Halle, Halle, Halle

It was with both sadness and joy that we closed our NACC 2012 National Conference in Milwaukee.  Each day, our attendees rejoiced with Halle, Halle, Halle by John Bell.  Here in this video are some final moments with this glorious sound of rejoicing!

Archbishop Paul Coakley, STL, DD at Closing Eucharist

Tuesday, May 22, 2012 Closing Celebration of the Eucharist

On Tuesday, May 22, 2012 the NACC National Conference closed with our final Celebration of the Eucharist.  Our celebrant was NACC Board Member and Episcopal Liaison Archbishop Paul Coakley, STL, DD, Archbishop of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.  At this Liturgy, we moved quite literally from a time of mourning to a time of dancing.  After Archbishop Coakley's homily, the names of the members of the NACC who had passed away in the last year and were honored with a candle and flower.  It was very moving for our attendees and symbolized how fragile our lives are.  We concluded our celebration with the song "I Danced in the Morning" by Sydney Carter and said goodbye to our friends and colleagues.  Deacon Thomas Berna, BCC is pictured with Archbishop Coakley.  The candles and flowers honoring our deceased friends are also pictured in this photo.

Conference Table Discussion

Plenary Speakers Share A Moment Together

Speakers John Dear, SJ and C. Vanessa White, D.Min. at the Tuesday morning Plenary session at the NACC 2012 Conference

Tuesday May 22, 2012 Plenary Speaker John Dear, SJ

Tuesday, May 22, 2012 saw the last day of our NACC National Conference.  We were blessed to have John Dear, SJ as our plenary speaker in the morning on the topic of "Blessed are the Peacemakers".  He shared his own journey with us and it was both a moving and stimulating presentation.  His challenges to the attendees brought much discussion at the tables.  We are grateful for his presence.

Bishop Blase Cupich, Monday May 21 Plenary Speaker

Most Rev. Blase J. Cupich, STD, Bishop of Spokane, Washington, joined us on Monday on the topic of "A Reconciling Church:  Recapturing Our Mission and Our Future".  After a very thought-provoking talk, members of the NACC engaged in table conversation around this topic and around the following questions:  "What gifts and skills do we, as chaplains, bring to the table that can help to reclaim the focus of our Catholic mission for those who follow?" and "Within the Catholic Church, how can chaplains model reconciliation as prophetic and visionary?"  Even if you were not at the conference, please spend some of your own time reflecting on those questions.  You can see from the pictures below, that these were very engaging questions for our attendees as well.

Celebration of the Eucharist and Anointing of the Sick

On Monday morning, we were graced with a beautiful celebration of the Eucharist along with the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick.  Presider Rev. Agustin Orosa, MI, NACC certified CPE Supervisor from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was our celebrant.  Each year when we gather at this Liturgy, we invite those who are presently struggling with serious illness to come forward and through the laying on of hands, anointing with oil, and prayer of faith, receive this rich Sacrament.  After a beautiful homily from Fr. Jojo, we gathered with our community and participated in this moving and grace-filled moment.  If we close our eyes, we can still hear the beautiful sound of Pedro Rubalcava's song O Jesus, Healer of Wounded Souls, echo in our hearts.  "O Jesus, healer of wounded souls, come heal us.  Touch us and make us whole; heal our world.  Raise your people to life."

NACC Conference Charity

Our NACC Conference Charity this year was the Dominican Center for Women Inc.   Located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the Dominican Center for Women partners with the community to maintain and enhance a beautiful, stable, healthy and safe neighborhood consisting of residents who are community-minded and are striving to be meaningfully educated and employed. At our Sunday evening banquet, co-founder Sr. Ann Halloran, OP (pictured) and Kathleen Callan Brady, Director of Development, joined us for dinner and a short presentation.  The Center's website is http://www.dominican-center.com. We are happy to report we collected $3183.75 at the banquet as a donation for the Dominican Center for Women, Inc. Thank you to all of our generous conference attendees!

Fr. Cyprian and NACC member Jane Smith

NACC member Jane Smith speaking with Fr. Cyprian

TRAVELLING/JOURNEYING

    "A journey of a thousand miles" says an old addage, "begins with a step." Certainly you have had moments when you choose to travel somewhere, or go an a vacation away from home or a familiar neighborhood. Most people tend to prepare elaborately. Some would pack light, while others like myself, tend to cram so much into a luggage even for a brief travel, so much so that towards the end of the trip I would question the wisdom in bringing so many clothes I could not and did not use.
    Every journey, I believe, has a spiritual dimension. There is something inherently sacred about picking up and going somewhere new. Each journey, for me, is always an excercise in humility. Starting with convincing myself that I do not need so many things to survive away from home, to an acknowledgement of the humanity, sacredness and the giftedness of the people I will get the chance to meet and the places I will be priviledged to visit and stay during my journey.
   How we prepare for each journey is as important as how and when we get there, what we do there, and how we go back home. Every step of this joirney process is significant and could in fact determine what we get out of embarking on the journey. This could equally be said to be true about the journey of life in general.
   Many NACC members left home this weekend on a journey to Milwaukee WI for the annual NACC conference. These few days of "comming apart from the world" and hopefully detaching ourselves from other things that vie for our attention is indeed a sacred journey. A journey I believe will be worth the effort.

       The word of the song by Mark Friedman/Janet Vogt ring true, "enter the journey. Come to the song, by God you are chosen, by name you are called to follow the vision, carry the cross. Enter the journey of faith as a the family of God."
     As we enter this sacred journey as  the days unfold, please share your journey tips, processes and discoveries with us by leaving a comment.  For eg: How often do you take care of yourself on the journey; do you think of your car as a chapel? ...
    If you are at the conference, don't miss the fun events that have been worked into the conference this year.

-- Austine Duru