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John Paul Stangle on straddling cognate group
fences
Why
Can't We Be One?
Wouldn't it be wonderful if we
could organize ourselves? I mean, really organize
ourselves as a professional society so we are
respectful and useful to our members. Here's
the situation I'm talking about: For many years
(35 in fact) I've been a member of two different
medical professions and thus have joined organizations
representing both professions. It wasn't like
I didn't have a choice –in fact I had many
choices; even too many choices! Even now as a
chaplain I have half a dozen choices. In my other
profession I have this too, plus an evolving
and growing state licensure system (not thought
of yet for chaplains?) that went from two to
20 states during these 35 years, and that is
on top of a Federal licensure!
Anyone one of these would allow me to practice
the profession independent of the other one!
Each organization offered its own certification
(at a cost) based upon slightly different qualifications.
Thanks be to G-d that most of the chaplain groups
have agreed to one standard. But still, there's
a catch.
Just like in the other profession where each
organization (and state licensure) required dues
and surely duly spent them somewhere; just where
they spent them I was never sure. As a member
I would receive a monthly or occasional newsletter
or magazine, plus promises that mostly never
materialized, but that seems meager for dues
averaging hundreds of dollars. The other perceivable
benefit was the invitation to a yearly gathering
that would also cost hundreds and, if one added
transportation and hotel to that, the total was
closer to a thousand dollars.
All I can conclude is that each organization
spent the money on its "top layer" (of
which many persons are very dedicated and concerned)
with not much squirting out to the individual
member's real benefit. Wouldn't it be wonderful
if we could organize ourselves in a more efficient
and effective way?
John Paul Stangle is a NACC Certified Chaplain
Advanced Emeritus in Mental Health. John has degrees
from two Jesuit universities and a state university
and he has worked or trained in over 30 health
facilities in the United States and south of the
border. He has also done much volunteer work with
medical missions and with religious orders in their
social justice projects with homeless persons.
His first chaplain training was under a Jesuit
mentor in Seattle in the 70's where he was one
of the first lay chaplains, and he later did four
units of CPE under a Baptist Minister at a large
state mental hospital. His wife is the former executive
secretary of the Hungarian Religious Conference
and is a theologian and spiritual director and
writer. They live a contemplative lifestyle in
the desert of the southwest. They research and
write and teach about spiritual exercises, development,
and healing for companions within a social justice
framework.
Do you have thoughts about advocacy you’d like
to share with your colleagues? Send an e-mail
to info@PlainViews.org. |
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