One of the many aspects I appreciate about being a Member of the CPCA is having connections with men and women of vision because iron sharpens iron. When I look at these photos, I see 22 leaders of exceptional character. When I read the summary of the gathering authored by CPCA ON Regional Director Charlie Swartwood (below), I see a hunger to be the best servants possible to the police officers within their sphere of influence. When I listened to the excitement in the voice of Peel Co-Ordinator of Chaplaincy & Spiritual Supports Chaplain Curtis Hinds while he relayed the events of the day back to me over the phone, my heart beat faster and the joy within me was unmistakable.
The theme of our ATS in Winnipeg this October is "Stronger Together" and as reports indicate from the CPCA Ontario Region, this rings true as an anthem over our national Association. As your President, I am inspired by what is happening across our Nation through each serving chaplain. As a police officer who knows what it's like to wrestle with issues of trauma in the face of violence, I'm encouraged by our CPCA chaplains who bring forth tangible hope through the commitment of presence; a presence that often speaks louder than words. Police officers understand the costs of dedication so there is no minimalizing the value of even an hour long visit on regular intervals with the officers in your area. Thank you and God bless you for all you do. I hope to see many of you at our upcoming webinar on "Moral Injury" on May 18th. Check out this link for more information and let's spend some virtual time together led by Dr Smith-MacDonald, researcher specializing in the field of PTSD and Moral Injury. https://www.canadianpolicechaplainassociation.com/event-details/introduction-to-moral-injury
Again thank you to CPCA ON Regional Director Charlie Swartwood, Peel Region Head Chaplain Curtis Hinds, and York Region Chaplain Captain Greg Bailey for organizing the CPCA ON Region Professional Development Day. Below is a summary from Charlie Swartwood. Please take time to care for yourself and place an even greater priority on selfcare than Member care. I say this because, you can't give away what you don't have.
With respect and admiration,
Chaplain/Constable Bruce Ewanyshyn
CPCA President
The words of Chaplain Charlie Swartwood:
"On April 19th at Peel Regional Headquarters, CPCA-ON conducted their
first Professional Development Day for Police Chaplains in Ontario.
The day was well organized thanks to the organizational skills of Chaplains
Curtis Hinds(Peel Regional Police) and Greg Bailey(York Regional Police).
The primary goal of the day was to provide a venue where Ontario
Chaplains could gather & receive training, that would help them Serve
those who Serve us."
"Our host for the day was Curtis, who made sure that the event ran
smoothly, started on time and finished on time-mission accomplished.
We were greeted by Peel’s Chief of Police and other high ranking officers,
all expressing their gratitude to our role as chaplains. They were most
sincere with their words and we were humbled by their demeanor."
"In order of their presentation the following spoke:
Staff Sgt: Michael Lockington
Deputy chief: Mark Dapat
Chief: Nishan Duraiappah
Deputy chief: Marc Andrews"
"I(Charlie Swartwood) CPCA ON Regional Director had the opportunity to bring
greetings and a brief devotional, which helped to set the tone for the day.
There was a time for all of us to introduce ourselves and share briefly about
our Police Chaplaincy journey. This was significant when you consider it
was the first in-person meeting that we have had since our formation."
"The keynote speaker was Eugene Dufour(Trauma Consultant- Death
Notification Trainer) who spoke on the subject of: WALKING WITH
SUFFERING. The information shared was timely and pertinent to what all
our chaplains have faced, will face and may even be facing now.
Our Chaplains left the venue wanting more and they were assured there
would be more."
"The CPCA family will continue to grow and be strengthened as regional
focus becomes more and more of a reality. In the future we would encourage other Provinces and Territories with our CPCA Executive’s endorsement to look for creative ways to train and equip their chaplains."
Respectfully submitted,
Charles Swartwood
CPCA-ON Regional Director
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