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NEWS FLASH  ENHCC  - NOVEMBER 2011

Dear All,

A year after our inspiring meeting in London, we want to bring you up to date on the work of the committee and on the upcoming event of our next meeting! With this first news flash we also meet a need expressed by participants for a ‘kind of newsletter or journal’ during the London consultation. Please read about:

The yearly committee meeting in Utrecht, June 2011
The committee members gathered from Tuesday June 21 to Friday June 24 in Utrecht, The Netherlands. We were hosted in hotel ‘De Admiraal’ where we were spoiled tremendously. We thank Simon and Robert for organizing the accommodation and for their generosity during our stay.
The committee members evaluated the consultation in London and discussed finances. Simon proposed the venue of the next consultation in The Netherlands and we worked out the program and content. The committee also appointed Jennifer McWhirter as the next webmaster. We talked about our international contacts and even met with George Burn and his wife Paula who were attending the jubilee celebration of the VGVZ. We specifically discussed two proposals out of the London consultation: a newsletter and putting research on the website so everyone can benefit.

The upcoming consultation in The Netherlands, June 2012
During the committee meeting we started preparing the next consultation. Please note that the consultation will take place in Mennorode, The Netherlands from Wednesday June 6th till Sunday June 10th 2012.  More information will be sent to you all soon.

A change of webmasters!
At the yearly meeting (Utrecht June 2011) the committee thanked Rev. Fred Coutts for the many years he served as a webmaster for the network. Fred’s work was fundamental, both during the consultations and committee meetings and during the time between them. Fred’s drive, good moods and enthusiasm made working with him very pleasant and rewarding. We wish Fred all the best for his retirement. The committee invited Fred to attend the next consultation where we can thank him more properly.

            

 

Fred is gradually bringing our new webmaster into business. We are very grateful that Rev. Jennifer McWhirter took on the job of webmaster! Jennifer is secretary of the Northern Ireland Healthcare Chaplains’ Association, representing them at the network consultations in Tartu and London. She is an Anglican Priest and Vicar of the United Parishes of Templepatrick and Donegore. Her background is in chaplaincy, first in America as a CPE resident and then in Belfast, and she works as a part-time chaplain in Musgrave Park Hospital. Jennifer can be reached through eurochaplains@gmail.com

The jubilee of the VGVZ
The committee members were honored to be guests during the jubilee celebration of the VGVZ, the Dutch association of chaplains, which celebrated 40 years of existence on June 22, 2011 in Utrecht. We enjoyed the choir of chaplains, the rituals of six faiths, the speeches for which the VGVZ kindly provided translation, the presence of the Dutch Princess Margriet, the documentary on chaplaincy which was also broadcasted on TV, the gift of the jubilee book and the multicultural dinner at night. Read the speech of coordinator Anne Vandenhoeck here and see some pictures here http://www.vgvz.nl/actueel/fotoimpressie

Not forgetting our history:
Interviews with father Stavros Kofinas, Fred Coutts and Kirsti Alto
With Father Stavros stepping down as a coordinator, Kirsti and Fred retiring, we realized that the past of the ENHCC needs to be kept for the future. So we contacted Father Stavros, Kirsti and Fred and asked if they could answer some questions about how it all started and about the things to remember. Soon you will find their answers on the website!

Activities of ENHCC
In November 2010 the coordinator was kindly invited by the Pontifical Council for Health Care Workers to participate in their yearly conference in Rome. On that occasion she met with H.E. Msgr. Zygmunt Zimowski, president of the council. Father Darius Griers provided the opportunity for a lot of networking and we are grateful for his hospitality.
It is a great thing to see new associations for chaplains coming to life. On October 15, the Flemish Association for Catholic Chaplains saw light in the Belgian city of Antwerp. They started with 175 members. Simon Evers, committee member, represented the ENHCC and congratulated the new members as Anne Vandenhoeck founded the association. A week later on October 21, the Czech association for hospital chaplains was founded in Prague. Coordinator Anne Vandenhoeck wrote a letter to congratulate the chaplains. You can read the letter here. October was a busy month as Father Stavros Kofinas organized the second international conference of the Ecumenical Patriarchate for pastoral healthcare on the island of Rhodes. Father Adamantios Avgoustidis represented the ENHCC and read a letter from the coordinator which you can find here.
If you wish for the ENHCC to be represented at your conference or to send a letter on the occasion of your activity, please send an email to the coordinator anne.vandenhoeck@theo.kuleuven.be

Training Bulletins
Please visit the new webpage the webmaster created for all training bulletins from England.
http://www.eurochaplains.org/hcc.htm
Please also note the upcoming international conference ‘Improving Outcome and Enhancing Wellbeing’ on 13 & 14 March 2012 which will take place in the Beardmore Conference Centre, Glasgow.

 

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