Issue #212 – December 7, 2015

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

NACC

1. Executive Director’s Reflection
2. Welcome new members who joined NACC in November!
3. Member news: recent death of our NACC former member, Sr. Mary Stadelman FSPA
4. Have you seen our NEW website?
5. 2015 Renewal of Chaplain/CPE Supervisor Certification – IMPORTANT INFORMATION
6. Certification Renewal Extension Requests
7. Please help us reach our NACC 2015 Annual Member Campaign goal!
8. Vision seeks book reviewers
9. Please contribute your thoughts on the “Chaplains” documentary to Vision!
10. Final 2015 NACC networking call
11. Early 2016 dates for networking calls will be set soon. Would you like to be included?

NACC – 50 YEARS OF CONTINUING THE HEALING MINISTRY

12. A Moment in NACC History: Leadership of the NACC Episcopal Advisory Council
13. Reflecting on the ministry: “Do you believe God is love?” By Georgia Gojmerac-Leiner

NATIONAL CONFERENCE APRIL 22-25, 2016

14. Mark your calendars for April 22-25, 2016, for the NACC 2016 National Conference!
15. Registration Brochures for the NACC 2016 Conference have been sent out!
16. Conference Registration and Payment Options
17. Conference Scholarships
18. Roommate Referral Service
19. Preconference Day of Reflection will provide time for reflection and renewal.
20. Please see more background on our 2016 Award Recipients!

CHAPLAINCY NEWS, EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL SUPPORTS

21. Resources for Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy that opens tomorrow, December 8, 2015!
22. Request: Do any of your places use admission screening questions for spiritual care
23. Second Request: Do you have system-level policies regarding the training and use of Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist?
24. Final Request: Programs and initiatives to support staff
25. One remaining NACC 2015 Webinar
26. Final 2015 NACC Local Gathering
27. Other Educational Opportunities
28. Healing Tree: a request for prayers
29. Recent job postings

Executive Director’s Reflection
These are full days and weeks for all of us. As I listen to you, our members, as you serve in your settings, especially in this Advent season, it seems like so many of you are asked the extraordinary when seasonal crises make challenges all the more intense. Add to that the ongoing and increasing national dis-ease over acceleration of mass shootings and such tragedies nationally and internationally. We really do experience the darkness of this season and are asked to walk by faith.

I was very much struck by yesterday’s readings, which are always a source of solace and call, are they not?

We heard again the beautiful reading from Baruch (4:1-9), especially the first and last verses: verse one being, “Jerusalem, take off your robe of mourning and misery; put on forever the splendor of glory from God,” and verse nine, “for God is leading Israel in joy by the light of his glory, with his mercy and justice for company.” I sensed the choices in “take off your robe of mourning and misery” and “Put on forever the splendor of glory from God.” It sure doesn’t allow for victimhood and a “just let it be as is” attitude, does it! Do we believe and experience, and make choices out of a belief that “God is leading…in joy”?

Then, St. Paul, in Philippians (1:4-9) effuses with a prayer of gratitude for those with whom and for whom he cares, “I give thanks to my God at every remembrance of you, praying always with joy in my every prayer for all of you, because of your partnership for the gospel from the first day until now. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus.” Would this not be the perfect gift to each person during this season as we are also looking for “what to give”? What an inspirational prayer! Again we have the word joy leap out at us! Perhaps this could be like a mantra for this season, or be the prayer before each meeting for the rest of this season!

Finally, that very familiar passage from Luke 3: 1-6, where John the Baptist quotes Isaiah,

That last line that “all flesh shall see the salvation of God” remains for each of us a prayer and a hope. I know in faith it has occurred in Jesus’ Paschal Mystery, yet we witness the valleys and hills of the people we serve and the world in which we live. Yet, our longing and hope is for the Messiah, is it not?

I was drawn back to the powerful and poetic words of the first sentences of the Vatican II document, Gaudium et Spes, that so beautifully balance the JOY and the HOPE that is to be ours.

So, my sisters and brothers, I promise that each day for the rest of this Advent the prayer of Paul will be for you, and that you might be one with the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of those you love and serve. And I pray each of us will grow in confidence that “the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Advent blessings to you as we wait in joy and hope,

David Lichter, D.Min.
Executive Director

Welcome new members who joined NACC in November!
Please join us in welcoming warmly our new members who joined us in November!

Member
Akajiaku Eluka
Anthony Mullen
Thomas Rea
Sarah Reddin

Student
John Connery
Martin Donlin
Rosanne Ponzetti

Associate
Katheryn Johnson

Member news: recent death of our NACC former member, Sr. Mary Stadelman FSPA
Sr. Mary Stadelman, FSPA, who joined the NACC in March 1982 and was NACC Board Certified later that year, died on November 23, 2015. She served for many years (1981-1999) at Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane, WA. May she be granted peace and fullness of joy in God’s presence!
For more information on Sr. Mary, go to www.spokesman.com/stories/2015/nov/29/obituary-stadelman-fspa-sister-mary-mary-bernard/

Have you seen our NEW website?
We are excited to announce the launch of our new website! If you haven’t already, please visit today at www.nacc.org!

We are still in the process of bringing pages and materials over from the old website so don’t be discouraged if you run into a missing page or item. We plan to have everything in place and working correctly by the end of the year, but until then, please use the search function, look for a likely place using the navigation menus, or ask for help (see below).

Our webmaster welcomes feedback about the site of any kind, as well as reports of missing items and broken links. You can send notes to Phil Paradowski at pparadowski@nacc.org. Please also contact him if you need help locating a resource or page from the old website.

A note on member login and credentials…
Please note that the former login system for Member Pages on the old website has been completely removed. NACC members will now use the new Web Portal to perform all member activities online: paying dues, registering for local events or the national conference, updating member information, and accessing any protected member-only content. To visit the NACC Members’ Web Portal, go to https://nationalcatholicwiassoc.wliinc32.com/Portal/PortalStartPage.aspx. Your username will be your membership number OR email address. Contact Phil for login assistance or follow the directions on the website.

2015 Renewal of Chaplain/CPE Supervisor Certification – IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Attention: all certified chaplains or supervisors still needing to submit their renewal materials by December 31, 2015. With the launch of our new website the renewal of certification materials have moved.

CPE Supervisor Renewal Materials
www.nacc.org/certification/renewal-of-certification/board-certified-cpe-supervisor/renewal-materials/
Chaplain Renewal Materials
www.nacc.org/certification/renewal-of-certification/board-certified-chaplain/renewal-materials/

If you can’t find something you need, please contact Jeanine at the NACC office (jannunziato@nacc.org).

Certification Renewal Extension Requests
For those of our members who will be unable to submit their renewal of certification materials by the December 31 deadline and need to submit an extension request, please know that the extension request must be submitted to the NACC national office by December 31, 2015.
Please use the following process to submit an extension request.

Please forward a brief letter requesting the Extension, a reason why the Extension is needed, along with the applicable extension fee ($100 for a first extension or $200 for a second extension) to:

Judith Shemkovitz
Chair, NACC Certification Commission
National Association of Catholic Chaplains
4915 S. Howell Avenue, Suite 501
Milwaukee, WI 53207

To avoid a lapse in certification, please submit your request for the Extension before December 31, 2015.

Please help us reach our NACC 2015 Annual Member Campaign goal!
We are deeply appreciative to our members who have been able to contribute to our 2015 Annual Member Campaign. Our 2015 goal is $52,000. If you have not yet contributed, and can do so, please help us reach our 50th Anniversary goal!

Vision seeks book reviewers
Vision plans to reinstitute book reviews as a regular feature in 2016, and we would like to develop a diverse roster of reviewers. Book reviews will run 500 words (2 double-spaced typed pages). If you are interested but may not have written book reviews previously, you can become familiar with them by reading reviews in other publications. If you would like to share your thoughts about newly published books with fellow members once or twice a year, please send a note to Vision editor David Lewellen (dlewellen@nacc.org) that includes your mailing address and the types of books that interest you most — e.g., aging, sacraments, pediatrics, social justice, general spiritual care, etc.

Please contribute your thoughts on the “Chaplains” documentary to Vision!
Filmmaker Martin Doblmeier’s new documentary, “Chaplains,” has begun airing on PBS: journeyfilms.com/chaplains. We know that some of our members have scheduled group viewings, and we would like to hear reports of who gathered, what was said, and what reactions the film inspired. Also, even if you watched the film on your own and have thoughts you want to share with others, please let us know as we would like to assemble a range of reactions for inclusion in the next Vision. Please write as soon as possible to editor David Lewellen at dlewellen@nacc.org.

Final 2015 NACC networking call
We have scheduled the following NACC networking call this week.
If you would like to participate, please contact Tim Charek (tcharek@nacc.org).

• Thursday, December 10, at 10:00 a.m. Central Time – Palliative Care/Hospice

Early 2016 dates for networking calls will be set soon. Would you like to be included?
We will soon be setting early 2016 networking calls for the following groups. If you have not been part of these networking calls and would now like to participate in any of these calls, please contact Tim Charek (tcharek@nacc.org).

African Members
Bilingual Hispanic Latino
Correction Chaplains
CPE Supervisors
Deacons
Directors of Spiritual Care Departments
45 and Under
Long Term Care
Mission Leaders in Charge of Spiritual Care
Chaplains with Nursing Background
One Person Departments
Outpatient settings
Palliative Care and Hospice
Research Journal Calls
Retired/Emeritus

NACC – 50 YEARS OF CONTINUING THE HEALING MINISTRY

A Moment in NACC History: Leadership of the NACC Episcopal Advisory Council
In the NACC 40th Anniversary Reflection book, the then USCCB Episcopal Liaison, Bishop Dale Melczek, wrote in his opening letter, “The NACC offers an enormous advantage to the Church in assisting the bishops in the oversight of this (healing) vital ministry. It also assures the people whom we serve that those who minister to them on behalf of Jesus and His Church are grounded in Catholic Theology, adhere to the “Ethical and Religious Directives,” and extend the ministry of the Church with formal approval of the bishop.” Bishop Melczek, and those USCCB Episcopal Liaisons before and after him have had an important and invaluable leadership role for the NACC. The front pages of the 40th Anniversary Reflection book included a page with photos of Bishop Melczek, along with the three Liaisons who preceded him, Most Reverend Thomas C. Kelly, 1996-2001, Most Reverend Leroy T. Matthiesen, 1989-1996, and Most Reverend Stanley J. Ott, 1983-1989. As you know, Bishop Melczek received the 2013 NACC Outstanding Colleague Award for in critical role in clarifying with the bishops the issues related to the title chaplain and the endorsement of our lay men and women.

When Bishop Randolph Calvo (2007-2010) was appointed Episcopal Liaison in September 2007 by the USCCB President to succeed Bishop Melczek to the NACC, he and newly hired NACC Executive Director David Lichter continued to further update and educate the Episcopal Advisory Council during its annual fall meeting at the USCCB Fall Assembly on the NACC, the changes in chaplaincy ministry, and how better to inform the bishops on chaplaincy during the USCCB Fall Assembly. As Bishop Calvo was succeeded by Archbishop Paul Coakley (2011-2014), the Council began to help Lichter to identify key messages about chaplaincy to be communicated to bishops in a new way, in an annual letter to them on World Day of the Sick. The first letter was sent World Day of the Sick 2011. It included an explanation of NACC’s understanding of a bishop’s endorsement along with supporting materials, including Bishop Melczek’s 2004 letter to bishops that explained the distinction between “endorsing for lay ecclesial health care ministry” and “certifying for the chaplaincy profession.” You can access these letters at www.nacc.org/about-nacc/leadership/episcopal-advisory-council.

In 2014, Bishop Don Hying, then auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, was appointed NACC Episcopal Liaison to succeed Archbishop Coakley. He has been a passionate and compassionate advocate for the chaplaincy ministry and NACC. NACC’s prayer is that he will be able to remain as Liaison for a minimum of two three-year terms, as was the case for Bishop Melczek and his predecessors.

Reflecting on the ministry: “Do you believe God is love?” By Georgia Gojmerac-Leiner
David was a man in his fifties who was admitted to the psychiatry unit of the hospital with a major depressive disorder and was strongly considering suicide. Although he had requested to see the chaplain, he was reluctant to talk about religion and spirituality, explaining that he was a fundamentalist and an evangelical. I told him that was fine, but he still hesitated to talk to me.

We sat at a round table near the window in the kitchen area of the psychiatric wing. He pulled his chair away from the table and looked down or away from me as he spoke. He asked about the nature of a chaplain’s work and about my religious background. When I told him that I was a board-certified healthcare chaplain and open to seeing everyone, he became at ease and began to open up more.

Little by little, David drew his chair to the table and leaned on his elbows very close to my black binder, containing patient information and an assortment of prayers and blessings. This made me nervous, but as soon as I became aware of my fear I relaxed and continued to listen. David explained that he no longer practiced his religion very much, and had not been praying either.

“Could you consider praying in a new way?” I asked. “For instance, you could bring the reason you’re hospitalized to your prayer.”

“How would that go?” he asked.

“It would depend on your image of God,” I said. “Since prayer is addressed to someone, it is good to know who.”

He paused and thought. “It’s hard to think in a new way after having been brainwashed into believing in a certain way,” he said. I agreed with him and asked him to tell me more. “I see God as a disciplinarian,” he said. “I failed God, and now he has cast me aside for failing to obey.” David believed that he disobeyed God, he said, by disobeying his former minster’s edicts.

“Do you believe God is love?” David asked.

“Yes,” I answered. “It is important to have a personal relationship with God.”

“Why?”

“In a personal relationship with God, you don’t have to rely on someone else to mediate between you and God,” I said. “Your minister either imposed his own image of God on your mind, or you perceived it that way.” In any case, I continued, the experience had hurt David’s faith in God and his prayer life. David shared that he felt cast out for his disobedience and believed that his very illness was punishment for it.

Pastoral care and spiritual guidance, along with David’s medications and psychotherapy, had the potential to create behavioral changes in the long run. The chaplain’s role was to help him grow spiritually by creating a surprising image of God, a God who can make things new, like streams flowing in the desert.

Georgia Gojmerac-Leiner, D. Min., BCC, is a former chaplain at Emerson Hospital in Concord, MA. She is currently on a sabbatical working on a book of spiritual poems.

In each NACC Now, during this 50th jubilee year, we are featuring a reflection by one of our NACC chaplains on his or her ministry and an experience of a gift of that ministry. Please allow Georgia’s reflection to inspire you in writing this year one of your “gifts” of ministry. Your own reflection is welcomed! If you want to share a reflection, please contact David Lewellen (dlewellen@nacc.org).

NATIONAL CONFERENCE APRIL 22-25, 2016

Mark your calendars for April 22-25, 2016, for the NACC 2016 National Conference!
Please mark your calendars for our 2016 NACC National Conference to be held Friday, April 22, to Monday, April 25, 2016, at the Chicago Marriott O’Hare near Chicago O’Hare International Airport.

Registration Brochures for the NACC 2016 Conference have been sent out!
The 2016 Conference registration flyer has been mailed out. If you haven’t received it yet, please contact the NACC office (conference@nacc.org) and let us know so we can mail you one. Please note the new format for the registration brochure. Rather than the traditional full registration brochure, we have moved to a streamlined registration flyer. This flyer contains much of the key information regarding our 2016 conference, and all other detailed information (like workshop descriptions) will be found on the NACC website. The conference webpages are a “one-stop shop” for all conference-related information. Can’t find something you are looking for? Visit our Frequently Asked Questions section on the website OR email us at conference@nacc.org and we will be happy to help.

Conference Registration and Payment Options
There are three options for registering and paying for the Conference.

1. Register online using the registration portal and pay with Visa or MasterCard.
2. Register online using the registration portal and indicate you wish to be billed and will mail your payment.
3. Register by completing a paper registration form and mail the form with your payment (check/money order) to the NACC office.

Conference Scholarships
A limited number of scholarships will be available from the National Association of Catholic Chaplains for registration fees for the 2016 NACC National Conference. The applicant must apply no later than Thursday, December 31, 2015.
Visit the NACC website for more information.

Roommate Referral Service
The NACC is pleased to again facilitate a Roommate Referral Service. Follow the link below to find out how to submit your information and get onto the list. We will send you a list of potential roommates. It will be up to you to contact individuals on the list to discuss the suitability of rooming together. The last date that names will be accepted is Wednesday, March 30, 2016.
To sign up for Roommate Referral click here.

Preconference Day of Reflection will provide time for reflection and renewal.
On Thursday, April 21, 2016, the preconference Day of Reflection will take place at the Techny Towers Conference and Retreat Center in Techny, IL. The theme will be In the Making: A Spirituality of Creation, Call, and Engagement and will be led by Monica Meagher, MDiv. Please plan on joining your colleagues for this day. For more information go to: www.nacc.org/conference/day-of-reflection.

Please see more background on our 2016 Award Recipients!
You can go to www.nacc.org/conference/awards/ to read more about our 2016 Award Recipients:

• Distinguished Service: Sr. Mary R. Skopal, SSJ, BCC
• Emergent Leader: Ms. Kay I. Gorka BCC
• Outstanding Colleague: Supportive Care Coalition

CHAPLAINCY NEWS, EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL SUPPORTS

Resources for Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy that opens tomorrow, December 8, 2015!
Tomorrow, December 8, 2015, the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy begins, ending on Sunday, November 20, 2016, the Feast of Christ the King. Please go the Vatican website to the Jubilee Year’s wonderful website with many resources. www.im.va/content/gdm/en.html. Those resources include:
• Pope Francis Prayer for Mercy. www.im.va/content/gdm/en/giubileo/preghiera.html
• The vibrant logo, rich with meaning. www.im.va/content/gdm/en/giubileo/logo.html

Also, rich in content was Pope Francis’ Papal Bull of Indiction of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, Misericordia Vultus, promulgated April 11, 2015.
w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_letters/documents/papa-francesco_bolla_20150411_misericordiae-vultus.html

A summary of Misericordia Vultus can be found at:
www.news.va/en/news/summary-of-the-misericordiae-vultus-bull-of-indict

NACC will also be hosting its first 2016 webinar on Thursday, January 21, 2016, 12:00-1:30 p.m., on Pope Francis’ Jubilee theme of Mercy and its implications for our spiritual care ministry. More information to follow in the next NACC Now!

Request: Do any of your places use admission screening questions for spiritual care?
We were recently asked whether other systems use in EPIC or its EMR’s a spiritual care screening question asked by nurses as part of the admission questionnaire, such as, “Any spiritual, religious, or cultural request you would like us meet?” or “Any spiritual, cultural or religious practices you would like supported?” with drop-down options to check. If so, would you be open to share it? We can link those systems utilizing such an admission screening process for their mutual learning and process improvement. Please contact David Lichter (dlichter@nacc.org). Thank you in advance!

Second Request: Do you have system-level policies regarding the training and use of Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist?
We received a couple of responses regarding the policies/practices for training and use of extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist. We ask one more time, with the hope that, if you have such policies and are willing to share them, you might please send them to David Lichter (dlichter@nacc.org). We will gladly share what we receive.

Final Request: Programs and initiatives to support staff
We have received some interest of NACC members who are seeking to learn and share on programs and initiatives undertaken to support staff members regarding emotional stress, spirituality, and resilience. If you would like to share yours and be part of this learning, please contact David Lichter (dlichter@nacc.org).

One remaining NACC 2015 Webinar
Join us as we complete NACC’s 50th Jubilee year with the December 17 webinar, 11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m., Central Time. You can register for this webinar (and pay by credit card) online: ONLINE REGISTRATION. The paper registration form may be accessed by clicking on this link: REGISTRATION. Mark your calendars now!

Final 2015 NACC Local Gathering
Please see the final local gathering scheduled for 2015. If you would like to consider hosting and helping plan an NACC local event in 2016, please contact Andris Kursietis (akursietis@nacc.org).

• December 12, 2015, Seattle (Tacoma), WA, see details

Other Educational Opportunities
We recently received notice of the following educational offering. Please see the NACC Website for other educational offerings.

• Spring 2016 special course offerings at the Institute of Pastoral Studies at Loyola University Chicago —“Theologies of Suffering” with Dr. David Lichter (online) and “Mindfulness and Pastoral Ministry” with Dr. Timone Davis (Cuneo Mansion—Vernon Hills). For a full list of online course offerings click here.

Healing Tree: a request for prayers *

Please let us know if you would like our membership to pray for your health and healing. Also please let us know when you want us to remove your name from our Healing Tree.

We continue to pray for: Albert Rinaldi, Maritza Ramos-Pratt, Jane Chiamaka Onuoha (very young baby of our NACC member Michael Onuoha), Kathleen (Kate) Sullivan, Sandy Tiefenbrun (spouse of Anita Barni), Marie Coglianese, Nancy and Sheila Amrich (nieces-in-law of NACC member Sr. Paracleta Amrich), Isabelita Boquiren, Diana Annunziato (Mother-in-law of NACC staffer Jeanine Annunziato), Sister Patricia Watkins, GNSH, Rev. Gerald U. Onuoha, David Markiewicz (grandson of NACC member Roberta Markiewicz), Sister Stephanie Morales, FMI, Marybeth Harmon, Renato Fallico, Susan Balling, Maria Meneses, Chaplain Julia Mary Sweeney (mourning the death of her sister, Margaret Maureen Lewis, BA Honors), Sr. Sheila Prendeville, CPPS, Sister M. Dianna Hell, Sister Maria Theresa Hronec, Betty and Louis Skonieczny, Jim Castello, Jeff Michel (brother-in-law of David Lichter), Thomas from Chicago (12 years old), Thomas Smiley (brother of member Diane Smiley), Marga Halala, Donn Renfro (son-in-law of Karen Pugliese), Amy in Atlanta (friend of NACC member Theresa Sullivan), Thomas (grandson of NACC member Ginny Grimes Allen), Beth from Boston (friend of NACC member Dana Sandlin), Sr. Janet Bielmann, Elizabeth A. Walsh, Francesco Marshall, Glenn and Pat Teske, Susan Murphy, Fr. Jim Radde, SJ, Sr. Mary Clare Boland, SP, Sr. Phyllis Ann DiRenzo, Kathy Brier (daughter of NACC member Theresa Brier), Gloria Troxler, Fr. Kevin Ikpah, and Kelly Elizabeth Sexton (daughter of NACC member Melyssa Sexton).

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.

PART-TIME CHAPLAIN
Canton, OH – Mercy Medical Center

CLINICAL CHAPLAIN
Portland, OR – Providence Portland Medical Center

SPIRITUAL CARE MINISTERS/HOSPITAL CHAPLAINS (Full-Time or 24 hours per week)
Green Bay, WI – Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS)

Chaplain II
Meadowbrook, PA – Holy Redeemer Health System

CHAPLAIN/PRIEST
Rochester, MN – Mayo Clinic

VICE PRESIDENT, MISSION INTEGRATION
Kalamazoo, MI – Borgess Health

CPE RESIDENCIES
Buffalo, NY – Sisters of Charity Hospital

PRIEST CHAPLAIN (Part-time)
Baltimore, MD – Mercy Medical Center