Dear NACC colleagues,
Just a few days ago, Pope Francis released his
message for the World Day of the Sick. The message’s theme is
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Mt. 11.28) As Pope Francis writes,
“Jesus…offers his mercy and comforting presence. He looks upon a wounded humanity with eyes that gaze into the heart of each person.” As chaplains, we embody His mercy, comforting presence, and loving gaze into the heart of each person we encounter.
As the 28th Annual World Day of the Sick approaches on February 11, we invite you to promote chaplaincy and spiritual care ministry at your parish or other local organization by speaking about your ministry experience and taking these steps to support our message.
Speak with your pastor or parish administration about presenting Choose Chaplaincy from the pulpit during announcements at the end of Mass. The NACC office can offer a suggested script. Would your parish place one of our Choose Chaplaincy ads in the parish bulletin? We have a variety of pre-made ads available in our ChooseChaplaincy.org materials toolkit. You may also request a link to
ChooseChaplaincy.org be placed on your parish’s website. We have a selection of graphics along with directions for implementation that can be used for that purpose.
That is why I'm asking you to request a
FREE Choose Chaplaincy materials kit. We have beautiful and informative materials available in English and Spanish for you to order and place in your church’s information area. These are FREE to you and your parish.
Request Form
Another way your parish can help is by following and sharing the
NACC Facebook page with parishioners. We have a strong base of NACC members who follow and share content to their personal accounts. We would like parishes to help us spread the Choose Chaplaincy message.
As you know, these materials have been developed during the past year, along with our
ChooseChaplaincy.org webpage to anchor our efforts. This webpage has consistently ranked among the top five most visited pages on our website. (Yes, job postings and the certification pages were also among the top five!)
Last fall, in conjunction with Pastoral Care Week, over 50 NACC members asked for materials and sought to speak to their parish at Mass or another setting, as well as make materials available in the church. Among those who gave us feedback, half were able to speak to their pastor about chaplaincy, 80 percent made the materials available, and nearly a third spoke at a Mass. We want your help to continue this important initiative.
Talking Points and Pulpit Announcement
We do need your help! Please consider taking these simple steps starting with completing the
request form for your FREE materials. Please indicate if you would like to also receive some of these brochures and posters in Spanish.
Thank you for your healing ministry!
Blessings,
