Issue #216 – February 1, 2016
Click here to return to the main NACC Now page.
(Items marked with a * are new or updated items)
NACC
1. Executive Director’s Reflection*
2. We ask you to please consider serving in NACC leadership: Board of Directors*
3. We are excited to make available to you the NACC 50th Jubilee Chaplain Encounters book!*
4. Thank you to all of you who contributed to our very successful 2015 Annual Member Campaign!*
5. DEADLINE FEBRUARY 16, 2016 – Initial Certification and Advanced Certification for Hospice Palliative Chaplain Application *
6. Understanding the reach and goals of palliative care. Read more in January-February Vision! *
7. Scheduled NACC networking calls in January-February 2016 *
8. Welcome to our new NACC members who joined us in January! *
2016 NATIONAL CONFERENCE APRIL 22-25, 2016
9. Mark your calendars for the NACC 2016 National Conference: April 22-25, 2016!
10. Let others know about the possibility and value of a vendor table at the conference *
11. Conference Registration and Payment Options
12. Roommate Referral Service
13. Preconference Day of Reflection will provide time for reflection and renewal
CHAPLAINCY NEWS, EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL SUPPORTS
14. Don’t miss registering for February’s NACC Webinar on Research! *
15. NACC World Day of the Sick prayers available on NACC website for download and use
16. Second Request: Interest in networking on chaplaincy and behavioral health? *
17. Second Request: Interest in networking on: bodywork/massage, chiropractic, naturopathic, complementary/integrative backgrounds? *
18. San Antonio, Texas, is the first 2016 NACC local gathering. *
19. Healing Tree: a request for prayers *
20. Recent job postings *
Executive Director’s Reflection *
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you.” (Jeremiah 1:4-5) was the first verse of yesterday’s first reading. In the Gospel of Luke, we find Jesus in the synagogue proclaiming: “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” Both readings note the profound, indelible call to Jeremiah and Jesus. It’s no less true for us, as we were baptized into the prophetic ministry of Jesus. Chaplaincy is the way you live out that prophetic ministry, and embody the message of yesterday’s second reading, St. Paul’s familiar yet convicting reflection (1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13) on the true meaning of love. “Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, it is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
As I read again your stories in Chaplain Encounters: Stories of Grace and Spiritual Healing from the National Association of Catholic Chaplains, I could not help but read them in light of yesterday’s readings. Your ministry is a remarkable share in the prophetic ministry of Jesus. His message in the synagogue, “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing,” is also lived out and fulfilled daily through your ministries. St. Paul’s reflection on love takes flesh in your “continuing the healing ministry of Jesus in the name of the Church.”
I share here my introduction to Chaplain Encounters with the hope that you will share this work widely with your family, colleagues, administrators, colleagues in other Church ministries, your ordinary, so that they will glimpse the sacredness of this ministry.
NACC members provide a unique ministry, as they are with people in their most vulnerable and challenging circumstances, often considered the worst days of their lives. Yet in those moments, a skilled chaplain can listen and respond in a way that helps people discover their own personal and spiritual strength, religious resources, and new meaning.
Throughout 2015, the NACC’s Jubilee year, our members reflected on and shared some of their ministry moments with those they serve. Those reflections are now gathered in this collection of Chaplain Encounter stories. They reflect the broad variety, the highs and lows, of our members at work. In the pages that follow, you will meet them as they treat spiritual pain, just as their colleagues on the interdisciplinary team treat physical pain. You will see the solace they offer to bereaved parents, hurting children, and patients suffering under the weight of their own angers, fears, and regrets. You will see them minister to people of other religions and to people of no religion.
As ministry is also a journey of faith and professional development, we have included stories of chaplains in their own personal growth. Becoming a board-certified chaplain requires a prolonged, challenging look inside oneself, and the process never ends. Sometimes in the course of a visit with a patient or family, something flashes into focus, and life and ministry look different for the chaplain thereafter. And sometimes, something funny happens, too.
We hope that, as you read these stories, you might also be inspired by the human journeys captured here, be nudged in your own spiritual growth, be confirmed in your own ministry, be comforted by God’s grace working through all these women and men who continue God’s healing ministry, be called to consider becoming a chaplain yourself, be encouraged to support the NACC and its mission.
This project grew out of NACC’s efforts to increase the awareness of the value of the chaplaincy profession. It was originally the brainchild of Jim Castello, who is now a retired NACC board-certified chaplain and former member of the Board of Directors. Many thanks to him for having a vision and for collecting the majority of the stories that appear here. David Lewellen, the editor of our newsletter, Vision, edited the stories as they appeared biweekly in our NACC Now email newsletter. We think that the end result gives a remarkable glimpse into this ministry that calls and claims our members.
As we also approach February 11, 2016, the 24th World Day of the Sick, may the message of Pope Francis for this day be a source of inspiration and strength for us:
w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/sick/documents/papa-francesco_20150915_giornata-malato.html
Thank you for your ministry!
Blessings,
David Lichter, D.Min.
Executive Director
We ask you to please consider serving in NACC leadership: Board of Directors*
The NACC Board of Directors (BOD) needs to fill two elected-member seats at the end of 2016 when Mary Lou O’Gorman and Jane Mather complete their Board Terms. In these coming weeks, the NACC Nominations Panel is seeking the names of potential candidates for election. If you would like to review the board member qualifications, please go to www.nacc.org/about-nacc/leadership/board-of-directors for a Board application form. Please also encourage other qualified members whom you think would be good candidates for the Board to complete an application. Please submit your application to be a candidate for the BOD by Friday, March 4, 2015.
We are excited to make available to you the NACC 50th Jubilee Chaplain Encounters book!*
Do you remember throughout 2015, NACC’s 50th Jubilee year, we included in each NACC Now a ministry reflection by one or our members? Well, they are all compiled in Chaplain Encounters: Stories of Grace and Spiritual Healing from the National Association of Catholic Chaplains. The edition includes introductions by NACC Board Chair, Mary Lou O’Gorman, and NACC Executive Director, David Lichter. It is in a pdf format, easily downloadable. We will be exploring other publishing venues as well. Take and share it with family, friends, and those you know who wonder about the mystery of this ministry. We want to express a special thanks to all of our members who contributed their stories to this collection, to David Lewellen for his oversight of the project.
Thank you to all of you who contributed to our very successful 2015 Annual Member Campaign!*
The NACC is very grateful to all of you and the dioceses and bishops who helped make our 2015 Annual Member Campaign a great success. You gave a record $56,109.41, when we had budgeted $52,000 based on prior years’ giving. We realize that many of you might have given or given more in 2015 to honor the 50th Jubilee of NACC. We are very grateful to you for your generosity. Please go to www.nacc.org/donate where we express again our gratitude to those who could give in 2015.
DEADLINE FEBRUARY 16, 2016 – Initial Certification and Advanced Certification for Hospice Palliative Care Application*
We are currently accepting application binders for initial certification and advanced certification for the February 16, 2016, deadline. Please note that February 15th falls on President’s Day, and there is no mail that day. For that reason, the deadline for application binders to be postmarked has been extended to February 16, 2016. If you have any questions or would like informational materials on initial or advanced certification, please contact Ramona Zeb at rzeb@nacc.org or call (414)483-4898 Ext. 304. Please keep our applicants and those considering Board Certification in your prayers.
Understanding the reach and goals of palliative care. Read more in January-February Vision!*
Many medical professionals still don’t fully understand the reach and goals of palliative care. In the new issue of Vision, Sedona Montelongo tells the story of how one patient and one doctor came to a new appreciation of how a palliative care team can treat the whole person. To read more, click here.
Scheduled NACC networking calls in February 2016*
Email notices have been sent to members that are on the specific networking call lists.
If you would like to participate or have not received an email for these or other networking calls, please contact Tim Charek (tcharek@nacc.org).
- Wednesday, February 3, at 11:00 a.m. Central Time – Directors of Departments
- Wednesday, February 3, at 2:00 p.m. Central Time – Chaplains in Long Term Care
- Tuesday, February 9, at 10:00 a.m. Central Time – Members 45 yrs and Under
- Tuesday, February 9, at 1:00 p.m. Central Time – One Person Departments
- Monday, February 15, at 1:00 p.m. Central Time – Latino/Hispanic Members
- Tuesday, February 16, at 2:00 p.m. Central Time – African Members
- Thursday, February 18, at 10:00 a.m. Central Time – New Members
- Tuesday, February 23, at 11:00 a.m. Central Time – Correctional Chaplains
Welcome to our new NACC members who joined us in January!*
Please join me in welcoming our new NACC members who joined us so far in 2016!
Associate Member
Mr. Nash Y. Pwol (Peoria, Arizona)
Full Members
Rev. Eugene Elson K. Cagoco DS (Houston, Texas)
Mr. Aloysius G. Kabunga (Albany, New York)
Rev. Michael C. Mbonu (South Bend, Indiana)
Dr. Marie C. Nowosielski (Marco Island, Florida)
Mr. Nicholas D. Perkins (Highland, Indiana)
Mrs. Gilda M. Philibert (Farmingdale, New York)
Mr. Carmelo B. Sorita (Jacksonville, Florida)
Rev. Andre F. St. Preux Dabel SDB (Richmond Hill, New York)
Student Members
Mrs. Chantal M. Anderson (Rochester Hills, Michigan)
Mrs. Siobhan M. Dolan (Birmingham, Michigan)
Mr. Michael R. Ludeman (Boise, Idaho)
Mrs. Kathryn S. Maurer (Fairfax, Virginia)
2016 NATIONAL CONFERENCE APRIL 22-25, 2016
Mark your calendars for the NACC 2016 National Conference: April 22-25, 2016!*
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.
Let others know about the possibility and value of a vendor table at the conference*
At each of its national conferences the NACC sets aside space for exhibitors to display and sell items of interest to the conference attendees. Such items may include card, artwork, books, musical recordings and similar inspirational religious giftware. We provide this opportunity because conference attendees look for resources and services that contribute to the work they do as chaplains as well as their own self-care.
This conference supports the continuing professional development of our members. We invite you to participate in our conference by displaying your products and/or services via a tabletop exhibit. Know that your exhibit will enhance that development. Please seriously consider being a participant at this special event. If you are not a potential vendor yourself, but are aware of someone, or some organization, that may be interested in exhibiting at the conference, please pass this information to them, or else contact Andris Kursietis (akursietis@nacc.org) at the national office and provide him with contact information for the interested party.
We anticipate 400-450 attendees that will include chaplains, mission directors and other health care executives. The exhibitors for the 2016 conference will be located near the main ballroom where many major sessions will be held. This area will host coffee breaks.
Full exhibitor specifications and application materials can be found on the NACC website at www.nacc.org/conference/vendors. Vendors can register online by clicking on this LINK.
Conference Registration and Payment Options*
There are three options for registering and paying for the Conference.
- Register online using the registration portal and pay with Visa or MasterCard.
- Register online using the registration portal and indicate you wish to be billed and will mail your payment.
- Register by completing a paper registration form and mail the form with your payment (check/money order) to the NACC office.
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 the event 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.
CHAPLAINCY NEWS, EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL SUPPORTS
Sign up today for February’s NACC Webinar on Research!*
Thursday, February 18, 2016, 12:00-1:30 p.m. Central Time. How to Speed Read a Research Article: A Beginner’s Guide to Research Literacy, presented by LaVera Crawley, MD, MPH
Objectives: By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:
- Identify the differences between types of research approaches (qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods)
- Identify strategies for accessing research literature (introduction to literature databases and other strategies) and finding research articles relevant to chaplaincy or spiritual care (introduction to search strategies)
- Use a method for “speed reading” research articles (understanding how research literature is structured to allow for quickly gleaning the gist of an article).
To register online, please click on this LINK.
One of our new NACC Standards for Certification that will be implemented beginning with the February 15, 2017, application deadline is: 305:7 Articulate how primary research and research literature inform the profession of chaplaincy and one’s spiritual care practice. How do we prepare ourselves for this standard?
The research enterprise creates well over one million new articles annually. In any given health specialty profession, this could mean needing to keep up with tens of thousands of articles a year! Although the number of evidence-based chaplaincy articles published each year is still manageable, the task of keeping up can easily get out of hand if one adds searching the medical, nursing, social work, and other related professional literatures for studies that are relevant to providing spiritual care. What’s a chaplain to do?
This webinar is designed to provide chaplain viewers/listeners a strategy for learning how to find relevant research literature and to quickly peruse even the most complex published articles in a way that allows for a basic understanding of the purpose, methods, and findings of any study. A brief review of the basic understanding of types of research approaches will lay the groundwork for beginning inquirers. This is followed by a presentation on how to find and access research articles. Lastly, a “speed reading” method used by many physicians to keep up with the literature will be presented.
We are pleased that LaVera Crawley, MD, MPH, will be able to conduct this webinar. LaVera joined NACC in 2011 and is an ACPE Supervisory Candidate. She has served on the NACC Research Task Force and is now on the NACC Research Advisory Panel. For more than 30 years, LaVera has had successful careers in medicine and ethics, and academic research in health disparities in end-of-life care for which she received national and international recognition. LaVera received her MD from Meharry Medical College; completed her Family Medicine residency and chief residency at USCF; her MPH from UC Berkeley; an Ethics Fellowship at Stanford; and a Palliative Care Education Fellowship at Harvard. Along with her CPE supervisory work, she also serves on the Palliative Care Team at the Alta Bates Campus. As a Catholic lay woman, LaVera is active in the social justice programs in her parish.
NACC World Day of the Sick Prayers available on NACC website for download and use*
We are pleased to alert you to the new World Day of the Sick prayer cards. You will find both a prayer for the sick and a prayer for the caregiver, both are in English and Spanish. Please download and use as you would like. Here’s the webpage: www.nacc.org/resources/spirituality-and-prayer-resources/world-day-of-the-sick/.
We are grateful again for the prayer for caregivers by our NACC member, Anne M. Windholz of Alexian Brothers Medical Centers. and the prayer of the sick by Mary Jo Balistreri (www.maryjobalistreripoet.com), the selection/editing work of David Lewellen and the NACC Editorial Advisory Panel, Bridget Hylak, our translator (www.ComeAliveUSA.com), and the design of Gina Rupic.
Second Request: Interest in networking on chaplaincy and behavioral health?*
In case you did not see this in the prior NACC Now, we have a member who has expressed interest in networking with other members on behavioral health. If you are interested in participating in networking calls on this topic, please contact Tim Charek (tcharek@nacc.org).
Second Request: Interest in networking on: bodywork/massage, chiropractic, naturopathic, complementary/integrative backgrounds?*
In case you did not see this in the prior NACC Now, we have a member who has expressed interest in networking with other members on complementary/integrative care, including bodywork/massage, chiropractic, naturopathic, and others. If you are interested in participating in networking calls on these topics, please contact Tim Charek (tcharek@nacc.org).
San Antonio, Texas, is the first NACC 2016 Local Gathering*
We have begun planning NACC local events for 2016. If you would like to consider hosting and helping plan an NACC local event during 2016, please contact Andris Kursietis (akursietis@nacc.org)
- Thursday, February 11, 2016, San Antonio, Texas. Click here for details.
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 recently deceased 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.
CPE Residency & SES
La Crosse, Wisconsin – Gundersen Health System
PRIEST-CHAPLAIN (Full-time)
Dubuque, Iowa – Mercy Medical Center
CHAPLAIN (Full-time)
Lowell, Massachusetts – D’Youville Life and Wellness Community
CHAPLAIN (Full-time)
Fond du Lac, Wisconsin – Agnesian HealthCare
CHAPLAIN
North Vernon, Indiana – St Vincent’s Health
PRIEST CHAPLAIN (full-time)
Austin, Texas – Seton Healthcare Family
PRIEST CHAPLAIN
Hastings, Minnesota – Regina Senior Living
CHAPLAIN
Park Ridge, Illinois – Presence Resurrection Nursing and Rehabilitation Center
MANAGER CHAPLAIN
Stockton, California – St. Joseph’s Medical Center/Dignity Health
CHAPLAIN
Santa Rosa, California – Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital
CHAPLAIN (Full-time)
Waterville, Maine – Mount Saint Joseph Residence and Rehabilitation
