Issue #350 – April 26, 2021

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

NACC

1. Executive Director’s Reflection
2. Share with others our new series, “Stories from Chaplaincy”
3. Death of a NACC member, Sr. Marta Aiken, OSF, BCC
4. Thank you to our many members who are contributing to the Spring Virtual Certification Interviews!
5. In Vision: Biography of CPE pioneer Boisen draws on new material
6. Have you recently seen and used our many Choose Chaplaincy marketing resources?
7. NACC Networking Calls for May 2021 – All are welcome to participate!
8. Member COVID Listening Calls will continue in May on Thursday, May 13, 2021
9. Do you need a Listening Heart?
10. Healing Tree: a request for prayers

CHAPLAINCY NEWS, EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL SUPPORTS

11. Register today for our May NACC Webinar, “Embodied Self Care as Spiritual Practice and Prayer!” Presented by Sarah Cledwyn MA, May 20, 2021 ~ 12pm – 1:30pm Central Time
12. Learn about and register for our June 2021 NACC Education/Formation programs
13. Our NACC member publishes a book on the ministry of chaplaincy!
14. Don’t forget to check the NACC Anti-Racism page for resources!
15. Don’t forget to check the NACC Coronavirus page for resources!
16. CHA is offering two unique events this week and the coming months
17. Last days with resources from CHA for National Minority Health Month
18. A research request: Best practices on spirituality effects on resiliency
19. Other educational resources/offerings
20. Recent job postings

1. Executive Director’s Reflection
Well, we have all grown up on the image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd, the theme of yesterday’s Gospel for the fourth Sunday of Easter. Of course, the etymology of our term pastoral is pastor, shepherd. We have reflected on the meaning of that term often. In last fall’s Pastoral Care week, I shared in the NACC Now Executive Director’s Reflection:

Yesterday’s reading from John 10, especially verses 14-15, caught my attention differently this time. “I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep.” (Jn. 10:14-15) It took me back to two comments important people in my life have made to me.

I was in pursuit of greater knowledge for the purpose of improving my abilities to minister. Mother Theresa once made the comment, “loving is foremost being willing to get to know someone.” It really struck. I realized how often I would walk out of a situation without intending to get to know the person. Just another, “tell me more” would have helped that person share his/her life story and receive healing through that exchange. I was too fixed on what to say and do. I had to ask myself, “Did I really want to get to know that person?” Sometimes the answer was woefully “No…” or “I guess not” for a variety of distracting and disappointing reasons.

I also remember a class with John Shea while pursuing the D.Min. After a brief vent about someone who used his knowledge as power over another, Jack simply sighed and looked at us and said in his inimitable, brief way, “Folks, knowledge is for loving, not for power.” I always sensed in Jack’s style a deep “pastoral” concern, a genuine strain of compassion that guided his research and writing. His knowledge was for loving. Again, this was a point of self-reflection and conviction, as I recognize when I share to position myself or to make points, rather than a point for loving. How do I use my knowledge for loving? It seems that is its only purpose, is it not?

It does not seem a hanging clause where Jesus added to the “I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father;” the phrase “and I will lay down my life for the sheep.” Knowing leads to laying down my life. Not sure I always want to know that deeply. I pray for that gift.

I am always struck and amazed at your gifts of listening and wanting to get to know the other you care for, with whom you minister, as you willingly get to know names, stories, hurts, joys, what makes them happy or sad. I think of the honed training through CPE where you learn ever more adeptly to listen to the other, not simply out of love, but making the listening, the getting to know, the act of love that it is. I think about your spiritual assessments, your chartering, and your communicating to the clinical colleagues what you have come to know about your residents, patients, families that are all acts of loving. Thank you for witnessing to the Gospel message in “laying down and aside” your life as you get to know the other.

Continued blessings on your Easter journey,

David Lichter, D.Min.
Executive Director

2. Share with others our new series, “Stories from Chaplaincy”
As mentioned in the prior NACC Now, we have a new Choose Chaplaincy series, Stories from Chaplaincy. Please put it on your Facebook or Twitter and forward it to people you know! April 7, Episode 1: Mary J Salm: Some people just stay in your heart. NACC member Mary Salm shares one of her most impactful stories from her chaplaincy. April 21, Episode 2: Elizabeth Kitamura: Chaplains meet the most interesting people and hear stories they don’t tell anyone else.
Hear more chaplains tell their stories at www.nacc.org/about-nacc/choose-chaplaincy/paths-to-chaplaincy #choosechaplaincy | #NACC | #dogood

3. Death of a NACC member, Sr. Marta Aiken, OSF, BCC
We recently learned of the death of our (former) NACC member, Sister Marta Aiken, OSF. She joined NACC in 1992 and was certified in 1993. Her obituary can be found here: www.oldenburgfranciscans.org/resting-in-god-2020-21.html, along with a beautiful memorial letter that shares her many ministries throughout her life, which included wartime factory worker, teacher, associate professor, librarian, hospital chaplain, Director of Pastoral Care, and Chaplain of the Motherhouse! An even more extensive obituary can be found at wrbiradio.com/2021/04/01/sr-marta-aiken-o-s-f. May she find rest in God’s arms.

4. Thank you to our many members who are contributing to the Spring Virtual Certification Interviews!
The National Office and many volunteers completed the first weekend of Virtual Interviews this past weekend. There were 24 applicants who were interviewed by 24 interviewers, assisted by 5 ITE’s and 1 Commissioner-on-Call. The next session will take place on May 1 and 2 with 11 applicants, 15 interviewers and 3 ITE’s. We are so thankful for all our volunteers’ hard work and dedication to the NACC Certification process! Please continue to keep our certification applicants, and all those involved in making these weekends a success, in your thoughts and prayers as they prepare for interviews.

5. In Vision: Biography of CPE pioneer Boisen draws on new material
Anton Boisen, one of the pioneers of clinical pastoral education, led a difficult and complicated life that may have contributed much to his spiritual insights. In our newest Vision article, John Gillman reviews a new biography that explores Boisen’s “madness and mysticism.” To read more, click below:
Biography of CPE pioneer Boisen draws on new material

6. Have you recently seen and used our many Choose Chaplaincy marketing resources?
With church activity returning, remember that you can represent NACC and chaplaincy with materials for the narthex, Youth Groups, or other organizations within and outside of your church community. Check out our Choose Chaplaincy videos, Q& A, and materials on our website: www.nacc.org/about-nacc/choose-chaplaincy and www.nacc.org/about-nacc/choose-chaplaincy/materials

7. NACC Networking Calls for May 2021 – All are welcome to participate!

To sign up or for more information, questions, comments, or concerns contact Ramune Franitza at rfranitza@nacc.org.

You must sign up to participate and receive the ZOOM code for the call. If you replied, you will receive a 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.
Due to ZOOM Security requirements, you may be placed in a waiting room. Please be patient until the host joins the call and allows you access. THANK YOU!

8. Member COVID Listening Calls will continue in May on Thursday, May 13, 2021
We continue to have good participation for our COVID Listening. Thank you. NACC will offer a listening session on May 13. This is a general listening session asking for you to bring what is on your heart. Our topics vary to address what is important to you in the moment.

COVID Listening Call (5/13)
Thursday: May 13, 2021
5pm ET, 4pm CT, 3pm MT, 2pm 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.

9. 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.

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.

10. Healing Tree: a request for prayers
The NACC holds the Healing Tree as a place for members to seek the supporting prayers of their colleagues. We prayerfully support and publish the names submitted by our membership for themselves or their family members. We ask that you please include members and their families who have been affected by the COVID pandemic in your prayers.

We continue to pray for our members: Marjorie A. Ackerman, Lee Carol S. Hollendonner, Sr. Ellen Moore, Rev. Samuel O. Nkansah, Fr. Jim Radde SJ, Martiza Ramos, Daniel Retelle, and Sr. Louise F. Zaplitny SC.

For the intentions of: Donald L. Brown (for Beth Ann Scannell and her husband Bob), Timothy Duff (for healing and on the death of his wife Theresa), and Sr. Mary A. DuPlain SJSM (for brother Larry and Sr. Edwardine of her congregation who passed away).

For loved ones: Chuck Adcock (husband of Sandra Adcock), Anne Eason (mother of Eve Kelly Corcoran), Rhonda Glennon (daughter of Anita Glennon), Fred Leas (husband of Charlotte Leas), Liam O’Neill (brother of Mary T O’Neill), Bill Ruiz (husband of Cathi Ruiz), Hernando Salazar (father of Sr. Sandra Salazar), and Autumn Vaughn (great-niece of Linda Bronersky).

For the families of: Cindy Dwyer (on the death of her mother Judith Dwyer), Mary Fiegel (on the death of her husband Lee Fiegel), Linda Freeman (on the death of her husband Joseph Freeman), Kathleen Mattone (on the death of family member Nathan Burnett), Judi Pasino (on the death of a family member and Terry and Michael James Quatrani), and Sr. Charlene A. Schaaf CDP (on the death of her mother Eva Scalzitti Schaaf).

Please let us know if you would like our membership to pray for your health and healing by emailing Ramune Franitza (rfranitza@nacc.org). We will leave the person’s name on the Healing Tree list for three months unless you ask us to remove the name earlier. You can always request us to leave the name on longer.

CHAPLAINCY NEWS, EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL SUPPORTS

11. Register today for our May NACC Webinar, “Embodied Self Care as Spiritual Practice and Prayer!” Presented by Sarah Cledwyn MA, May 20, 2021 ~ 12pm – 1:30pm Central Time

Our May NACC Webinar, May 20, 2021 ~ 12pm – 1:30pm Central Time, is entitled, “Embodied Self Care as Spiritual Practice and Prayer!” I It is presented by Sarah Cledwyn MA.

REGISTER
In this webinar, Sarah will speak about honoring our own bodies as we care for others as a way to grow in compassion, to provide centered presence and sustain ourselves in our work. We will touch into the experience of the body and hold space for ongoing care, healing and growth as we navigate this intense time of pandemic.

By the end of this presentation participants will:

• Be able to name and nurture the experience they are having in their body
• Have practical resources and processes to reflect and pray with their embodied experience
• Identify areas of their work that feel life giving and draining in order to focus attention on their own needs for support.

NACC Certification Competencies: PIC3, PIC3.1
REGISTER

12. Learn about and register for our June 2021 NACC Education/Formation programs

Our 2021 Education Program will continue to offer a thematic approach to each quarter that will include webinars and an extended learning experience.

Our second quarter offering are devoted to Behavioral/Mental Health. Here are the presenters for our June Webinar and extended our extended Saturday program!

• June 17 – Amittia Parker, PhDc, LMSW, MPA: Closing the Gap: Cultivating a Racially Equitable Mental Health Practice, and Implications for Spiritual Care [RF1]
• June 26 – Mark your calendar for our second Saturday extended program. Featured presenter will be Adam Gonzalez who has taught, researched and written extensively on mental health.

Watch for more detail at www.nacc.org/education-resources/nacc-webinars-and-audio-conferences/2021-webinar-series-overview-and-registration/.

13. Our NACC member publishes a book on the ministry of chaplaincy!
During the Covid months of retreat, our retired board-certified member, Chaplain Mary George-Whittle, published a book, Skirting the Thin Veil: Meaningful Stories from Life-Changing Events, which provides a greater understanding of the ministry of Chaplaincy and is also a collection of personal and professional stories experienced in Chaplain Mary’s life. Her stories reveal so many insights and wisdom gained from supporting people during trauma, death, aging and other life-changing events. Chaplain Mary invites you to be a witness to her stories while also encouraging you to tell your own stories too. This book is a must read, not just for those contemplating the ministry of Chaplaincy, but for medical professionals, caregivers or anyone who is facing the challenges of supporting loved ones through difficult life changing events. You can order this book on Kindle or Amazon.com. www.amazon.com/Skirting-Thin-Veil-Meaningful-Changing-ebook/dp/B08NJ162XS

14. Don’t forget to check the NACC Anti-Racism page for resources!
Please continue to check our NACC Anti-Racism page for resources.
www.nacc.org/resources/antiracism-resources/

15. Don’t forget to check the NACC Coronavirus page for resources!
Please continue to check our NACC Coronavirus page for resources.
www.nacc.org/resources/coronavirus-resources/

16. CHA is offering two unique events this week and the coming months

We Are Called – Confronting Racism to Achieve Health Equity Conversation Series
April 28, May 26, June 30, July 28, each from Noon to 12:30 p.m. ET
Each conversation will tee up discussions and share practices, policies and programs being implemented to meet the goals of our ministry’s We Are Called, Confronting Racism to Achieve Health Equity initiative.

Film Viewing of “Toxic: A Black Woman’s Story,”followed by a Panel Discussion
April 30, from 1 – 2 p.m. ET
This webinar will start with a 20-minute film, “Toxic; A Black Woman’s Story,” which shows a “day in the life” of a Black woman as she navigates the myriad stressors of a typical day and their effect on her pregnancy and her family. This compelling film will be followed by a panel discussion and Q and A.

17. Last days with resources from CHA for National Minority Health Month
www.chausa.org/disparities/minority-health-month/#huddle
Celebrated every year in April, National Minority Health Month raises awareness about the health disparities that continue to affect minority populations. The Catholic Health ministry is committed to prioritizing equity in our COVID-19 response as well as recognizing and addressing longer-term systemic changes. Together, We Are Called to do meaningful and measurable work on health equity.

18. A research request: Best practices on spirituality effects on resiliency
Rev. Emily Fowler, MDIV, BCC, PICU Staff Chaplain Researcher, Spiritual Care and Education at Children’s Medical Center Dallas is looking for best practices, wondering how spirituality effects resiliency with critical care healthcare providers. She has a few questions for our members:

• What practices do chaplains in your institutions provide in terms of staff support?
• Does your department track or support resiliency, moral distress, burnout, or turnover reduction? Is this part of your spiritual care program or are there other programs in place?
• Does your department collaborate with other disciplines in supporting staff resilience?

If you want to provide your answers, please send them to her at emily.fowler@childrens.com.

19. Other educational resources/offerings
Some months past, Paul Sangeavur Nomsule requested our members’ participation in a research study he was doing for his doctoral studies. In appreciation for our members’ participation, he has shared with us his dissertation, “Correlational Study of Emotional-Social Intelligence and Job Satisfaction among Healthcare chaplains in the United States.”

April 29, 2021, 1:30-3:00 pm CT, APC Webinar: Spiritual Care for Non-Communicative Patients, Date: Link to registration: www.professionalchaplains.org/calendar_day.asp?date=4/29/2021&event=349

For other APC Webinars go to: www.professionalchaplains.org/calendar_list.asp

Have you seen the four free 30-minute case studies for chaplains on the Chaplaincy Innovation website? chaplaincyinnovation.org/training-credentials/case-studies

May 25, 2021, 9am-12:30pm CST — Join Reverend Dr. Myles Sheehan SJ for a discussion on Suffering: Theology in the Midst of Crisis. More information and registration at this link.

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

CPE RESIDENCY
Corpus Christi, TX – CHRISTUS SPOHN Health System

CATHOLIC CHAPLAIN
Williamstown, MA – Williams College

CATHOLIC CHAPLAIN
Los Angeles, CA – Cedars-Sinai

CHAPLAIN
Chewelah, WA – Providence Stevens County Ministries

CHAPLAIN
Franklin, WI – Ascension Wisconsin

SPIRITUAL CARE DIRECTOR
Winona, MN – Benedictine Living Community

STAFF CHAPLAIN
Columbia, Missouri – University of Missouri Health Care

DIRECTOR of SPIRITUAL CARE
Milwaukee, WI – Ascension Wisconsin