Issue #376 – May 2, 2022
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(Items marked with a * are new or updated items)
NACC
1. 2022 Conference ~ Registration Now Open! *
2. News from our Executive Director: Requesting nominations for two member-elected seats on the NACC Board of Directors *
3. Welcome to our new NACC members who joined us in April 2022! *
4. Death of NACC members *
5. Invitation to share reflections of your ministry
6. We long to include your voices in the synod sharing! Have you responded to our Synodal Survey? *
7. In Vision: Pay more attention to the powerful force of empathy *
8. In Vision: From canon law to chaplaincy, the connection is compassion *
9. The Member Listening Call for May will be Wednesday, May 18, 2022! *
10. NACC May Networking Calls – All are welcome to participate! *
11. Another successful season of Certification Interviews. Thank you to our many members who contributed! *
12. Healing Tree: a request for prayers *
13. Follow us on social media!
CHAPLAINCY NEWS, EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL SUPPORTS
14. 2022 Webinar Series ~ Registration Now Open! *
15. Renewal of Certification Webinar on May 5 @ 12 noon Central Time *
16. Journal of Health Care Chaplaincy special issue on chaplains of color *
17. 2022 Clergy Institute: Listening to their stories; Responding from our sacred texts *
18. Recent job postings *
Third Sunday of Easter
Saint Joseph the Worker
(Source: CHA)
2022 Conference ~ Registration Now Open! *
Conference registration is now open! Visit the conference website pages to view registration rates, hotel information, conference schedule, speakers and much more.
Important dates:
- 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.
2. News from our Executive Director: Requesting nominations for two member-elected seats on the NACC Board of Directors *
The NACC Board of Directors will have two open member-elected seats on the Board for 2023. The responsibilities of the Board of Directors can be found on the NACC website. The NACC Nominations Panel is requesting applicants for these two positions. The Board application can be accessed here. Please consider applying or encouraging a member who you believe would be a valuable member of the Board to apply. Applications will be open until May 31, 2022. Please keep this leadership discernment process in your prayers.
3. Welcome to our new NACC members who joined us in April 2022! *
Chaplaincy Ministry
Fr. Solomon Nwokocha (Downey, CA)
John K. Winslow (San Francisco, CA)
Professional Ministry
Benedetta Reece (Olympia, WA)
Mrs. Ann M. Sanders (Pasadena, CA)
Deborah J. Simon (Naples, FL)
Student
Colleen Williams (Boulder, CO)
Mr. Eugene E. Yeo (New Kensington, PA)
4. Death of NACC members *
A familiar smiling face at many of our conferences, Sister Mary Lou Schnitzer SSJ died on April 12, 2022. Sr. Mary Lou joined NACC in 1991 and was certified in 1992. She served as a NACC Certification Interviewer and in 2019 served her community as a Councilor of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Buffalo, NY. For more information: www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/east-amherst-ny/mary-lou-schnitzer-10710959.
Deacon R. Paul Grimm passed away on April 16, 2022. Deacon Paul joined NACC in 1995 and was certified in 1997. Along with his chaplaincy, he served as diaconate director for the Diocese of Green Bay, WI. You can read his obituary at www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/r-grimm-obituary?id=34493481
5. 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.
6. We long to include your voices in the synod sharing! Have you responded to our Synodal Survey? *
Whether you were part of our Synodal Listening Sessions or not, we invite you to lift-up your voice in response to Pope Francis’ invitation to the Synod on Synodality! Your prayerful response to the survey can help the Church in its path forward in the Apostolic mission of Christ and the Church.
7. In Vision: Pay more attention to the powerful force of empathy *
“I sometimes wonder if empathy is a similar animal to grief – a powerful force that does damage when ignored, disrespected, or indulged as an end in itself,” Mary Tracy writes in our newest Vision article. Click below for more thoughts on how to channel empathy constructively with patients, friends, and colleagues.
Pay more attention to the powerful force of empathy
8. In Vision: From canon law to chaplaincy, the connection is compassion *
When Rev. Chidiebere Ogbuagu was working as a canon lawyer and moonlighting as a chaplain, he wondered about the connection between them. Eventually, he realized they both involved active listening and compassion, and he decided to pursue CPE and certification. To read more about his journey in Vision, click below.
From canon law to chaplaincy, the connection is compassion
9. 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.
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. 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.
10. NACC May Networking Calls – All are welcome to participate! *
Thursday, May 12; 12 p.m. CT – NACC Palliative/Hospice Networking Call
Friday, May 13, 11 a.m. CT – NACC Directors of Spiritual Care
Thursday, May 19, 3:30 p.m. CT, 4:30 p.m. ET – NACC Regional Networking (KY TN NC SC MS AL GA)
Monday, May 23, 3 p.m. CT – NACC Purposeful Retirement Networking Call
11. Another successful season of Certification Interviews. Thank you to our many members who contributed! *
The National Office would like to thank the many volunteers who prepared for the Virtual Spring Interviews for Initial Certification. NACC values the service of these 45 interviewers, 9 ITE’s, 2 commissioners and 4 chaplains who served as spiritual support! This process could not be as successful without the efforts of these individuals. The Interview Teams are recommending 36 chaplains for board certification.
12. 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, Rev. Donald L. Khawng Lum, Sr. Jane McConnell OSF, Sr. Ellen Moore, Fr. Jim Radde SJ, Martiza Ramos-Pratt, Sr. Paula M. Tinlin SND, Wanda Walker, and Sr. Louise F. Zaplitny SC.
For loved ones: Caroline Bucci (close friend of Teresa Sullivan), 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; please remember those whose journey needs the support of your prayer.
May we hold in prayer those impacted by the war in Ukraine as we pray for peace in our world.
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.
13. Follow us on social media!
Facebook @choosechaplaincy
LinkedIn @National Association of Catholic Chaplains
Watch for NEW posting on Instagram including Weekly Prayers and Chaplain Spotlight! We continue our new series of popular social media graphics. The themes for this campaign are Chaplain Wisdom and Join NACC. These will post regularly. We would love for you to share them on your own personal social media channels. Please make sure to like and follow NACC on its social media platforms.
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
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. Journal of Health Care Chaplaincy special issue on chaplains of color *
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.
17. 2022 Clergy Institute: Listening to their stories; Responding from our sacred texts *
Deacon Jack Conrad, longtime NACC member and current NACC Board Chair/Elect will be a panelist at the upcoming Clergy Institute event:
Listening to their stories; Responding from our sacred texts
Tuesday, May 24, 2022 | 9 AM CST
Humans are storytellers. Storytelling is one of the ways we use to make sense of our lives. From Aesop’s fables to modern novels, we use stories to capture the essence of ourselves, inward as well as outward. Join us as we explore how, in our religious roles, we can help mediate the meaning of the pain of our individual story by putting it into the context of our collective, sacred stories of God’s interaction with us.
Keynote speaker: Betsy S. Stone, PhD
Panelists: Deacon Jack Conrad, MBA, MAR, BCC; Rabbi Frederick L. Klein, MPhil, BCC; Laura Salazar-Hopps, MDiv, BCC, CPT
Register at https://amita-telehealth.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_6YFRVyaPS2m77MdsPxFhdA
Virtual seats limited
18. 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
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
CHAPLAIN
New Orleans, LA – Baptist Community Ministries (BCM)
CHAPLAIN NOPD
New Orleans, LA – Baptist Community Ministries
DIRECTOR of MISSION INTEGRATION and SPIRITUAL CARE
Perrysburg, Ohio – St. Clare Commons
