Issue #375 – April 18, 2022
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(Items marked with a * are new or updated items)
NACC
1. Holy Time; a reflection by Deacon Jack Conrad, BCC
2. News from our Executive Director – The synod process is not complete without you
3. NACC 2021 Annual Report and 2021 YE Financial Report Review
4. Invitation to share reflections of your ministry
5. Consider 2022 volunteer leadership with NACC
6. In Vision: Worldwide synod is also opportunity for NACC to learn more
7. Member Listening Call Wednesday, May 18, 2022
8. Listening Hearts are available
9. Healing Tree: a request for prayers
10. Follow us on Social Media! Please look, like and follow our Social Media graphics!
CHAPLAINCY NEWS, EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL SUPPORTS
11. Catholic Medical Association of Central Ohio awards first annual St. Mother Teresa Award for Service to NACC student member Teresa Durbak Sipos
12. Important 2022 August Conference Information
13. Important Information for all NACC Certified Members ~ Special Exceptions to Requirements for Maintenance of Certification
14. 2022 Webinar Series ~ Registration Now Open!
15. Renewal of Certification Webinar on May 5 @ 12noon Central Time
16. Thank you to our many members who are contributing to the Spring Virtual Certification Interviews! Please keep the 44 Board Certification Applicants in prayer.
17. Journal of Health Care Chaplaincy will soon publish a special issue on chaplains of color, to be edited by Wendy Cadge, Aja Antoine, and Marilyn Barnes.
18. CASC/ACSS Conference 2022 – Reconciling Heart and Soul: Moral Injury and Pathways to Healing; May 1- 4th, 2022 online/virtual
19. Recent job postings
Holy Time
The great Jewish Celebration of Passover started on Friday, which happened to be on the traditional Christian Holiday of Good Friday which leads to Easter, and this all occurs during the Muslim Holy Month of Ramadan. Holy Time indeed.
What is it in our Human Nature that requires us to set aside Holy Time?
The other night I stood out in my yard and gazed up into the sky. We in New Mexico have spectacular skies – especially at night. This night was crystal clear, and I could see the Milky Way extending like some distant fog. As I stood there gazing, I realized how infinitely small I am. I am a speck on a very small celestial planet in a relatively small solar system to a very medium sized sun. In the vastness of all of that, how insignificant I seemed, yet still alive and able to know I exist. How and why did all of this come about?
It seems that there is something, something, so much bigger and grander than just the “little speck” of me, my physical being, and my thoughts. There has to be a creator of all of this magnificence. Doesn’t there?
For us on earth, in the Northern Hemisphere the planet comes alive this time of year with new growth, budding trees, emerging flowers, and yes even little bunnies. This all springs forth with little effort on our parts. The deadness of winter becomes the “aliveness” of Springtime. It is as life awakens once more.
As a human being who has observed this reawakening all my life, I have a need to say thanks for being alive to witness this constant cycle of death becoming life and being able to contemplate the vastness of the universe. Thus, Holy Time. Time to acknowledge that the miracle of life and existence is precious – holy.
Ramadan is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting, prayer, reflection and community. The Jewish faith remembrance of Passover is to remember God’s intervention bringing the Jewish people from Slavery to Freedom. Christians celebrate the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus and the deep belief that he died for the forgiveness of the sins of us all.
It is indeed a time to reflect on the mystery of life, and who we are in this vast universe. To take a pause and know that there is so much more than our own thoughts and experiences and that we are part of something so much more. So, whether we trek up mountains or into valleys to special places that other humans have acknowledged as Holy, participate in services or observances, or spend time just in quiet and thought – allow it to be Holy Time…and give thanks for the ability to be alive and see the majesty of life.
Deacon Jack Conrad BCC
2. News from our Executive Director – The synod process is not complete without you
Please share your feedback and advocacy based on your first-hand experience with those who cry out. The synod process is not complete without you. For those who have already participated, here is the link to our Synod page where you can respond to the follow-up survey: www.nacc.org/synod
For those who still want their voices heard additional Synodal Listening dates are:
April 19th – 1:00-2:30pm (CT) and April 22nd – 1:00-2:30pm (CT)
To register: web.nacc.org/events/NACC-Synodal-Listening-Sessions-1303/details
3. NACC Annual Report and 2021 YE Financial Report Review are now available for membership review: www.nacc.org/about-nacc/annual-reports/financial-review
4. Invitation to share reflections of your ministry
We are grateful for the contributions made by you for our members reflection. They are chosen for publication as space permits. Please consider submitting your thoughtful reflections of your ministry throughout the year. You may offer your thoughts that would inspire your colleagues by sending your reflection to Ramune Franitza at rfranitza@nacc.org. We may also post previous reflections from our former Executive Directors and other sources.
5. Consider 2022 volunteer leadership with NACC’s Board, Commissions, Committees, and Panels!
NACC will hold elections this summer for 2 Board vacancies. Prayerfully consider NACC Leadership Roles. NACC is grateful for all those called to fill these roles in our Association. If you feel called to join our leadership team, please review opportunities available here or contact Ramune Franitza (rfranitza@nacc.org) to speak with someone from the NACC Nominations Panel.
6. In Vision: Worldwide synod is also opportunity for NACC to learn more
Pope Francis’ call for a worldwide synod also represents a chance for the NACC to learn about our members and our mission. In our newest Vision article, Executive Director Erica Cohen-Moore praises the value of chaplains’ experiences on the margins — and invites you to participate in next week’s listening sessions. Click below to learn more.
Worldwide synod is also opportunity for NACC to learn more
7. The Member Listening Call for May will be Wednesday, May 18, 2022!
Chaplains carry the concerns of their patients, colleagues, and others. They experience the ebb and flow of COVID infections as well as those situations where a chaplain’s care and concern are needed to carry the burdens of life. Weariness, fatigue, and uncertainty continue to be a part of chaplaincy’s days and nights. Take an hour to share your comments, questions, and concerns with colleagues whose experiences may mirror your own.
NACC will offer one listening session on Wednesday, May 18, 2022; 4pm ET, 3pm CT, 2pm MT, 1pm PT, 11am HI.
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 participants.
For more resources and blog updates, be sure to read the latest updates on our Coronavirus resources page.
8. 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.
9. 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: Susan DeLongis, Sr. Andre Dembowski RSM, Denice Foose, Marybeth Harmon, Sr. Ellen Moore, Fr. Jim Radde SJ, Martiza Ramos-Pratt, Sr. Mary Lou G. Schnitzer SSJ, Sr. Paula M. Tinlin SND, Wanda Walker, and Sr. Louise F. Zaplitny SC.
For loved ones: Autumn Vaughn (great-niece of Linda Bronersky), Larry DuPlain (brother of Sr. Mary DuPlain SJSM), Mila Rose (granddaughter of James Engelbert), 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), Patricia Kobrenski (sister of Daniel Retelle), Bill Ruiz (husband of Cathi Ruiz), Natalie (cousin of Sue Walker), and the order of the Sisters of St. Joseph of St. Marc.
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.
10. 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.
CHAPLAINCY NEWS, EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL SUPPORTS
11. Catholic Medical Association of Central Ohio awards first annual St. Mother Teresa Award for Service to NACC student member Teresa Durbak Sipos
NACC along with the Catholic Medical Association of Central Ohio congratulates Teresa on being nominated and awarded the first annual St. Mother Teresa Award for Service. The St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta Service to Medicine Award recognizes a Catholic nurse, NP, PA, pharmacist, administrator or non-medical student in the healthcare professions who has shown selfless charity and dedication to the poor and vulnerable populations in our community through clinical service or general service. For her work as a nurse chaplain, educator, and soon-to-be doctoral awardee, as well as her work in organizing the Catholic Nurses Association (CAN) of Columbus, CMA is pleased to present her with this award.
A NACC member since 2004, Teresa will be conferred her doctoral degree from St. Mary Seminary and Graduate School of Theology in Wickliffe, Ohio this spring. Her doctoral project is “Integrating Spiritual Healthcare into Nursing Praxis: An Educational Intervention”. The project has expanded to also address nurses’ suffering, measured as depression, and to teach nurses pastoral and moral theology with spiritual interventions for nursing praxis, and personal spiritual care.
12. Important 2022 August Conference Information
The Conference Planning Task Force continues their planning efforts to move the conference program to the new dates ~ August 19-22, 2022.
Much progress has been made and the majority of our website pages are again available. We are hopeful that the remaining details will be finalized in the coming weeks.
Visit the conference website pages to view registration rates, hotel information, conference schedule, speakers and much more.
We are pleased to announce that the NACC will again accept applications for scholarships for members to attend the conference. Application deadline is April 27. Learn More!
Important dates:
- Conference registration will open late April/early May
- Early bird registration deadline is June 13, 2022
- Conference registration will close on July 1, 2022
- The hotel is taking reservations now!
We are excited to welcome you to beautiful Buffalo in the Summer. Check out all the city has to offer.
13. Important Information for all NACC Certified Members ~ Special Exceptions to Requirements for Maintenance of Certification
Given the current COVID-19 pandemic in the United States and across the world, the ability for certified members to achieve the required fifty (50) hours of continued education required annually has been impacted. The pandemic has affected members in both their personal and professional lives and for many has made it difficult to not only attain hours but be in the right mindset to focus on this endeavor. The Competency Commission and the Certification Commission acknowledge that many members are also feeling the fatigue of completing educational time exclusively in a virtual setting given in-person events are still few and far between.
The Competencies Commission has approved a special exception for the number of education hours required for certification maintenance to be lessened from fifty (50) hours to thirty-five (35) hours yearly. Additionally, the Certification Commission has waived the requirement that a minimum of twenty (20) hours of education per year must be achieved through “attending” activities. Both exceptions are in effect for education years 2020, 2021, 2022. For more details on the exceptions, please visit the NACC website.
14. 2022 Webinar Series ~ Registration Now Open!
The first NACC webinar of 2022 will be held on May 19, 2022 and presented by NACC member, Beth McPherson. The webinar will be on Visio Divina and will be a prayerful experience to begin our year of offerings. Specific information on this webinar will be available soon. As the Education Planning group has met, there have been several topic areas identified that will be our focus for 2022. Over the coming months as webinar details are finalized, we will announce further information on the speakers and topics. Visit the website to view the webinar dates and registration cost/information.
15. Renewal of Certification Webinar on May 5 @ 12noon Central Time
This webinar will provide participants with an overview of the renewal of certification process and documentation. The webinar will also provide a forum for answering questions about renewal. This FREE webinar will be presented by members of the NACC Certification Commission. The webinar is offered live and as a recording. Two (2) Continuing Education Hours will be awarded for participating. Register now!
16. Thank you to our many members who are contributing to the Spring Virtual Certification Interviews! Please keep the 44 Board Certification Applicants in prayer.
The National Office and many volunteers have been busy preparing for the Virtual Spring Interviews for Certification. We are so thankful for all our volunteers for their hard work and dedication to the NACC Certification process. NACC values the service of these 45 interviewers, 9 ITE’s, 2 Commissioners and 4 chaplains serving as Spiritual Support! This process could not be as successful without the efforts of these individuals. Thank you so much for being part of the process. If you would like to serve for the October 2022 interviews, please email lisasarenac@nacc.org to be added to the list.
17. Journal of Health Care Chaplaincy will soon publish a special issue on chaplains of color, to be edited by Wendy Cadge, Aja Antoine, and Marilyn Barnes.
Details of this special issue, as well as a link to instructions for submitting papers, are available here: chaplaincyinnovation.org/2022/04/cfp-jhcc.
18. CASC/ACSS Conference 2022 – Reconciling Heart and Soul: Moral Injury and Pathways to Healing; May 1- 4th, 2022 online/virtual
Winnipeg was originally planning on hosting a Hybrid conference which allowed attendance both in person and through virtual online connection. However, with the continuing rise in the omicron variant and the uncertainty of travel this spring, the difficult decision was made to go to a virtual only format. Though in person connection will be missed, we will still be able to communicate through our professional on-line conference platform. Satellite locations (think CPE Groups, Spiritual Care Departments, regional gatherings, etc.) will still be able to bring together attendees to connect virtually at a reduced registration fee.
The objective of this conference include:
- Share expertise on moral injury and its impact on practitioners and those we serve/encounter
- Focus on moral injury through a variety of lenses, in particular, the Indigenous experience.
- Create space for a variety of voices speaking to their experience of MI
- Motivate with leading practices in research and professional development; with attention on the calls to action of the TRC
- Strengthen participants as they consider their world view lens and explore a variety of healing pathways.
Surprisingly Affordable
As a fully virtual conference with no costs for transportation, accommodation, food and beverage it will be very economical to attend the conference from anywhere in Canada or the world. For more information, check out the specific topic pages on the left hand sidebar. spiritualcare.ca/home/conferences/2022-conference
19. 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 HOSPITAL – Full Time
St. Cloud, MN – St. Cloud Hospital (CentraCare)
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
WOMEN & INFANTS STAFF CHAPLAIN
Milwaukee, WI – Ascension Wisconsin Spiritual Care
CHAPLAIN – Full Time
Wauwatosa, WI – Children’s Wisconsin
PASTORAL CARE CHAPLAIN
Adrian, MI – Adrian Dominican Sisters
CLINICAL PASTORAL EDUCATION MANAGER
Charleston, SC – Roper Hospital and Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital
CHAPLAIN, PALLIATIVE CARE and HOSPICE
Fond du Lac, WI – St. Agnes Home Care & Hospice (SSM Health)
VICE PRESIDENT MISSION SERVICES and PASTORAL CARE
Cincinnati, OH / Edgewood, KY – St. Elizabeth Healthcare
CATHOLIC CHAPLAIN
Chattanooga, TN – CHI Memorial
