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
      • 2022 National Conference
      • 2022 Webinar Series
      • Recorded webinars (2009-2021)
      • 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 – 2020)
      • 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
    • Catholic Prison Ministries Coalition (CPMC)
    • Choose Chaplaincy
    • Health Care Collaborators
    • Association Leadership
      • NACC Board of Directors
      • National Office Staff
      • Episcopal Advisory Council
      • Close
    • 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 » November-December 2015 » Take a moment to reflect and bless your cell phone

Take a moment to reflect and bless your cell phone

By Bridget Deegan-Krause

For the busy healthcare leader, the cell phone is as important a tool as any piece of complex diagnostic equipment. For some it serves as a distraction or even an obsession. But for most of us it is a tool for connection.

Covered with fingerprints, our cell phone is something we touch more than we touch our loved ones. The stuff of our lives is there. Our work. Things that inspire us. Images and words exchange with people we love. For many of us, some of the most significant moments of our lives have been held in this small device.

As you hold it tenderly, consider what it holds for you. A text from a grieving friend. Work plans. An important medical update. A grocery list. An image of a beloved.

Consider what this device allows you as a leader to accomplish each day. Managing people. Staying on track. Filtering out what really needs your attention.

Consider as well how it allows work to infuse every nook and cranny of our lives, if we let it. Thus from time to time, it needs to be put in its place.

In some communities, a traditional Labor Day “blessing of tools” has included tool boxes, drafting supplies, a vacuum cleaner, a firefighter’s coat — all coupled with a prayerful call to remember those who use these tools for their work. Honoring the busy healthcare leaders of today, the Mission: Day by Day team offers this reflection and blessing of one of your most important tools.

For Individual or Team Reflection

  • Each day in our work in Catholic healthcare we are invited to find the sacred in all things. How does this tool remind you of something sacred in your work?
  • Now consider the phone, or mobile device, of the person with whom you work each day. Notice it in their hands. What comes their way? What responsibilities do they have? What do they have to hold on to?
  • Finally, consider too the phone of someone who is struggling. What do they await? What would they rather not see?

Cell Phone Blessing
Loving God,
I hold in my hands
a tool for connection.
Today it will bring me
the information I need
to serve those
entrusted to my care.
As I use this tool,
direct my gaze
to all that deserves
my best attention.
If today
it serves as a distraction,
help me to put it
in its proper place.
And if today
it burdens me,
help me to work through
the pressing responsibilities,
the hurts and hopes,
and place them in your hands
where they belong.
You have blessed me with good work
and the tools to do it.
Bless this tool,
and all that it holds for me.

©2015 Leadership Formation Partners, used with permission

Bridget Deegan-Krause, BCC, is a managing partner of Leadership Formation Partners, the creators of Mission: Day by Day, a ministry formation program for leaders in Catholic healthcare. Learn more at lfpnow.com.

The National Association of Catholic Chaplains

Upcoming Events

  1. Ministry to Officers (CPMC Town Hall event)

    July 7 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
  2. Chaplaincy in a Women’s Prison (CMPC webinar)

    July 13 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
  3. NACC Member Peer Support Networking

    July 18 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

View All Events

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: [email protected]

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 - 2022 National Association of Catholic Chaplains - Sitemap

Built by Westwords