Issue #224 – May 31, 2016

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

1. Executive Director’s Reflection *
“They all ate and were satisfied.” (Luke 9:17) As you know, this is from the past Sunday’s gospel of the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ or Feast of Corpus Christi – a feast going back to the mid-1200’s. Yes, it certainly highlights for us the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. However, let me offer another reflection prompted by this line in Luke, “They all ate and were satisfied.” For me a question regarding “satisfied” is, “What’s enough?”

What’s enough when and where? I think about that tiny host, and I say, “My God and my All.” Is that enough for me? In that littleness is everything? Am I satisfied with the Mystery of this morsel? I think about the small touches of Mystery daily that I am invited to encounter. Am I satisfied by these doses of divinity? I think about the tinges of conscience, the promptings to change my ways, the reprimanding look of another, and the returning remorse for wrongs I committed but for which I never totally forgave myself. Are these proddings to mercy enough? When I am humbled again by God’s unexpected generosity although I had only envisioned a meager response to some initiative, is this surprising lavishness enough to lead me to greater trust and abandonment?

I think of the act of taking communion, the littleness of the acts of consuming that morsel and sipping that wine, and saying “amen” to the belief that “they all ate and were satisfied.” How seriously do I take the “it’s enough” of that act? What is the enough daily that allows me to end the day not only satisfied with the good of the day but deeply touched and filled by the sacredness of a divine encounter that day?

One of my favorite quotes from Thomas Merton’s New Seeds of Contemplation is:

Every moment and every event of every man’s [sic] life on earth plants something in his soul. For just as the wind carries thousands of winged seeds, so each moment brings with it germs of spiritual vitality that come to rest imperceptibly in the minds and wills of men [sic]. Most of these unnumbered seeds perish and are lost, because men [sic] are not prepared to receive them: for such seeds as these cannot spring up anywhere except in the good soil of freedom, spontaneity and love.

Unnumbered seeds, numerous Eucharists, and many divine encounters. And the hunger continues… Then I am taken to another of Merton’s comments I captured long ago:

In prayer we discover that we already have.
You start where you are and you deepen what we already have.
And you realize that you are already there.
We already have everything, but we don’t know it and we don’t experience it.
Everything has been given to us in Christ.
All we need is to experience what we already possess.
The trouble is we are not taking the time to do so. (Thomas Merton)

So, Corpus Christi reminds us again of Christ’s real presence in the Eucharist. We are becoming what we eat. “We already have everything, but we don’t know it and we don’t experience it. Everything has been given to us in Christ. All we need is to experience what we already possess.” So then what’s enough to have that mystery truly transform me? “They all ate and were satisfied.” Am I? Are You?

David Lichter, D.Min.
Executive Director

2. Cognate communications regarding HealthCare Chaplaincy Network and the Spiritual Care Association. *
We have received communication from our members expressing concern that they have been solicited by representatives of the Spiritual Care Association to join that organization. Others have contacted us seeking clarification on the goals of this organization. Still others have expressed distress due to the content and disparaging tone of George Handzo’s recent blog, “Moving the Profession Forward: Being a Leader in the Spiritual Care Association,” in which he wrote, “And my judgment after years of trying is that the APC (and the ACPE, NACC, and NAJC) show no willingness to even consider making the changes needed.” http://www.handzoconsulting.com/blog/2016/5/12/moving-the-profession-forward-being-a-leader-in-the-spiritua.html

It is the belief of the leadership of the NACC that this statement does not “move the profession forward” nor reflect the exceptional, collaborative work of the APC/ACPE/NAJC/CASC. Together we are engaged in the revision of the Common Standards and the White Paper, partnering in research, and seeking to identify additional opportunities to improve and advocate for the profession of chaplaincy. Such a statement as, “showing no willingness to change,” does not reflect accurately the current reality or describe the significant initiatives to advance the chaplaincy while not diminishing the standards of competency for this vital profession. The NACC, along with our cognate colleagues, is committed to making changes in order to enhance the ministry of chaplaincy in the midst of health care’s greatest transformation in decades! However, implementing change without thoughtful consideration of the impact on quality of care, desired outcomes and the effect on those engaged this profession reflects none of the core values that are the hallmark of chaplaincy: teamwork, insight, collaboration, courage, prayer and compassion!

During this past week, the presidents of the Association of Professional Chaplains (APC) and Neshama: Association of Jewish Chaplains (NAJC) have sent communications to their respective members regarding HealthCare Chaplaincy Network and the Spiritual Care Association. Click here and here for these communications. We stand in solidarity with our cognate group colleagues, committed to our continued collaboration with them, confident in our capacity to together envision and shape a competent chaplaincy for the future.

Mary Lou O’Gorman, MDiv, BCC, Chair, NACC Board of Directors

3. NACC Board elections end today, Tuesday, May 31. Vote now! *
NACC Board elections end today, Tuesday, May 31. The NACC Board of Directors announced in early May the four candidates for the two 2017 elected member seats on the Board of Directors. Beverly Beltramo (MI), Nancy Cook (TX), Carolanne Hauck (PA), and Hyun Underwood (HI) have graciously made themselves available to member discernment and election. You can read more about them by going to www.nacc.org/about-nacc/leadership/board-of-directors/board-of-directors-election. We are deeply grateful also to the other members who generously put their names forward as part of the Board discernment process but were not selected this time to be part of the candidate pool. Use the link in your email now to vote! If you cannot locate your email with your unique voting code you can contact Phil Paradowski at pparadowski@nacc.org to have it sent again.

4. We are grateful to the over 500 members who responded to the recent NACC survey! *
We are very grateful to the more than 500 members who completed the recent survey that asked members questions that would provide us information to help us present NACC to potential funders, as well as to help us develop messages to share with those who are not aware of chaplaincy and the NACC. You can view the responses below. We will keep you updated on our progress with this effort.
National Association of Catholic Chaplains – Members Survey – Goal IV
Question #1 How have you benefited from your membership in NACC?
Question #2 Why should foundations or potential donors care about funding the work of NACC? What difference does our ministry make?
Question #3 As you think about the continuum of programs and services offered by NACC, which area(s) do you believe offer(s) the greatest opportunity to do the greatest good? Why?

5. New NACC giving opportunity through AmazonSmile Purchases! *
The NACC is now listed as one of the charitable organizations you can designate for your AmazonSmile purchases. Support us every time you shop on Amazon! Just select the NACC as your AmazonSmile charity of choice and we’ll receive a donation every time you shop. Here’s what to do:

Make sure you’re logged in to Amazon.com
Go to the NACC’s AmazonSmile page: https://smile.amazon.com/ch/39-1368967
If you don’t have a charity selected, just click “Start shopping.” If you’ve previously selected a charity through AmazonSmile you’ll be prompted to change. Click “Yes, change my charity.”

Whenever you want to shop with Amazon, be sure to go to smile.amazon.com—it has all the same products and prices as the main Amazon website, but we’ll receive 0.5% of the purchase price as a donation!

6. Did you read the report on Dr. Vanessa White’s presentation at 2016 Conference? *
Dr. Vanessa White urged NACC members at the conference in Chicago to take time to care for themselves before they fall into the hole of saying yes to everything. To read about her plenary speech, and much more conference coverage, in the May-June issue of Vision, click below.
https://www.nacc.org/vision/2016-may-jun/love-yourself-as-you-love-others-white-reminds-audience/

7. Thank you to all who contributed to the May 21 & 22, 2016, Certification Interviews! *
The National Office and many volunteers prepared for the May 21 & 22, 2016, certification interviews. The interviews were held in five locations: Milwaukee, WI; Lancaster, PA; Indianapolis, IN; St. Louis, MO; and Portland, OR. There were at least 121 people involved in the interview weekend: 49 applicants, 51 interviewers, 10 Interview Team Educators, 5 Site Coordinators, 1 Certification Commissioner-on-Call, and 5 Pastoral Presence Volunteers as well as other volunteers. We are so thankful for all our volunteers’ hard work and dedication to the NACC Certification process!

8. Request from the NACC Certification Commission *
If there is an NACC member who speaks the Burmese language, also called Myanmar, (the official language of Myanmar (Burma), spoken as a native language by the majority of Burmese) who might be able to assist an NACC applicant pursuing certification? Perhaps one or more of our members have served as missionaries in this area, or have assisted persons or families of this nationality and may have a familiarity with the language. It would be of great assistance for our NACC member to have a bilingual mentor to assist while preparing for the certification process. Please let Ramona Zeb (rzeb@nacc.org) at the NACC office know if you can help! Thank you so much!

9. Upcoming CPE Supervisor professional networking call *
On Friday, June 10, 2016, at 10:00 a.m. Central Time, the next CPE Supervisor networking call will take place. Please contact Mary Ann Barragry (mbarragry@nacc.org), if you have questions about this call.

10. NACC’s 2015 Annual Report is available on NACC Website! *
Please go to www.nacc.org/about-nacc/annual-reports to review our NACC 2015 Annual Report. This report is the NACC’s leaders’ accountability report to you, our members. We are grateful to the NACC Board of Directors, member leaders of the committees, commissions, panels, task forces, all members who contribute in our certification process, all donors and institutional supporters, as well as the NACC staff for their roles and commitment to advance the mission of NACC to continue the healing mission of Jesus in the name of the Church.

2017 NATIONAL CONFERENCE APRIL 28-MAY 1, 2017

11. Mark your calendar for April 28-May 1, 2017 NACC Conference in Santa Ana Pueblo, NM! *
The NACC is pleased to announce that the 2017 Conference will be held at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort and Spa in Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico, just outside Albuquerque (tamaya.hyatt.com/en/hotel/home.html). Mark your calendars for April 28 – May 1, 2017. More information on the conference will be available in the coming months. We hope you can join us.

2016 NATIONAL CONFERENCE APRIL 22-25, 2016

12. Ordering audio recordings of 2016 National Conference materials
If you are interested in audio recordings of any of the 2016 National Conference offerings, you can place an order at www.dcprovidersonline.com/nacc/.

13. 2016 Conference resources can be accessed on the NACC website.
Whether you participated in the 2016 National Conference or not, you can access the support materials and PowerPoints for many of the workshops on our NACC website at www.nacc.org/conference/2016-conference-handouts-and-other-materials

14. We are deeply grateful to our 2016 Conference Scholarship Donors!
We are thankful for the generosity of all those who donated to the NACC Scholarship Fund. All donations received help NACC members to attend the NACC National Conference. Your support is appreciated. To view the conference scholarship donors, please go to: www.nacc.org/conference/gratitude2

15. We are deeply grateful to our 2016 Conference sponsors!
The ability to keep the conference fees reasonable relies very much on the willingness and generosity of a variety of sponsors. We received $37,500 in sponsorships. We are deeply grateful. To view the sponsors, please go to www.nacc.org/conference/gratitude.

16. Second Request: ministering to ER staff working with victims of sexual assault *
St. Thomas Health, Nashville, TN, is seeking from spiritual directors any examples of current initiatives to minister to ER staff working with victims of sexual assault. Often staff experience their own trauma due to recurrent care for such patients. If any of you have models of care for these staff, please share with Ward Carver (ward.carver@sth.org).

17. June NACC Webinar addresses spiritual care in the outpatient setting. Not too late to register! *
The outpatient setting for chaplaincy services is a new frontier for every spiritual care department and chaplains. There are not many initiatives, much less models for us to learn from. Mercy is one system that has been involved in developing and learning from programs in outpatient settings. Don’t miss this next NACC webinar in our 2016 program which is scheduled for Thursday, June 23, 2016 – 12:00 noon to 1:30 p.m. Central Time. Jennifer Cobb and Mercy Spiritual Care Leaders will present “The Mercy Out-Patient Setting: What We are Learning and Developing”.
If you have not already done so, it is still not too late to register for this webinar.

Program Summary
Chaplaincy Beyond the Hospital: What We’ve Learned and Our Next Steps: Mercy, along with its 46 acute care and specialty (heart, children’s, orthopedic and rehab) hospitals, has more than 700 physician practices and outpatient facilities in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. For several years, Mercy’s mission and spiritual care leaders have been pioneering the development and implementation of spiritual care services beyond the acute care setting. In addition to a wide variety of patient settings, Mercy chaplains also innovate through using technology to provide spiritual care. Since 2014, telephone and email encounters have become a stable part of how chaplains offer spiritual care for those outside the hospital setting. In 2015, Mercy Telespiritual Care offered the first use of virtual chaplaincy as part of an integrated team approach to in-home patient care. Jennifer Cobb, Director of Mercy Mission & Spiritual Care, and leaders of spiritual care services will offer what they have learned through this journey and what they are initiating now.

Participants qualify for 2.0 CEHs total for the session (which includes 90 minutes for the webinar plus 30 minutes preparation time).

To register for this webinar, as well as for any other NACC 2016 webinars, please visit the webinar page on our website by clicking on this LINK. The web page contains a link to a downloadable paper registration form, but you can also register online by clicking on REGISTER.

18. Other future NACC webinar topics
Chaplaincy Support for Employee Resilience: A Work of Improvisation
Presented by Charles Ceronsky, BCC, Director Spiritual Care Services, and Judy Connolly, BCC, D.Min, Chaplain
Thursday, July 14, 2016 – 12:00 noon to 1:30 p.m. Central Time

Certification by the NACC
Presented by the NACC
Thursday, July 28, 2016 – 12:00 noon to 1:30 p.m. Central Time

Renewal of Certification by the NACC
Presented by NACC Certification Commissioners: Augustine (Austine) Duru, MA, MDiv, BCC, Kathleen M. Ponce, MAPS, BCC, and Jane W. Smith, DMin, BCC, AADP
Thursday, August 18, 2016 – 12:00 noon to 1:30 p.m. Central Time

Metrics for Spiritual Care Interventions: a CHI Kentucky One Initiative
Presented by Rabbi Dr. Nadia Siritsky, MSSW, BCC
Thursday, September 22, 2016 – 12:00 noon to 1:30 p.m. Central Time

What Every Chaplain Should Know About the Business of Health Care
Presented by Tim Crowley, MHA, MAPM, LFACHE
Thursday, October 13, 2016 – 12:00 noon to 1:30 p.m. Central Time

Ethical Issues Facing Our Healthcare Settings, and Implications for Spiritual Care
Presented by Rev. Thomas A. Nairn, OFM, PhD
Thursday, November 10, 2016 – 12:00 noon to 1:30 p.m. Central Time

Certification by the NACC
Presented by the NACC
Thursday, November 17, 2016 – 12:00 noon to 1:30 p.m. Central Time

Chaplaincy and the Ritual Ministry: Its Role and Value
Presented by Jim Letourneau, BCC and Linda Bronersky, BCC-S
Thursday, December 8, 2016 – 12:00 noon to 1:30 p.m. Central Time

19. 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: Mara Kujawa (very good friend of NACC staffer Sue Walker), Jeanine and Jim Annunziato (at the death of Jim’s father), Marilyn and Chuck Silkey (sister and brother-in-law of NACC member Kathy Ponce), Dr. David Nile (Husband of recently deceased NACC member Lucy G. Nile BCC),Amy in Redwood City, CA (friend of NACC member Theresa Sullivan), Julie Bablin, the family of Dale Dewitt, Fr. Douglas F. Faraci, 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), 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).

20. 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.

BOARD CERTIFIED CHAPLAIN
Murfreesboro, Tennessee – Saint Thomas Health
CHAPLAIN
Chattanooga, Tennessee – CHI Memorial
PRIEST
Palos Heights, Illinois – Palos Community Hospital
SPIRITUAL CARE COORDINATOR
Lenox, Maryland – Mount Carmel Care Center
DIRECTOR OF PASTORAL CARE
Sparkill, New York – Dominican Convent (Dominican Sisters of Sparkill)
CPE RESIDENCY
La Crosse, Wisconsin – Gundersen Health System
PRIEST CHAPLAIN
Washington, DC – MedStar Georgetown University Hospital
DIRECTOR, PASTORAL CARE
Atlanta, Georgia – Emory Saint Joseph’s Hospital
CHAPLAIN
Evansville, Indiana – St Mary’s Health System
ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST/SPIRITUAL CARE PROVIDER
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada – St. Boniface Hospital
CATHOLIC PRIEST CHAPLAIN
Fullerton, California – St. Jude Medical Center
MAYO CLINIC CPE
Rochester, MN – Mayo Clinic
CHAPLAIN CATHOLIC
New Mexico – UNM Hospitals
CATHOLIC PRIEST CHAPLAIN
New York City, NY – Mount Sinai Health System
CLINICAL PASTORAL EDUCATION SUPERVISOR
Peoria, IL – OSF Saint Francis Medical Center

NACC Now #224

Issue #224 – May 31, 2016

NACC

2017 NATIONAL CONFERENCE APRIL 28-MAY 1, 2017

NATIONAL CONFERENCE APRIL 22-25, 2016

CHAPLAINCY NEWS, EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL SUPPORTS

2017 NATIONAL CONFERENCE APRIL 28-MAY 1, 2017

2016 NATIONAL CONFERENCE APRIL 22-25, 2016

Job Listings

Free Publications

Donate Now

Issue #224 – May 31, 2016

NACC

2017 NATIONAL CONFERENCE APRIL 28-MAY 1, 2017

NATIONAL CONFERENCE APRIL 22-25, 2016

CHAPLAINCY NEWS, EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL SUPPORTS

2017 NATIONAL CONFERENCE APRIL 28-MAY 1, 2017

2016 NATIONAL CONFERENCE APRIL 22-25, 2016

Job Listings

Free Publications

Donate Now

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