Issue #331 – August 3, 2020
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(Items marked with a * are new or updated items)
NACC
1. Executive Director’s Reflection *
2. Welcome to our new NACC members who joined us in July! *
3. Recent death of a former NACC member *
4. Save the date! Friday, September 25, 2020, 12:00-1:30 pm Central for the NACC Annual Meeting: Honoring the Mission of Chaplains! *
5. Request from your NACC Board Chair! What give you hope? *
6. NACC will be hosting on August 19 a virtual Missioning Prayer Service for those newly certified. *
7. Honor NACC Members, Professional Colleagues and Groups! – September 18 deadline
8. Virtual Certification Interviewing Webinar, August 6, 2020, 12:00-1:30 p.m. CT. *
9. Certified Associate Chaplain Certification Webinar, August 13, 2020 12:00-1:30 p.m. CT. *
10. Connecting with other NACC members in your state. Appeal to State Liaisons! *
11. NACC continues to hold a COVID-19 listening/resource sharing ZOOM session this week. *
12. NACC Networking Calls for August 2020 – All are welcome to participate!
13. Do you need a Listening Heart?
14. Would you like to meet with other chaplains to process your experience during these times?
15. In Vision: We need new rituals to acknowledge our losses *
16. Vision seeks articles about grief
17. Healing Tree: a request for prayers *
CHAPLAINCY NEWS, EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL SUPPORTS
18. Don’t forget to check the NACC Coronavirus page for resources!
19. Sign up today for August’s NACC webinar, Telechaplaincy: Taking Chaplaincy Beyond the Patient Room *
20. Recent job postings *
1. Executive Director’s Reflection *
I was not present for the recent NACC Listening/Resource Sharing, and only read the notes Ramune had taken. I was moved again by what I read. Some lines in the notes that stood out to me were:
- The first 2 months were trying when I had to minister from home, the phone calls, that was a challenge and investment. I still had to be a calming presence with my voice.
- When I lead my team every morning in reflection and prayer. I learned that if I didn’t have it in my heart, I would not be effective in ministering to my team and to my patients and to myself. I needed to be intentional in my devotions, to internalize and live that. To be intentional in maintaining peace of mind and heart so I can be effective in ministering to patients, families, and colleagues.
- People are discouraged because they expected things to be better. We can’t see what will happen. To support ourselves and to support others, there are these uncertainties.
- It’s to maintain this peace and calm, with an uncertain future. We need to support front line caregivers and those who are dying.
- It’s a lot to hold; there’s been no respite.
- Some could go into COVID rooms, others couldn’t. There were feelings of guilt and relief.
- Ministry was all COVID all the time, thinking about COVID all the time. Am I infectious?
- Self-care is creating a no COVID space where you could rest.
- When you get a respite, but there is guilt with relief when colleagues are in danger and you are not.
- I want to be aware of the greater world, but I need to focus what is here now.
Our staff is so aware of the pressure and lack of respite so many of you are experiencing – with no end in sight. The uncertainties, the discouragement of those around you, the mix of guilt and needed relief, the “How long, O Lord!” cries… All this you and I take to prayer and sit in the momentary silence to feel and be with the cries of many and our own. I was struck by the “I want to be aware of the greater world, but I need to focus on the here and now.” How important and vital and challenging!
So yesterday’s readings from Isaiah 55, “All you who are thirsty, come to the water!” (Isaiah 5:1) is good to hear again. However, verse 55:3 really struck me, “Pay attention and come to me; listen, that you may have life.” I find myself thinking about how much paying attention is central to the quiet time. Listening in the still so that Life is discovered anew in the midst of the tiredness and turmoil. Being reminded anew of what St. Paul in Romans (8:35 & 37) spoke of so eloquently, “Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword? No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us.” How challenging it can be to allow all that to get in the way to be overwhelmed by the “nothing” in order to let God’s love seep within.
That gave me a new way of listening to the Gospel (Mt. 14:13-21), when Jesus sought quiet in a deserted place to grieve the loss of his friend, John the Baptist. When he disembarked and pitied the crowd gathered and cured many, he again allowed nothing, even the perceived little (five loaves and two fish), to get in the way of having those present be satisfied.
I was taken again by our member’s comment, “It’s to maintain this peace and calm, with an uncertain future. We need to support front line caregivers and those who are dying. It’s a lot to hold; there’s been no respite.” I question myself, “How do I discover respite in the midst of experiencing no respite?” Is no respite its own obstacle or can I discover Life there too? Can I know the overwhelming love of God in that? Can I go back to Isaiah 55:3, “Pay attention and come to me; listen, that you may have life.” and listen to the experience of “no respite” so that Life is discovered anew in the midst of the tiredness and turmoil? Can the no respite be a nothing within which I experience God’s overwhelming love for me and humankind? I can mourn the loss of the experience of respite as I have known it is in the past. How do I live on in the thirst of “no respite” and still discover the water/refreshment that God desires for me?
I don’t have an answer to this, but the messages from the Listening Session, God’s word within the Session, and the scriptures of yesterday make me pause and listen anew that I might have Life.
How are you doing these days and experiencing “Pay attention and come to me; listen, that you may have life?”
Blessings,
David Lichter, D.Min.
Executive Director
2. Welcome to our new NACC members who joined us in July! *
Please welcome our newest NACC members who joined us in July! Welcome!
Affiliate
Rev. Jennifer J. Bradshaw
Mr. Matthew J. Thibeau
Student
Ms. Angela M. Cotta
Mr. Mark F. Degenhart
Mrs. Geetha A. Fernandes
Rev. Richard Kayizzi
Ministry Volunteer
Mr. Gene A. Del Polito
Mrs. Sheila C. Yepsen
Member
Rev. John P. Miceli
Mrs. April J. Ross
Rev. John K. Smith
Mrs. Pamela M. Stephen-Jordan
3. Recent death of a former NACC member *
We just received a note that our former member Sr. Dolores Mikula, SSJ-TOSF passed away on July 28. She was certified in 1974. May she enjoy the fullness of God’s peace.
You can read more about Sister Dolores at https://ssj-tosf.org/in-memoriam/
4. 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
5. Request from your NACC Board Chair! What give you hope? *
As a way to Honor the Ministry of Chaplains, NACC would like to include our members reflecting on the question: “What has given me hope (or strength, or meaning, or purpose) this past year?” As answer(s) come to mind, please summarize your response in one to three words, but no more than three words, please! Then, print the word(s) with a marker on a whiteboard or large piece of paper/cardboard. Please mark your word(s) clearly and large enough for people to read. Then, ask someone to take your picture (electronically) holding your word(s) in front of you. Finally, send your photo to me attached to an email (jimlet0523@hotmail.com) by August 31st. Photos that are sent to me will be included in a presentation during our annual meeting in September. It is understood that by sending me your photo you are giving me permission to post your photo as part of our annual meeting. If you do not want your photo posted, please don’t send it to me. Also, please recall that the meeting will be recorded, so by sending your photo to me, you also understand your photo will be posted on the NACC website for a period of time for our members who were not able to attend the annual meeting. Thank you for your participation in this exciting project!
6. 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.
7. Honor NACC Members, Professional Colleagues and Groups! – September 18 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 18, 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
8. Virtual Certification Interviewing Webinar, August 6, 2020, 12:00-1:30 p.m. CT. *
This Thursday, August 6, 2020, 12:00-1:30 p.m. CT webinar will discuss the information regarding the NACC virtual certification interview. It is recommended for initial certification applicants to attend. Learn how to present yourself well virtually and understand how the process will progress through the virtual setting. Presented by Louise Eggen BCC and Michael Onuoha BCC. This webinar will be recorded. This is a free webinar. To register, click here.
9. Certified Associate Chaplain Certification Webinar, August 13, 2020 12:00-1:30 p.m. CT. *
Another level of certification for those who are interested or currently involved in spiritual care ministry, but who may not have the requisite 4 units of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) and a Master’s Degree. Becoming a Certified Associate Chaplain (CAC) requires only 2 ACPE (Association of Clinical Pastoral Education) accredited units of CPE, and 30 graduate degree credits or the equivalent thereof. A webinar, presented by Kathy Ponce BCC and Sean Doll O’Mahoney, will discuss this option. This Thursday, August 13, 12:00-1:30 pm CT, webinar is a free webinar. https://nationalcatholicwiassoc.wliinc32.com/events/NACC-2020-WebinarsAudio-Conferences-134/register
10. Connecting with other NACC members in your state. Appeal to State Liaisons! *
NACC members appreciate opportunities to connect with other Chaplains in their area. The National Office provides this opportunity through State Liaisons. Please go to our State Liaison roster page to find the name of your liaison to begin a dialog about communicating with other NACC members. You will note that some states do not have a liaison. Please contact Ramune Franitza (rfranitza@nacc.org) if you would like to be your state’s liaison.
11. NACC continues to hold a COVID-19 listening/resource sharing ZOOM session this week.
Our July 29 call had good participation and was much appreciated. So, for the week of August 3rd, the NACC will offer one general listening session. This is a general listening session asking “What are you bringing that is on your heart?” This week’s general session will be:
Wednesday, August 5, 2020, 2pm – 3pm Central Time (3pm ET, 1pm MT, 12pm PT)
ATTENTION: You will need to register HERE for this call. You will be sent automatically the ZOOM information to access this session. If you have trouble registering please let us know at info@nacc.org. Due to increased security from ZOOM, you may be placed in a Waiting Room. Please be patient until the host joins the call.
12. 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!
13. 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.
14. 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.
15. In Vision: We need new rituals to acknowledge our losses
In the times we are facing, how do we acknowledge the loss of a graduation ceremony or a family reunion, to say nothing of a funeral or memorial service? In the newest Vision blog post, Dawn Mayer says that we need to name and ritualize these losses, and she offers a few examples from her long-term care facility. To read more, visit www.nacc.org/nacc-blog
16. 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.
17. 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: Christy Medina’s recovery from surgery, her mother Flor Veneracion’s recovery from COVID 19, and for the soul of her father Jose Veneracion who died of COVID-19, for the special intentions of Sr. Mary A. DuPlain SJSM, Susan Balling, Isabelita Boquiren, Fr. Jim Radde SJ, Kathy Ponce, Denice Foose, Sr. Mary I. Powers DC, Rev. George J. Henninger, Fr. Jose Hernandez, Br. Kenney Gorman, Marybeth Harmon, Eugenia Lai, 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, 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 blessings of protection for them, their families, and loved ones.
CHAPLAINCY NEWS, EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL SUPPORTS
18. Don’t forget to check the NACC Coronavirus page for resources!
Please continue to check our NACC Coronavirus page for resources.
19. Sign up today for August’s NACC webinar, Telechaplaincy: Taking Chaplaincy Beyond the Patient Room
NACC’s August’s webinar, Telechaplaincy: Taking Chaplaincy Beyond the Patient Room, presented by Petra Sprik, MDiv, MPH, BCC, will be offered, Thursday, August 27, 2020 – 12:00-1:30 p.m. CT.
Program Summary
In recent decades, telehealth (the provision of healthcare remotely via telecommunications technology) has increasingly been used to meet patients’ needs. As chaplains have contended with healthcare becoming progressively outpatient, the geographic spread of medical facilities, and growing patient volumes, we too have begun to explore how telehealth might deepen and expand spiritual care. Over the last couple years, several research studies have been published on the feasibility, acceptability, reception, and implementation of telechaplaincy programs. With the COVID-19 pandemic, this has become ever more critical and vital. Join us as we explore findings from telechaplaincy studies, discuss emerging best practices in telechaplaincy, and explore what telehealth might look like within your practice.
Program Objectives
As a result of this webinar, participants will:
1. Understand findings from research studies examining telechaplaincy
2. Explore emerging best practices in telechaplaincy
3. Discuss potential application of telechaplaincy to your professional context.
About the Presenter
Petra Sprik, MPH, MDiv, BCC is a staff chaplain at Levine Cancer Institute. Petra is also a Presbyterian (USA) minister. She received her BA from Duke University, her MDiv from Princeton Theological Seminary, and her MPH from the University of South Carolina. Petra was a Transforming Chaplaincy research fellow, and currently convenes the Outpatient Spiritual Care Research Network. Petra’s research interests include: telechaplaincy, spiritual care with oncology patients, and moral injury reduction strategies with healthcare providers. Her recent publications include: “Cultural humility: a way to reduce LGBTQ health disparities at end of life,” and “Using patient-reported religious/ spiritual concerns to identify patients who accept chaplain interventions in an outpatient oncology setting.” She is currently working on a nation-wide study on telechaplaincy.
NACC Certification Competencies Covered by the Webinar: ITP6; PIC4; PIC5; PIC8; PPS1; PPS2; PPS4; PPS6; PPS8; PPS10; OL1
To register online for 2020 Webinars, please click on this LINK. Student members who are eligible for the special, reduced rates are asked to use the following link: STUDENTS. Alternatively, complete the registration form and send with your check, made payable to NACC, to: Pamela Jones, National Association of Catholic Chaplains, 4915 S. Howell Avenue, Suite 501, Milwaukee, WI 53207. Registration will not be considered complete until the NACC receives your registration form and fee. Access information and presentation materials will be made available to participants a few days before the webinar session. When you register for the live sessions, you will automatically be eligible for a copy of the recordings.
20. 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
Waterloo, Iowa – Waterloo Medical Center
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
