Issue #372 – March 7, 2022
Click here to return to the main NACC Now page.
(Items marked with a * are new or updated items)
NEW DATES IN BUFFALO NY – August 19-22, 2022
As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference
between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for,
“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:11-13 (1st Sunday of Lent)
Sunday, March 13th begins daylight savings time – spring forward.
Please be aware of your time zone when registering for events.
NACC
1. Are you a perfectionist?
2. News from our Executive Director
3. Invitation to share reflections of your ministry
4. Welcome to our new NACC members who joined us in February 2022!
5. Deaths of former members and CPE Educators
6. Consider 2022 volunteer leadership with NACC’s Board, Commissions, Committees, and Panels!
7. Important 2022 March Conference Registration & Hotel Updates
8. In Vision: Career in hospital administration finally led to chaplaincy
9. Vision wants to hear about your first career.
10. NACC Networking Calls for February 2022 – All are welcome to participate!
11. The Member Listening Call for March will be Wednesday, March 16, 2022!
12. Listening Hearts are available for chaplain support
13. Healing Tree: a request for prayers
14. Follow us on social media! Please look at, like, and follow our NACC social media meme graphics and Instagram!
CHAPLAINCY NEWS, EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL SUPPORTS
15. 2022 Webinar Series
16. St. Camillus Center Lenten Series: Mary Mother of God, Undoer of Knots – March 6 to April 10 2022 3-9pm PT
17. Special CPMC Educational Packet to explore the issue of mass incarceration for Lenten programs for parishes and faith communities!
18. Important Webinar for all those Board Certification Applicants Interviewing for the Spring Session.
19. Call for presentations for upcoming training seminar on telechaplaincy, hosted by Transforming Chaplaincy and the University of Zürich
20. Other Resources from Catholic Prison Ministries Coalition (CPMC)
21. Recent job postings
Are you a perfectionist?
It was recently suggested to me that I am caught in a web of perfectionism. “How can that be?” I asked. “I’m overweight, the house is a mess, I’ve multiple unfinished projects piled in the corner! How can I be a perfectionist?” Perfectionists, in my mind, complete their projects, clean the backs of closets and definitely are the proper weight for their body size. They are, in my thinking, perfect. In writing this down and admitting it to you, I glimpse the fallacy of my thinking…just a glimpse, mind you, this is big stuff.
Wikipedia tells me that perfectionism “is not a synonym for excellence or conscientiousness.” Instead, its defined as “a person’s concern with striving for flawlessness and perfection and is accompanied by critical self-evaluations and concerns regarding others’ evaluations.” I have to admit, I am caught in that web of constant critical self-evaluation. Even right now, as I write about this personality style that some of us struggle with, I’m saying to myself, “Lisa, there is an unjust war breaking out in Ukraine. That is where your focus should be…what’s wrong with you!”
Recently, I’ve come to appreciate the multiplicity of me…appreciate and more importantly, have compassion for the many parts that make up who I am. I have learned that we carry the memories, desires, gifts, fears, wounds and visions through our lifetime, and with a sacred lens, we can learn to welcome them all. When Jesus invites all to the table of love, could he be inviting all of me? Even my perfectionist self?
When I open my heart to my not-so-perfect-self, when I trust that all of me is truly loved, something shifts. There is more space. I am able, in this moment, to experience a deeper compassion, for myself and beyond myself; a compassion that flows toward my brothers and sisters in Ukraine on this sad February day. I have space to hold their fears and losses. When my love-fire is fueled in this moment of vulnerability, my tears join with theirs and my prayer cries out on their behalf. Sitting in this time and place, I rest in perfect Love.
Thank you for being you,
Lisa Irish, MEd, MA, BCC; Spiritual Director, Author, Retired Chaplain; www.lisairish.com
2. News from our Executive Director
Greetings in Christ! I have now been with the NACC for almost 3 months, and I find myself overwhelmed by the graciousness of our incredible NACC community. Your profound welcoming spirit fills me with gratitude and excites me for our shared journey into the future. As I engage further with each of you – our chaplains, staff, board and committee members, and all people vested in spiritual care – I find myself deeply moved by the many stories I’m hearing of what brought you to ministry and what keeps you inspired. I look forward to hearing your thoughts and ideas as we move forward together.
I truly want to thank you for your continued patience related to the annual NACC conference originally scheduled for March. As you know, we needed to reschedule this event to August of 2022 in response to the rapid spread of Omicron. We are deeply longing to come together in person but want to ensure that we are far enough beyond the current variant to safely do so. We are hopeful that, by August, we will be able to gather in Buffalo to pray, share fellowship, network with each other, and experience increased formation. I am truly looking forward to meeting many of you in person at that event!
Finally, I am mindful of the unfolding synod on synodality launched globally by Pope Francis. This is a most exciting time for our Church. As chaplains, we know – perhaps better than anyone – the healing power of listening. Listening is one of the most effective ways to love and to heal. The synod, which invites the faithful to offer honest feedback, affords us a most wonderful opportunity to affect real healing for so many hurting people in our Church and world. As people share their thoughts and experiences, they become seen and understood. Their needs and wounds can be addressed. This truly allows for the emergence of a more positive and hopeful future, namely the Kingdom of God.
Here at the NACC, we want to contribute to the synod process, helping to bring about the best results possible. To that end, we have been working to equip facilitators of synod listening sessions with practices and principles from our field that ensure safe and healing spaces. Through the Catholic Prison Ministries Coalition, for example, we have hosted various webinars on synod best practices, including tips on how to include voices from marginalized communities and how to creatively elicit data and sharing when various barriers are in play.
Further still, we long to include YOUR voices in synod sharing. As chaplains, you serve on the front lines of the Church. You make up the ‘field hospital’ that Pope Francis often refers to, providing crucial and emergent care to those in hospital beds and prison cells, and those confined to ships at sea or experiencing a crisis requiring the presence of first responders, etc. You bear witness to people who are spiritually bleeding out and the Church needs to hear your perspective.
The NACC will be hosting a series of listening sessions for board certified chaplains and other members of our community. I want to personally invite you to attend one of these sessions. Please share your feedback and advocacy based on your volumes of first-hand experience with those who cry out. The synod process is not complete without you.
The scheduled Synodal Listening dates are:
- Tuesday, March 29th (1:00 pm ET, 12:00 pm CT, 11 am MT, 10 am PT, 9 am AKDT, 7 am HST)
– 90 minute session - Thursday, March 31st (7:00 pm ET, 6:00 pm CT, 5pm MT, 4 pm PT, 3 pm AKDT, 1 pm HST)
– 90 minute session
Please know that I am filled with gratitude for each of you and I’m in awe of the daily impact you make as chaplains serving in the vineyard. It is an honor to be in this role and I am so excited for next steps. I wish you all blessings and peace.
Erica Cohen Moore
Executive Director
Additional information can be found at the Vatican website and at the USCCB – Synod on Synodality.
3. Invitation to share reflections of your ministry
NACC would like to offer the opportunity for our members to share thoughtful reflections of their ministry throughout the year. Please offer your thoughts that would inspire your colleagues by sending your reflection to Ramune Franitza rfranitza@nacc.org. We may also post previous reflections from our former Executive Directors.
4. Welcome to our new NACC members who joined us in February 2022!
Chaplaincy Ministry
Mrs. Jylliane D. Alvarez (Worcester, MA)
Mr. Oscar F. Chaparro (College Station, TX)
Rev. Jonathan J. Slavinskas (Worcester, MA)
Rev. Emiliano Zapata (Lubbock, TX)
Education Collaborator
Franciscan School of Theology at the University of San Diego (San Diego, CA)
Professional Ministry
Chaplain DWayne Beamon (Indianapolis, IN)
Ms. Fran M. Hauck (Boston, MA)
Rev. Joseph A. Voltaggio OSB (Morristown, NJ)
Mrs. Terra Tindle Williams (Lawrence, KS)
Student
Mr. John B. Hoy (Lower Gwynedd, PA)
5. Deaths of former members and CPE Educators
We remember Mary Carole Nelson BCC-E, ACPE Retired Educator, who died on January 16, 2022.
She was a NACC member from 1992-2010.
We also remember ACPE Retired Educators Larry VandeCreek (NACC 1996-1999) and Donald Dinsmore for their contributions to chaplaincy and quality spiritual care.
6. Consider 2022 volunteer leadership with NACC’s Board, Commissions, Committees, and Panels!
NACC is grateful for all those called to leadership in our Association. Prayerfully consider offering your gifts and talents in your areas of interest and expertise. If you feel called to join our leadership team, please take a look at opportunities available here or contact Ramune Franitza (rfranitza@nacc.org) to speak with someone from the NACC Nominations Panel. NACC will hold elections this summer for 2 Board vacancies.
7. Important 2022 March Conference Registration & Hotel Updates
- All 2022 March Conference Registrations have now been cancelled.
- Credit card refunds have been issued back to the original payment source. Please check your credit card statement.
- Undeposited checks were mailed out on Monday, February 28, 2022. Please give USPS up to 10 days to deliver these checks.
- All hotel reservations have now been cancelled and a cancellation confirmation email sent.
- Any questions related to this communication can be addressed to Jeanine Annunziato (conference@nacc.org).
8. In Vision: Career in hospital administration finally led to chaplaincy
Tim Crowley spent decades in Catholic hospital administration before the call to chaplaincy became too loud for him to ignore. But when he finally took the plunge, “everything fell into place so quickly that I wondered why I had spent the first 59 years of my life thinking I was somehow in charge.” To read more in Vision, click below.
Career in hospital administration finally led to chaplaincy
In Vision: Acting and singing career transfers easily to chaplaincy
When Maggie Finley needed a new direction after 30 years as a professional actor, she little thought how much her skills would come in handy at the bedside — or for her healthcare organization’s outreach efforts. To read more about her journey in Vision, click below.
Acting and singing career transfers easily to chaplaincy
9. Vision wants to hear about your first career.
The majority of NACC members came to chaplaincy after spending years or decades in some other field. For the new issue of Vision, we are seeking your stories about what you did before chaplaincy, and how those experiences influence your ministry today. Please send a summary of your idea to Vision editor David Lewellen, dlewellen@nacc.org.
10. NACC Networking Calls for February 2022 – All are welcome to participate!
Thursday, March 10; 12 p.m. CT – NACC Palliative/Hospice Networking Call
web.nacc.org/events/NACC-Palliative-Hospice-Networking-Call-3-10-1293/details
Thursday, March 10; 1 p.m. CT – NACC Nurse Chaplain Networking Call
web.nacc.org/events/NACC-Nurse-Chaplain-Networking-Call-3-10-1299/details
Friday, March 11; 11 a.m. CT – NACC Directors of Spiritual Care Call
web.nacc.org/events/NACC-Directors-of-Spiritual-Care-Networking-Call-3-11-1297/details
Monday, March 14; 1 p.m. CT – NACC CPE Community of Practice Call
web.nacc.org/events/NACC-CPE-Community-of-Practice-3-14-1298/details
Tuesday, March 15; 1 p.m. CT – NACC African Member Networking Call
web.nacc.org/events/NACC-African-Member-Networking-Call-3-15-1302/details
Wednesday, March 16; 3 p.m. CT – NACC Member Listening Call
web.nacc.org/events/NACC-Member-Listening-Session-3-16–1287/details
The scheduled Synodal Listening dates are:
- Tuesday, March 29th (1:00 pm ET, 12:00 pm CT, 11 am MT, 10 am PT, 9 am AKDT, 7 am HST)
– 90 minute session - Thursday, March 31st (7:00 pm ET, 6:00 pm CT, 5pm MT, 4 pm PT, 3 pm AKDT, 1 pm HST)
– 90 minute session
To sign up use the links above or for more information or to receive notes contact Ramune Franitza at rfranitza@nacc.org.
Register to participate and receive the ZOOM link for the call. Even if you are unable to participate, please register so that notes can be forwarded.
11. The Member Listening Call for March will be Wednesday, March 16, 2022!
As current situations evolve, so do our concerns and causes of stress. Patient counts may be down in many places, and we are relieved as symptoms abate and restrictions begin to lift. Chaplains are still affected by increased patient loads and staff shortages. Spiritual Care continues to support patients and staff during these latest crises. Weariness, fatigue, and uncertainty continue to be a part of chaplaincy’s days and nights.
Often, it can be helpful to spend an hour with those who understand, our colleagues. NACC continues to offer our listening sessions and remains grateful for the participation and sharing that happens during these virtual communities. The NACC strives to support those who have found it helpful and healing to share their thoughts and experiences in these gatherings; to be there for one another.
NACC will offer one listening session on Wednesday, March 16; 4pm ET, 3pm CT, 2pm MT, 1pm PT, 11am HI.
ATTENTION: Register here to participate and receive the ZOOM link for the call. If you have trouble registering please let us know at info@nacc.org.
Notes from previous sessions can be found here: www.nacc.org/resources/coronavirus-resources/#listen. Sharing is confidential to the group. Notes do not reflect the names of the speakers.
For more resources and blog updates, be sure to read the latest updates on our Coronavirus resources page.
12. Listening Hearts are available for chaplain support
A Listening Heart is always available for one-on-one conversation (Spanish speaker available).
This ministry is provided by NACC retired chaplains. Please contact Ramune Franitza (rfranitza@nacc.org) if you would like to speak with a Listening Heart or have questions.
13. 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 also 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: Sr. Madeline Cipriano RSM, Susan DeLongis, Sr. Andre Dembowski RSM, Denice Foose, Marybeth Harmon, Fr. George Henninger LMHC, Sr. Ellen Moore, Fr. Jim Radde SJ, Martiza Ramos-Pratt, Sr. Mary Lou G. Schnitzer SSJ BCC, Sr. Paula M. Tinlin SND, Wanda Walker, Rev. Henry M. Williams, and Sr. Louise F. Zaplitny SC, Sr. Mary DuPlain.
For loved ones: Autumn Vaughn (great-niece of Linda Bronersky), Larry DuPlain (brother of Sr. Mary DuPlain SJSM), Mila Rose (granddaughter of James Engelbert), Kathi Peot and family (sister-in-law of Mary Heintzkill, ), Fred Leas (husband of Charlotte Leas), Claudia Legato (wife of Robert Legato), Ed Drake (husband of Hilda Lethe-Drake), Pearl Marie Perkins (mother of Nicholas Perkins), and Natalie (cousin of Sue Walker), and the order of the Sisters of St. Joseph of St. Marc.
For the families of: Bev Beltramo (on the death of her niece Jessica Grassmick, [her parents Carol & Jim Grassmick and her three young children]), Deborah Bradley (on the death of her father-in-law Jack Bradley), Bonnie Burnett (on the death of her brother Terence Burnett), Rev. John O. Ekeocha (on the death of his mother Catherine Ekeocha), and Marga A. Halala on her death.
There are members whose needs are personal, so please remember our members whose journey needs the support of your prayer.
If you would like our membership to pray for your health and healing, email 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.
14. Follow us on social media! Please look at, like, and follow our NACC social media meme graphics and Instagram!
We continue our new series of popular social media meme graphics. The themes for this campaign are Chaplain Wisdom and Join NACC. They will post each Tuesday morning, and we would love for you to share them on your own personal social media channels, as you feel moved. Please make sure to like and follow us on Facebook (@choosechaplaincy), LinkedIn (@National Association of Catholic Chaplains) and on our new Instagram (@NACC_Chaplains). If you would like to be a part of NACC’s Instagram story, please contact Ramune Franitza (rfranitza@nacc.org) to speak with someone from the NACC Marketing Panel.
15. 2022 Webinar Series
The NACC will be offering professional development Webinars in 2022. Unlike prior years, our programming will not begin until the second quarter of the year. First quarter will be spent planning our program to ensure we are able to provide quality education to our members and those serving in spiritual care. Our goal is to still provide the same number of webinars in 2022, however given the later start, there may be some months that we host more than one webinar. As information is available it will be disseminated to our members through NACC Now, our website, and direct email campaigns. If you have any questions, please contact NACC directly (education@nacc.org).
16. St. Camillus Center Lenten Series: Mary Mother of God, Undoer of Knots – March 6 to April 10 2022 3-9pm PT
“Lent thru the eyes of Social Justice”
Our longtime member Rev Chris Ponnet, MA, MDiv, BCC, Pastor, St Camillus Center for Spiritual Care and Director, Department of Spiritual Care, for LAC+USC Medical Center, wanted to share the 2022 St. Camillus Center Lenten series.
Among the many good reasons to attend is the fact that two of the speakers are past plenary speakers for NACC conferences: Megan McKenna and Fr. John Dear.
Learn more and register at: stcamilluscenter.networkforgood.com/events/39495-st-camillus-zoom-lenten-series-2022 This is a virtual (Zoom) event. Individual sessions $25 each, series of 6 $100.
17. Special CPMC Educational Packet to explore the issue of mass incarceration for Lenten programs for parishes and faith communities!
Catholic Prison Ministries Coalition would like to provide your faith community with Who Do You Say That I Am?, (www.catholicprisonministries.org/lenten-series), a Lenten educational packet that can be used to explore the issue of mass incarceration in America through the lens of our Catholic faith.
We are delighted to provide you with the convenience of a downloadable packet and facilitator’s PowerPoint, which includes an outline for facilitating three group sessions and other related materials. CPMC is available to help you implement these important reflections. You may view our recent webinar which was devoted to walking facilitators through the implementation of this series.
Please share this resource with colleagues and community members and do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or needs at info@catholicprisonministries.org.
18. Important Webinar for all those Board Certification Applicants Interviewing for the Spring Session.
If you are interviewing in April or May for Board Certification, it is highly recommended that you attend the Virtual Interview Webinar with Sr. Pam Nosbusch on Thursday, March 31 at 12:00 p.m. Central Time.
To register for this event, please click on this link: Virtual Interview Webinar. This webinar will be recorded and will be sent to all participants who have registered for the event.
19. Call for presentations for upcoming training seminar on telechaplaincy, hosted by Transforming Chaplaincy and the University of Zürich
Telechaplaincy is the delivery of spiritual care where recipients and providers are separated by distance. Telechaplaincy is increasingly common practice, and chaplains and providers regularly request trainings to implement and improve their practice of telechaplaincy. To meet this need, the Telechaplaincy Community of Practice is hosting a series of trainings and knowledge-exchange events. We invite chaplains, scholars and interdisciplinary team members to contribute to these events by proposing case study presentations, vignettes and didactics. The due date for submission is May 10th, 2022.
Click here to learn more!
20. Other Resources from Catholic Prison Ministries Coalition (CPMC)
- Holding Still, Centering Prayer and the Spiritual Journey, is a riveting, candid and insightful documentary film about practicing centering prayer while incarcerated in Folsom Prison. You can view the film and download a reflection guide at www.catholicprisonministries.org/holding-still-2
- The PBS series, Searching for Justice explores criminal justice reform unfolding across the country, as leaders from both sides of the political aisle attempt to end mass incarceration by rethinking laws that some say have become barriers to work, housing, and economic stability. www.pbs.org/newshour/tag/searching-for-justice
- CPMC continues to host town halls and offer webinars monthly on topics vital to prison ministry, but many pertain to all chaplaincy ministry. These are all available without cost. Browse the titles at: www.catholicprisonministries.org/webinars
21. 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.
FULL-TIME MANAGER, SPIRITUAL CARE
Bellingham, WA – PeaceHealth
DIRECTOR of PASTORAL CARE
Edgewood, KY – St. Elizabeth Healthcare
CHAPLAIN
Stevens County, WA – Providence Inland Northwest Washington Stevens County Ministries
MANAGER of SPIRITUAL CARE
Springfield, MA – Trinity Health, Mercy Medical Center
ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST
Indianapolis, IN – Franciscan Health-Indianapolis
ACPE CERTIFIED EDUCATOR
Corpus Christi, TX – CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital Corpus Christi-Shoreline
MANAGER – PASTORAL SERVICES
St. Louis, MO – Mercy
DIRECTOR of SPIRITUAL CARE
Birmingham, AL -Ascension St. Vincent’s
DIRECTOR of PASTORAL CARE
Bangor, ME – St. Joseph Healthcare (Covenant Health)
CHAPLAIN HOSPICE – Full Time
Hermiston, OR – Hospice Hermiston
CHAPLAIN HOSPITAL – Full Time
St. Cloud, MN – CentraCare: St. Cloud Hospital
DIRECTOR of MISSION and PASTORAL CARE
Chicago, IL – Mercy Circle
CATHOLIC CHAPLAIN: Full Time, Day/Evening, 7:30am to 4:00pm Weekdays. Rotating weekends.
Cedar Rapids, IA – Mercy
