be a ZOOM session.
4. Death of our NACC member, Father Paul Merry *
Our NACC member, Fr. Paul Merry, died on Wednesday, July 15, 2020. Fr Paul joined NACC in 2008. He worked closely as chaplain with our NACC member, Sister Frances Smalkowski, CFSN, at St. John Paul II Center for Healthcare in Danbury, Connecticut. Bishop Frank Caggiano of the Diocese of Bridgeport, in announcing Father Merry’s death stated “ Father Merry is fondly remembered by many across the Diocese as a kind and humble man and a true servant priest who worked tirelessly and gave of himself sacrificially in his ministry to others.” May God grant in the fullness of compassion he gave to others. Read obituary at:
www.legacy.com/obituaries/newstimes/obituary.aspx?n=paul-merry&pid=196497180&fhid=24247
5. Honor NACC Members, Professional Colleagues and Groups! – September 13 deadline *
Send us your nominations for the NACC Distinguished Service Award, Emergent Leader Award, and Outstanding Colleague Award to be awarded in 2021. The deadline is Friday, September 11, 2020. You can learn more and access the nomination forms at 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 2021.
Distinguished Service Award Nomination Form
Emergent Leader Award Nomination Form
Outstanding Colleague Award Nomination Form
6. NACC continues to hold a COVID-19 listening/resource sharing ZOOM session this week. *
This Wednesday, July 22, 2:00 pm central time will be this week’s COVID-19 listening/resource sharing ZOOM session. You can register for this session here.
7. NACC Networking Calls for August 2020 – All are welcome to participate! *
In addition to Listening Session with Emphasis on Self-care and Grief scheduled for Wednesday’s at 2 p.m. CT, NACC is offering these Networking calls in August:
Tuesday, August 4 at 2 p.m. CT NACC Purposeful Retirement Networking Call
Wednesday, August 12 at 12 p.m. CT NACC Palliative Care/Hospice Networking Call
To sign up or for more information, questions, comments or concerns contact Ramune Franitza at rfranitza@nacc.org.
You must reply to participate and receive the ZOOM code for the call. If you replied, we will forward the ZOOM passcodes for a video connection via internet or you may still call in using your phone. Registering for the call, even if you cannot participate, will allow you to receive notes of the conversation and resources shared.
Calls with less than 5 participants may be postponed.
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!
8. Do you need a Listening Heart?
We recognize that these are unusual and uncertain times. You are being stretched in new ways and faced with challenging choices. We have a resource called, “Listening Hearts,” to provide you one on one support. For more info, click here.
Listening Hearts is available for NACC members seeking a listening presence from a NACC retired chaplain colleague. You may be experiencing and feeling the cumulative impact of the present global Pandemic. For those providing support for others and navigating the new normal without the opportunity to gather with extended family/friends, visit a favorite restaurant or workout at the gym, we invite you to share the load by reaching out for a listening heart of an experienced and compassionate retired chaplain. Please contact Ramune Franitza (rfranitza@nacc.org) if you would like to speak with a Listening Heart.
9. Would you like to meet with other chaplains to process your experience during these times?
“Sharing of Feelings for Chaplains in the Field” will be a 50-minute bi-weekly group ZOOM session offering an opportunity for our members to express personal feelings and stresses related to ministry in this era of dramatic health care crisis.
Guidelines:
- Minimum number of 3 and maximum of 6 persons in each group.
- Open group – must register through NACC and can participate in one or many sessions.
- Group members are expected to stay with the 50-minute session once it has started.
- Commitment to strictest confidentiality,
- Free expression of feelings, with acceptance, support and understanding from each group member to be facilitated by an experienced retired chaplain.
- There will be no notes or recordings.
- More groups available, if more than 6 people apply.
We invite you to be a part of this intimate sharing group. Please contact Ramune Franitza (rfranitza@nacc.org) to express your interest and to set up a mutually convenient time for these sessions.
10. In Vision: Being present with no agenda helps with grief – and in other situations *
When Blair Holtey was a college student, he lucked into a meeting with a noted authority on grief, in part because he wasn’t anxious and didn’t have an agenda. And similar qualities still benefit us in interacting with grieving people. To read more in our newest Vision blog post, click below.
www.nacc.org/nacc-blog
11. Vision seeks articles about grief
The first adrenaline rush of the pandemic has faded. COVID-19 has not gone away, but it feels like we have shifted from the acute phase to the chronic phase. And we are going to do a shift of emphasis on our NACC Vision blog. We have heard from our members that they like the format of one or two short articles per week, and for the time being we will continue that format. But as the effects of the virus continue to ripple through our society, we have a new question: How is grief showing up for you? In your personal life and in your interactions at work, what are you seeing and hearing? What are people grieving, and how? What coping techniques are helping? Please send your thoughts to Vision Editor David Lewellen, dlewellen@nacc.org.
12. Healing Tree: a request for prayers *
Please let us know if you would like our membership to pray for you. We recognize that most often we are praying for the health and healing of those on the Healing Tree. However, in this Covid-19 times, you might also be experiencing other hardships due to you or your spouse being furloughed, unemployed, or in other ways. Please let us pray with and for you also.
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: Susan Balling, Isabelita Boquiren, Fr. Jim Radde SJ, Kathy Ponce, Denice Foose, Sr. Mary I. Powers DC, Rev. George J. Henninger BCC, Fr. Jose Hernandez, Br. Kenney Gorman, Marybeth Harmon, Autumn Vaughn (great-niece of member Linda Bronersky), Cosmas Ahiarakwem (deceased brother of member Fr. Gabriel Ahiarakwem), Joe Keegan (brother of Sr. Betty Keegan), Barbara McKee (sister of Fr. Art Schute), and Pamela Jones, her daughter Erin and husband Eric on the loss of their unborn child Liam.
We ask you to pray for our members who are exposed daily to the threat of the Coronavirus, for those who have tested positive and for those who are ill. We ask for blessing of protection for them, their families, and loved ones.
CHAPLAINCY NEWS, EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL SUPPORTS
13. Don’t forget to check the NACC Coronavirus page for resources! *
Please continue to check our NACC Coronavirus page for resources.
14. Did you participate this past week in the survey on impact of COVID-19 on chaplains? *
This past week you were sent a survey sponsored by Neshama Association of Jewish Chaplains (NAJC). Our Strategic Partners (APC and ACPE) were also participating. If you did not yet take this 2 minute survey, please do by going to najc.member365.com/publicFr/form/index/699fdfbcff137a3ce756af608fede18668eb150c.
15. You can still register for the special two-part NACC Webinar in July! *
Spiritual Care Relevance in an Environment Which Champions Revenue Producers ~ Part 1
Presented by Jennifer Wilroy Paquette, DMin, BCC
Program Summary
Chaplains advocate for patients. Theirs is more than a role; it is substantively who they are. But who, exactly, is the person for whom the advocacy occurs? Soul searching questions are asked. Spiritual histories are gathered and assessments made to reveal the source and depth of spiritual pain and suffering of the patient. The hope is that these will yield insights to the functioning of the patient’s spirituality as it complements the clinical healing modalities. The institution envisions patient centeredness in all patient touchpoints. What would the patient say? What is relevant?
Program Objectives
As a result of this webinar, participants will:
- Discover what patients have said about the “patient centeredness,” i.e., the relevance of who they are, within the care they received.
- Discover the criticality of understanding the “who” of the patient in order to understand the functioning of the patient’s spirituality.
- Learn techniques to discover the “who” of the patient, techniques rarely found in spiritual assessments or spiritual histories.
Thursday, July 16, 2020 – 12:00 noon to 1:30 p.m. Central Time: Spiritual Care Relevance in an Environment Which Champions Revenue Producers. This webinar is very much from the perspective of the leadership of the hospital or system in which the chaplain is employed. In other words, how can Spiritual Care be recognized as relevant by the most senior leadership, e.g., CEO, CNO, Division leaders and so forth?
Thursday, July 23rd – 12:00 noon to 1:30 p.m. Central Time: Spiritual Care Relevance, from the Patient’s Perspective, in an Environment of Revenue Producers. This webinar is from the patient’s perspective, in a very different lens of relevance. It asks and then demonstrates what is relevant from the patient’s perspective.
About the Presenter
Dr. Paquette is dedicated to the experience of patients and those who serve them. Her employment with a large technology corporation, first as a Systems Engineer (software) and later as a Services Solutions Manager (consulting), led to the study of the traits of successful business units, that is, what made one relevant and not another. Leaving that world to enter the world of Chaplaincy, she understood immediately how important that knowledge could be when applied to Spiritual Care departments. She received her doctorate, jointly, from San Francisco Theological Seminary and Seattle University. Before her recent return to Seattle, she was Director of Mission services for the seven St. Joseph’s Hospitals in Tampa, Florida.
NACC Certification Competencies Covered by the Webinar: ITP5, ITP6, PIC2, PIC5, PIC5.1, PPS1, OL1, OL2, OL2.1, OL3
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
SPIRITUAL CARE PRACTITIONER – ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST (2 Full-time Positions)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada – Unity Health Toronto
CATHOLIC PRIEST CHAPLAIN
Stony Brook, NY – Stony Brook Medicine
PASTORAL CARE CHAPLAIN
Farmingdale, NY – Good Shepherd Hospice/Catholic Health Services of Long Island
DIRECTOR of SPIRITUAL CARE
Zanesville, OH – Genesis Healthcare System
FULL-TIME CATHOLIC CHAPLAIN
Portland, Maine – Northern Light Mercy Hospital
