The ACPE Board of Directors shares in the anger, frustration, and deep pain expressed by so many over the recent verdict in Kenosha. We serve and teach students to serve in places where gun violence has wreaked havoc for decades in communities. We share the fear of many that the decision in this case will be misread as a call to vigilanteism, a symptom of the larger bias inequities and injustice of our age. We feel honored to work with colleagues who are committing to living, serving, teaching and caring in ways that put an end to such violence, that dare to imagine communities grounded in respect even across differences, that combat racism and hate in its many forms, and that long for a world where we are defined by our common humanity, never succumbing to the deep divisions that form our current reality. |
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In this fall season many cultures celebrate the plenty of harvest and encourage expressions of gratitude.
We are grateful for you, ACPE members, for your service and the fruits of your work as it is visible every day in your and your students’ care for the spiritual needs of so many people in a hurting world.
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The 2022 conference theme, “Freedom, Wonder, and Liberation: Anti-Bias Practices of Spiritual Care and Education” invites the engagement of all our organizational members by facing the urgency of this moment. We need the collective wisdom of our chaplains, our educators, and our psychotherapists as we continue to face the interlocking pandemics of bias, injustice, and COVID-19. The deadline to submit proposals is November 28, 2021.
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Save the Date for GivingTuesday at ACPE. GivingTuesday is a global generosity movement unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and the world. ACPE's goal is to raise $10,000 and to invite 20 new donors to make a gift to the Foundation for ACPE. This year GivingTuesday is on November 30, 2021.
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2022 Membership Invoices will now be sent via email the week of 12/01/2021, not this week as noted in last week’s newsletter. Please check your spam/junk folder to make sure that you have received it after that date. If you do not receive an invoice by 12/05/2021, please contact us at accounting@acpe.edu. Please also contact us if you would like to change the billing email address.
Exciting news: You are now able to print a PDF of your invoice directly from the email! To print a PDF, look for the text: To view this invoice as a PDF, click here located under the Due Date of the Invoice. Click the link and enjoy this new feature!
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In its July 2021 edition, the journal Social Work published research of great significance to ACPE and others involved in training therapists to work with spirituality and religion.
Titled “The Relevance of Religion and Spirituality to Mental Health: A National Survey of Current Clients’ Views,” the research is the work of Holly Oxhandler, Ken Pargament, Michelle Pearce, Cassandra Vieten, and Kelsey Moffatt.
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The Chaplaincy Innovation Lab (CIL) is collaborating with the Fetzer Institute to support and build networks of and for chaplains of color. Leaders in spiritual care from multiple disciplines and settings will serve on the project’s Advisory Board in 2021. |
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Evidence-based medicine has transformed contemporary medical practice. For over twenty-five years, George Fitchett has been a pioneering advocate of the view that evidence-based spiritual care can, and should, equally transform chaplaincy. This book collects a key selection from his ground-breaking research. As models of good research practice, these papers demonstrate the real-world value of research and introduce their readers to issues that have continuing importance to spiritual care and professional chaplaincy. |
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ACPE’s Board of Directors met by videoconference on November 8 and 9, 2021. Unfortunately, the ongoing pandemic forced the association to cancel in-person leadership meetings again this fall. However, although virtual, our time together was productive, meaningful, and exciting.
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Hopefully, you noticed a reference in Monday’s “This Week” about the Board of Director’s approval of an envisioned association “self-study,” similar to what many of you have experienced in your institutions.
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The Anti-Bias Work Group has convened several groups to better understand the variety of biases within our organization and the work of spiritual care and education. The Ableism group is interested in talking with ACPE Educators and Psychotherapists who identify as having some form of disability about the ways that disability, and attitudes from others about it have impacted your pastoral and professional practice. You are invited to send written reflections to Katherine.Higgins@acpe.edu or send an email and we will arrange for conversation.
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Once a month the ACPE Professional Ethics Commission (PEC) posts a couple of statements from our Code of Professional Ethics for ACPE Members.
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We invite all ACPE Certified Educators who are working with Educator Candidates to join us for informal consultations. The next drop-in meeting will take place on December 6 from 12:00pm to 1:00pm ET. For 2022 the first meting will be on February 7, 2022 from 12:00pm to 1:00pm ET.
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Early in the pandemic, we heard the word “unprecedented” used at a level that was, well, unprecedented. While we still hear it on occasion, another word seems to moving to the forefront of our talk, especially for people in the helping professions: “resilience.” This poem from Jane Hirschfield invites reflection on who we are, what we bring, and how we endure: |
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The Weighing
by Jane Hirshfield
The heart’s reasons
seen clearly,
even the hardest
will carry
its whip-marks and sadness
and must be forgiven.
As the drought-starved
eland forgives
the drought-starved lion
who finally takes her,
enters willingly then
the life she cannot refuse,
and is lion, is fed,
and does not remember the other.
So few grains of happiness
measured against all the dark
and still the scales balance.
The world asks of us
only the strength we have and we give it.
Then it asks more, and we give it.
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Next week, people will gather all around the United States to celebrate Thanksgiving, another holiday filled with convoluted myth, a bazillion calories, parades, and endless sports television. Of course, there is also the critically important decision around music to accompany the meal. Here’s a resource that may (or may not!) assist you in creating your playlist for the national holiday:
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This Week on the Calendar |
November 22
Feast Day Qawl (Bahá’í)
The Baha’i calendar has nineteen months, all named after attributes of God. Qawl is the Arabic word for speech. The word "feast" suggests that a large meal will be served, but that is not necessary for a Bahá'í Feast. The use of the term "feast," in this case, means that the community should enjoy a "spiritual feast" of worship, fellowship and unity – although refreshments are usually available.
November 25
Day of the Covenant (Bahá’í)
Day of the Covenant is a festival observed to commemorate Bahá’u’lláh’s appointment of His son, Abdu’l-Baha, as His successor.
November 27
Ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (Bahá’í)
The Ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is a holy day that commemorates the death of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Work is not suspended on this day as it is on some holy days. The typical observance consists of devotional readings and is held at 1:00 AM, as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá passed away about 1:00 AM on November 28, 1921.
November 27-December 6
Hanukkah starts at sundown (Judaism)
Hanukkah is a holiday that commemorates the Israelites’ divine and military victory over foreign powers, during which the sanctity of the Temple in Jerusalem was restored. It is celebrated with home rituals involving the lighting of a nine-branched candelabra called a menorah or chanukiyah.
November 28–December 24
Advent (Christianity)
Advent is a season of spiritual preparation in observance of the birth of Jesus. In Western Christianity, it starts on the fourth Sunday before Christmas. In Eastern Christianity, the season is longer and begins in the middle of November.
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This Week in our Thoughts
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- ACPE friend Robert Nick Ristad 86, of Santa Rosa, California died on September 16, 2021. He served as Director of pastoral training at San Leandro Memorial Hospital, Chaplain Supervisor at California Medical Facility and as Chaplain at Napa State Hospital.
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Sanford Health is looking for an innovative and strategic-minded CPE Supervisor to enhance and grow our dynamic and established CPE program at Sanford Health - Fargo.
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Ascension Seton in Austin, TX has open positions in our current full-time residency program for completion of three CPE units starting November 29, 2021 and ending on August 19, 2022.
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Other Educational Opportunities |
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ACPE: The Standard for Spiritual Care & Education |
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ACPE is the standard for spiritual care and education. Our diverse membership includes Certified CPE Educators, Spiritually Integrated Psychotherapists, Spiritual Care Professionals and Practitioners, Pastoral Counselors, Chaplains, Faith Communities, and Seminaries. Our multi-disciplinary, multi-faith, multi-racial community of professionals provides education, connection, and formation through continuing education, networking, and leadership development.
ACPE is the premier, Department of Education recognized, organization that provides the highest quality CPE programs for spiritual care professionals of any faith and in any setting. We do this through a rigorous accreditation and certification process for centers and educators that provide CPE.
The depth of our training enables students to realize their full potential to strengthen the spiritual health of people in their care as well as themselves.
ACPE members are actively engaged in a wide variety of professional development activities including communities of practice, conferences, spiritual care research, and informal networking. We are more than just an association: we are a movement committed to the transformation of the human suffering.Our opportunities for formation and community enrich our member's work of healing and transforming people and communities in the US and across the globe.
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