Issue #332 – August 17, 2020
Click here to return to the main NACC Now page.
(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. Reminder from your NACC Board Chair! Please send your “What gives you hope?” *
4. Keep in prayer all those participating in the NACC August 19 virtual Missioning Prayer Service for those newly certified. *
5. Thank you to those of you who have already given to our 2020 Annual Member Campaign! Please join them! *
6. Congratulations to NACC member, Sr. Sheila Hammond, who was recently given the ACPE Distinguished Service Award! *
7. Nominate NACC Members, Professional Colleagues and Groups! – September 18 deadline
8. Connecting with other NACC members in your state. Appeal to State Liaisons!
9. NACC continues to hold a COVID-19 listening/resource sharing ZOOM session this week. *
10. Do you need a Listening Heart?
11. Would you like to meet with other chaplains to process your experience during these times?
12. Vision seeks articles on chaplaincy, healthcare, and race *
13. In Vision: Patients can reframe suffering as chance to make meaning *
14. Healing Tree: a request for prayers *
CHAPLAINCY NEWS, EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL SUPPORTS
15. Don’t forget to check the NACC Coronavirus page for resources!
16. Sign up today for August’s NACC webinar, Telechaplaincy: Taking Chaplaincy Beyond the Patient Room *
17. New Resource for those experiencing cancer *
18. Availability of the NAJC recent webinar on Response to the Racial Unrest: Tools for the Chaplains *
19. NAJC shares the results of its recent survey on the economic impact of Covid-19 on chaplains. *
20. Recent job postings *
1. Executive Director’s Reflection *
One of the blessings of the chaplaincy ministry is experiencing the profound faith, courage, and spiritual resilience of individuals and families when your first impression left you wondering, “How is she or he or they ever going to survive this?” Isn’t it such a gift, and often both humbling and a call for my own inner conversion when I witness this, and when I have to again confront my own narrowness of mind and smallness of heart due to my limited view of others, and sometimes jaundiced judgements on humanity and others whom I might consider seemingly ill-equipped to deal with life’s challenges.
This experience comes to mind when I read again yesterday’s readings where all three were confronting the inability to appreciate how God works in the other, especially the perceived alien. From Isaiah 56:1-7) where “the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD,
ministering to him, loving the name of the LORD, and becoming his servants” to the Gospel story (Mt. 15:21-28) where the Canaanite woman calls out Jesus’s resistance to her plea, and Jesus needed to acknowledge, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.”
It’s helpful to be reminded again of how redemptive it is to be awed and humbled by the faith or those who we can view as on the edges of life. I am struck that one of the characteristics of “pastoral care” is shaped by the shepherd parable Jesus shared in Luke 15 of the shepherd going after the one and leaving the ninety-nine. It reminds me that “pastoral” reminds me of who gets God’s attention in need: the last, forsaken, forgotten, lost, dislocated, disoriented, least, marginalized, lonely, isolated, and broken.
It reminds me that I need to stay alert to be amazed again on how God’s working in our midst. And these moments are invitations to my own deeper conversion, softening and healing my own heart.
How were you humbled by surprising faith and resiliency in 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. Reminder from your NACC Board Chair! Please send your “What gives 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!
4. Keep in prayer all those participating in the NACC August 19 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.
5. Thank you to those of you who have already given to our 2020 Annual Member Campaign! Please join them! *
Our 2020 Annual Campaign was delayed due to the pandemic but is now underway. We are deeply grateful to all those who have been able to give so far! To date, we have received 280 gifts totaling $27,802. 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!
6. Congratulations to NACC member, Sr. Sheila Hammond, who was recently given the ACPE Distinguished Service Award! *
Sr. Sheila Hammond was recently recognized by ACPE with their Distinguished Service Award. You can view this presentation at https://youtu.be/BLA5IMsVyBk. Sr. Sheila became a member of NACC in 1979, Board Certified in 1980, and then ACPE Certified in 1983. Besides serving in several ACPE leadership roles, Sheila also served the NACC in several roles, including on the NACC Certification Commission. Congratulations, Sr. Sheila!
7. Nominate 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. 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 https://www.nacc.org/membership/state-liaisons/#1447047174357-c7ef4587-0103 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.
9. NACC continues to hold a COVID-19 listening/resource sharing ZOOM session this week. *
Our August 12 call had good participation and was much appreciated. So, for the week of August 17th, the NACC will offer one general listening session. This is a general listening session asking for you to bring what is on your heart.
This coming week’s general session will be
Wednesday, August 17, 2020, 2pm – 3pm Central Time (3pm ET, 1pm MT, 12pm PT)
ATTENTION: You will need to register HERE (https://nationalcatholicwiassoc.wliinc32.com/events/COVID-19-Coronavirus-Listening-Session-August-19–181/details) 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.
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. Vision seeks articles on chaplaincy, healthcare, and race *
Our Vision blog is shifting its emphasis to examine how racism affects healthcare and spiritual care. If you have ideas for articles about disparity in treatment, structural inequalities, and barriers to access, representation within our profession, or other topics — or if you have had spiritual care encounters that clarified the issues for you — we would like to hear from you. Please send a summary of your idea to Vision editor David Lewellen, dlewellen@nacc.org.
13. In Vision: Patients can reframe suffering as chance to make meaning *
How can a COVID patient with a six-week gap in his memory make sense of what he has been through? That question recently led Mary T Tracy to Viktor Frankl’s book “Man’s Search for Meaning,” which points to how we can all cultivate “tragic optimism” in the face of suffering. To read more, click here.
14. 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: Pat Demuth (recently deceased sister of Sr. Sister Emily Demuth, C.S.C. BCC), 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, 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, 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.
15. Don’t forget to check the NACC Coronavirus page for resources!
Please continue to check our NACC Coronavirus page for resources.
16. 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.
17. New Resource for those experiencing cancer *
NACC has recently been in conversation with Lisa Lefebvre, Founder/CEO of Mend Together: (https://www.mendtogether.com/), a new social platform that helps friends, family, and congregations support patients going through medical hardships like cancer. They facilitate emotional, social, physical, financial, and spiritual support with three free tools:
- Community Journal that keeps everyone updated and able to offer timely words of encouragement and scripture
- Volunteer Calendar that makes organizing support easy
- Gift + Cash Registry that enables loved ones to send healing gifts or provide financial support
Here is a brief video demonstration of the site: https://youtu.be/ttQB17vFfZA
They would like help with early feedback and will be very glad to host a brief session to further process this resource with any of our NACC members who would be interested. Please contact Ramune (rfranitza@nacc.org) directly if you would like to join this session.
18. Availability of the NAJC recent webinar on Response to the Racial Unrest: Tools for the Chaplains *
As you know, NAJC held a webinar on August 5, 2020 with Dr. Willard Ashely on “Response to the Racial Unrest: Tools for the Chaplain.” This webinar received a very positive response, and the NAJC is offering the recording and the slides to our members. When you watch the video, the slides are displayed, but if you need the slides, you can access them at Response To The Current Racial Unrest Tools For The Chaplain Slides. The video of the playback can be accessed at https://vimeo.com/446743878 with the password Chaplains2020. We are very grateful to NAJC for sharing this well done and important webinar with all of us.
19. NAJC shares the results of its recent survey on the economic impact of Covid-19 on chaplains. *
As you might recall, the NAJC invited ACPE, APC, NACC, and NAJC member participation in a brief survey on the economic impact of COVID-19 on chaplains. There were 438 participants. NAJC has shared the results with us. You can view them below. We are grateful to NAJC leaders for initiating this research.
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
DIRECTOR of PASTORAL/SPIRITUAL CARE
Notre Dame, IN – The Sisters of the Holy Cross, Inc
CHAPLAIN
Marian Regional Medical Center, Santa Maria, CA
