The National Association of Catholic Chaplains

Menu
  • Membership
      • Apply for Membership
      • Frequently-Asked Questions about Membership
      • Request Retired Membership
      • State Liaisons
      • Newest Members
      • Membership Directory
      • Member map
      • Celebrating Our Members’ 25-year Membership and Certification
      • In Memoriam: deceased NACC members
    • Close
  • Certification
    • Initial Board Certification
      • Board Certified Chaplain (BCC)
      • Certified Associate Chaplain (CAC)
      • Palliative Care and Hospice Advanced Certification (PCHAC)
      • VA Initial Board Certification
      • Recognition of Strategic Partners Board Certification
      • Newly Certified Chaplains
      • Close
    • Renewal of Certification
    • Certification Competencies & Procedures
      • Certification Competencies & Procedures
      • Important Background on NACC Certification Competencies
      • Professional Code of Ethics for Spiritual Care Professionals
      • Certification Commission
      • Certification Appeals Panel
      • Ethics Appeals Panel
      • Close
    • Mentors
    • Recognition of Strategic Partners Board Certification
    • Verifying Certification
    • Maintaining Certification in Retirement
    • Graduate Theological Programs
    • Close
  • Education Resources
      • 2023 Retreat
      • 2023 Webinar Series
      • Recorded webinars (2009-2022)
      • Calendar of Events
      • Graduate Theological Programs
      • CPE Programs
      • NACC Professional Networking Calls
      • Continuing Education Hour Requests – Guidelines and Forms
      • Ongoing Educational Opportunities
      • Local/Regional Gatherings & Events
      • Past Conferences (2004 – 2022)
      • Vision
    • Close
  • Resources
    • Antiracism Resources
    • Administrator Resources
    • Awareness Resources
    • Chaplaincy Care Resources
    • Coronavirus Resources & Updates
    • Job Listings
    • The Journal of Pastoral Care & Counseling
    • Partners in Pastoral Care
    • Research
    • Specialty Care Resources
    • Spirituality and Prayer Resources
    • Spiritual Care Department Resources
    • Vision
    • Close
  • About NACC
    • About the NACC
      • Mission/Vision/Values
      • Constitution and ByLaws
      • Strategic Plan
      • History
      • Close
    • Annual Awards
    • Association Leadership
      • NACC Board of Directors
      • Committees, Commissions, and Panels
      • National Office Staff
      • Episcopal Advisory Council
      • Close
    • Catholic Prison Ministries Coalition (CPMC)
    • Choose Chaplaincy
    • Health Care Collaborators
    • NACC Merchandise
    • NACC Publications and Documents
      • Vision
      • NACC Now
      • Annual Reports & Financial Reviews
      • Documents and publications
      • NACC Blog
      • Close
    • Partners in Pastoral Care
    • Partners for Professional Excellence in Spiritual Care
    • Vision
    • Close
  • Choose Chaplaincy
  • Contact Us
      • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

    • Close
  • Donate Now
  • Member Login
Home » Vision » May-June 2015 » Certification Commission welcomes new members, new specialty

Certification Commission welcomes new members, new specialty

By Jane Smith

I’ve been a member of the Certification Commission for almost three years, and I love the work. I am grateful to serve there, because its work is at the very heart of NACC, that is, to certify chaplains and to participate in their ongoing development.

Vision-Certification-Update-logo

Just before the opening of the fabulous 50th anniversary NACC conference, we met in Arlington, VA. Forget that we were snowed in for much of our time together; we worked hard, the nine of us, discussing many issues related to certification and renewal of certification, pondering our organization’s relationship with other similar groups, the USCCB, and doing a little celebrating of our own.

The celebrating part involved welcoming two new members. Bonnie McCulley, from Arizona, has been a longtime volunteer, most notably as certification interviewer, followed by several years as an ITE. She brings energy, enthusiasm, as well as incredible organizational skills. Austine Duru, from Nebraska, has also served as an interviewer and ITE, and some of you may remember him for his great drumming workshops at previous conferences. We’re pleased that Austine was one of two NACC members honored as emergent leaders at the conference banquet.

(L to R) David Lichter, Mary Davis, Rosa Maria Eubanks, Sedona Montelongo, Judy Shemkovitz, Mary Lou O'Gorman
(L to R) David Lichter, Mary Davis, Rosa Maria Eubanks, Sedona Montelongo, Judy Shemkovitz, Mary Lou O’Gorman

NACC Executive Director David Lichter, as is his practice, spent some time with us. He was his usual affirming, informative, and challenging self as he shared with us some of the results of his work. He noted the financial stability of NACC and the new web design and logo. He was pleased, indeed, that 41% of members responded to the recent survey, which provided a good deal of demographic data. The information gained will be very helpful, and provided us with lots of related issues to discuss.

During our joint meeting with the board, there was good discussion, philosophical mostly, of our ongoing efforts to provide very high-quality certification processes, even as we seek to improve them. When we meet with the ITEs in the summer, we will work with them to flesh out some strategies to best implement the sort of vision and goals we want in our certification processes. One highlight of this visit with the board was naming the three chaplains to receive our new specialty certification as palliative care and hospice chaplains. Rosa Maria Eubanks from Maryland, Sedona Montelongo from Arizona, and Gary Weisbrich from Montana were announced as newly certified during the conference, marking a new milestone in our 50-year history.

We are thankful for each and every one of you who have made the choice to become certified, renew your certifications regularly, and serve in the certification processes as site coordinators, ITEs, interviewers, and peer reviewers. It takes all of us working together to keep the sacredness of our individual and collective mission thriving. Blessings on you all.

Jane Smith, D.Min., BCC, retired from active chaplaincy from Fulton State Hospital in Fulton, MO, where she was director of mission effectiveness. She is currently self-employed as a holistic health coach.

The National Association of Catholic Chaplains
Become a Member Would you like to get Certified?

Free Publications

Don’t miss the latest news, subscribe to our newsletter today! You don’t have to be a member to subscribe.

National Association of Catholic Chaplains
4915 S. Howell Avenue, Suite 501
Milwaukee, WI 53207
Get Directions

Phone: (414) 483-4898
Fax: (414) 483-6712
Email: info@nacc.org

Our office hours
Mon-Thur 8:00am – 5:00pm Central Time
Friday 8:00am – 12 Noon
Sat-Sun closed

Job Listings

Current job opportunities for chaplains, priests, CPE residents, supervisors, directors of pastoral care, managers, mission directors, and more.

Job Listings

Free Publications

Don’t miss the latest news, subscribe to our newsletter today! You don’t have to be a member to subscribe.

Donate Now

Learn more about making a tax-deductible donation to NACC.

Donate Now

Connect with us

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
© 1997 - 2023 National Association of Catholic Chaplains - Sitemap

Built by Westwords