While some of our colleagues, especially in the south, are suffering from the effects of wild weather, here in the New York City metropolitan area, I’m heartened to see and feel hints of Spring – crocuses popping up from the ground, more hours of sunlight, warmer days. As a Christian, I give thanks for the observances of Holy Week and Easter. Blessings to all who celebrate religious feasts in April -- may you, your families, and your religious communities be filled with joy! |
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Annual dues billing notices were emailed on Tuesday, December 15, 2020, from ACPE with the subject “Billing Notice” which includes links to pay your 2021 membership dues. For your convenience, we added an “Express Payment” hyperlink.
If you cannot find the email, you can also pay your membership dues and print an invoice by logging in to the ACPE website (www.acpe.edu). Click “Login” at the top of the page.
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“Surprisingly transformational.” This is how one ACPE certified educator, Trina Williams-Johnson, described her recent ‘Anti-Bias’/’Anti-Racism’ training with Crossroads’ Antiracism and Organizing Training Group, one of the lead speakers of this years’ ACPE annual conference.
“I arrived with ambivalence and a large amount of apathy. I did not want to be re-traumatized or given the responsibility of doing the heavy lifting of hearing from white people who arrive late to the party that I have lived all of my life. I have been through too many lip-service events, so I was prepared to check out and hold my peace….There were honestly more people of color than I expected. The best way I can express my experience is to refer to the Grinch, when his heart grew, and how many sizes it grew.”
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ACPE Spiritual Care Professional and Editor of the ACPE Research articles John Ehman tests a Spiritual Care Advocate program designed as a partnership between a hospital and local congregations, to improve cancer patients' sense of spiritual support and health care outcomes at the end of life in this month's article. |
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Carrying on the tradition of The Journal of Supervision and Training for Ministry, the journal, Reflective Practice, continues to publish the set of papers receiving the annual ACPE Theory Papers of the Year Award. This year the readers unanimously selected the theory papers written by Imani Jones to receive the ACPE Theory Papers of the Year Award. Imani Jones, DMin, MDiv, ThM, BCC, is the CPE Program Manager, Department of Chaplaincy and Clinical Pastoral Education, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. |
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ACPE Certified Educator David Fleenor published "Online clinical pastoral education needs more research" in the
Journal of Health Care Chaplaincy
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ACPE rolled out a new Salesforce database, website, and SharePoint sites in 2020. Join John Roch, Director of Communications & Technology, and Carl Jones-Reid, Technology Specialist for a Tech Talk ACPE.
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In partnership with Boston University School of Theology and the Henry Luce Foundation, the Chaplaincy Innovation Lab has launched four interactive case studies, available for use by anyone. You can find the case studies, which treat interpersonal skills, navigating organizations, meaning making, and chaplaincy within government policy right here.
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News from ACPE Communities of Practice |
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REM Statement in Support of AAPI Community |
REM is committed to stand in solidarity with the Asian Community and all who continue to suffer under the often minimized hate of domestic terrorism and its vile stench on humanity. Our hearts ache over the senseless killings this past weekend in Atlanta and over the many unknown acts of racial injustice that are often hidden in plain sight. We will continue to use our power and influence to fight against such acts and to make a difference where we are able. Our prayers and activist efforts are with you within ACPE and across the globe. Let us join in strength together, fighting together in the spirit of Dr. Kings words,
recognizing that "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice
everywhere...Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.
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Any ACPE member interested in discussing the changes in the ACPE structure and ethos in the past five years and before may want to join a new community of practice to do that. We will be soliciting educators' opinions and experience of the changes through surveys and zoom discussions of organization, accreditation, certification, and other changes impacting our life together in ACPE. We will use the clinical methods of action–reflection–refined action to understand our organization. The first meeting will be on April 8. Contact Katherine Higgins or Gordon J Hilsman if interested.
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Are you a retired educator who would like to stay connected with ACPE colleagues and culture? Consider joining the newly forming Council of Elders, a CoP for retired educators. The next meeting will be Tuesday, April 13 at 3pm ET. Contact Katherine Higgins for more information.
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The Boards of Directors of the ACPE: The Standard for Spiritual Care and Education and the Association of Professional Chaplains met concurrently on Thursday, March 18, 2021 at 10:00am EDT/9:00am CDT to entertain a motion that the organizations officially merge.
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Since 1947, JPCP has been publishing The Journal of Pastoral Care and Counseling (JPC&C) as well as a variety of books that enlighten and educate pastors, chaplains, and counselors.
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Greetings from the Accreditation Commission! I hope that all is well with you, your programs, and your students. I am excited to share information with you about portfolio reviews and our deep dive this year. The portfolio review process will begin in July 2021 and will conclude by the end of October.
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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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The ACPE SIP Program offers trainings to help mental health practitioners work more competently with spirituality in the context of psychotherapy. The 30-hour NBCC-approved continuing education curriculum is a specialty training for persons who have previous training in psychotherapy.
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The American Academy of Poets has curated several poems to honor Women’s History Month. Here’s a sample: |
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The cup of Eliyahu
by Marge Piercy
In life you had a temper.
Your sarcasm was a whetted knife.
Sometimes you shuddered with fear
but you made yourself act no matter
how few stood with you.
Open the door for Eliyahu
that he may come in.
Now you return to us
in rough times, out of smoke
and dust that swirls blinding us.
You come in vision, you come
in lightning on blackness.
Open the door for Eliyahu
that he may come in.
In every generation you return
speaking what few want to hear
words that burn us, that cut
us loose so we rise and go again
over the sharp rocks upward.
Open the door for Eliyahu
that he may come in.
You come as a wild man,
as a homeless sidewalk orator,
you come as a woman taking the bima,
you come in prayer and song,
you come in a fierce rant.
Open the door for Eliyahu
that she may come in.
Prophecy is not a gift, but
sometimes a curse, Jonah
refusing. It is dangerous
to be right, to be righteous.
To stand against the wall of might.
Open the door for Eliyahu
that he may come in.
There are moments for each
of us when you summon, when
you call the whirlwind, when you
shake us like a rattle: then we
too must become you and rise.
Open the door for Eliyahu
that we may come in.
Marge Piercy, "The Cup of Eliyahu" from The Crooked Inheritance. Copyright © 2006 by Marge Piercy.
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Amidst these high holy days and the incredible stresses of our world today, the miracles of nature may not capture our attention. Check out this almost miraculous video from National Geographic following the development of a salamander from a single cell to a young critter.
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ACPE Psychotherapist P.T. Wilson wrote a reflection, "A Time to Recharge."
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This Week on the Calendar |
March 27- April 4
Passover/ Pesach (Judaism)
Passover 2021 begins at sundown on March 27 and ends Sunday evening, April 4. The first Passover Seder is on the evening of March 27, and the second Passover Seder takes place on the evening of March 28. Passover is a festival of freedom. It commemorates the Israelites’ Exodus from Egypt, and their transition from slavery to freedom. The main ritual of Passover is the Seder, which occurs on the first two nights (in Israel just the first night) of the holiday — a festive meal that involves the re-telling of the Exodus through stories and song and the consumption of ritual foods, including matzah and maror (bitter herbs). The Seder’s rituals and other readings are outlined in the Haggadah — today, many different versions of this Passover guide are available in print and online, and you can also create your own.
March 29
Hola Mohalla (Sikh)
An annual event which is a martial arts parade historically coinciding with Holi, the Hindu festival of colors. Celebrations related to Holla Mohalla may be held in various locations over several weekends preceding the actual date of the holiday. A week-long celebration that often coincides with the Sikh New Year, Hola Mohalla was started by Guru Gobind Singh as a day of mock battles and poetry. Today, those who celebrate the festival often camp out, watch demonstrations of fighting and bravery, and listen to music and poetry.
April 1
Holy Thursday (Anglican, Catholic and Protestant Christianity)
Commemorates the Last Super when Jesus instituted the Holy Eucharist.
April 2
Good Friday (Anglican, Catholic and Protestant Christianity)
The day of Jesus’ crucifixion and burial.
April 3
Holy Saturday (Anglican, Catholic and Protestant Christianity)
Evening celebration of Easter and some churches also celebrate the Christian initiation of adults
April 4
Easter (Anglican, Catholic, Protestant Christianity and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
Christians believe that Jesus was resurrected from the dead on Easter Sunday, on the third day after his crucifixion. This day is celebrated in different ways among the many Western and Eastern Christian traditions, including vigils, readings, reenactments, and the eating of special foods. The egg is a significant symbol of Easter, as it represents the resurrection: it is dormant, but contains a new life. Easter traditions involving eggs include egg hunts, egg games, and the gifting of candy eggs.
April 5
Quingming (Confucianism)
Quingming is a celebration to remember ancestors and to tend to their grave sites. Some leave offerings at graves, such as food, tea and other libations. Willow branches are often carried or hung outside doors to ward off evil spirits.
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This Week in our Thoughts
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ACPE Certified Educator John Takacs will have surgery on his neck to address degenerative disk disease on March 30. He anticipates a 6-12 week recovery, and welcomes thoughts and prayers from ACPE colleagues.
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Dr. Robert "Bob" Edmund Pearce, 80, passed away on January 7, 2021 at his home in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. A celebration of his life will take place at a later date.
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Eau Cliare, WI
Innovation and compassion are paramount to providing world-class medical care to patients from all over the world.
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New Orleans, LA
Our CPE Residency Program offers candidates the opportunity to be part of one of the most innovative healthcare organizations in Louisiana.
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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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