The Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministry prepares you for professional roles of Christian service within a faith community or in other settings where people are in need. Pastoral ministers are privileged to walk with people at significant moments of their lives – sacramental preparation, the passages of youth and young adulthood, illness, bereavement, trauma, loss, birth, and death. They serve in parishes, hospitals, hospice centers, nursing facilities, prisons, and on campuses. A great need going forward, especially as our society ages, is for certified lay chaplains to bring the presence of Christ to the aged, the imprisoned, the dying – all those facing the great mysteries of life’s journey. If you feel the call to offer your gifts and talents in order to make a difference where there is great need, consider Pastoral Ministry at Madonna.
Pictured here with therapy dog “Winston,” Marianne, MAPM '14, was hired by Beaumont Health, Dearborn, as a Staff Chaplain immediately after graduation. She was instrumental in developing a bereavement program for the hospital, which includes a holiday grief workshop, a memorial tree, and a 6 week bereavement support group running several times per year. As the designated Palliative Care Chaplain at her hospital, she visited patients every day who were at the end of their lives, providing them an outlet and support for the difficulties they faced. After serving in that role for several years, she is now Manager of Spiritual Care for the Detroit East Region of the Ascension Heathcare System.
“My Madonna education is the reason I have achieved my career goals. Since graduating from Madonna, I have been a healthcare chaplain, which is what my intention was when I joined the MAPM program. While there, I also obtained the Graduate Certificate in Bereavement. I am Board Certified, as well as Advanced Certified in Palliative and Hospice Chaplaincy – an elite designation, and I am one of only 25 such chaplains in the country" -- and the only one in the state of Michigan.
"I am proud of the education I received at Madonna!”
For more of Marianne's firsthand account of being a chaplain, view this segment of Celebrate Michigan!
Completion of the three courses within this specialty certificate serves as a tool kit for those who work with grieving individuals and families experiencing traumatic loss or significant life changing events who are seeking support and validation in the process of healing.
The hospice and palliative studies certificate is recommended for students who wish to supplement an existing graduate degree and/or those desiring to enhance their knowledge base for advanced work within the field of hospice and palliative care.
Ph.D., Marquette University
M.A., University of Detroit
M.A., University of Pittsburgh
B.F.A., University of Detroit
734-432-5657, Room 2420
Dr. Linahan joined the Madonna family in 2013 and serves as the Director of the Religious Studies and Philosophy Programs and of the Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministry Program. Prior to coming to Madonna, she was a visiting associate professor at Saint Bonaventure University in Western New York for five years. For seven years prior to that, she was a member of the faculty of St. Francis de Sales Seminary in Milwaukee, where she served as the Interim Academic Dean for one year. She completed her Ph.D. in Religious Studies at Marquette University, with a concentration in Systematic Theology and secondary emphases in Biblical and Historical Theology.
Her theological interests are in the areas of Christology, Trinitarian theology, theology of the Holy Spirit, Christian Anthropology, Creation, early Franciscan theology (particularly Bonaventure), and questions regarding the relation of God to the created order. Her doctoral dissertation dealt with several of these areas through the lens of a theology of kenosis (the divine self-emptying), which she has continued to explore in subsequent articles.
M.U.P., Wayne State University
M.Div., St. John Provincial Seminary
M.A., University of Michigan
B.A., Oakland University
734-432-5562, Room 2416
Rev. Morris has been a full time faculty member of Madonna University in the Religious Studies and Philosophy Programs and the Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministry Program since 2013. Prior to his full time status Rev. Morris served as adjunct faculty at Madonna from 2010 to 2012. Rev. Morris is a priest of the Archdiocese of Detroit.
Rev. Morris' research interests include: environmental justice, sustainability education and comparative healing modalities. Rev. Morris' awards include: Michigan Green Leader, Green Burial Council Leadership Award and the 2006 Rolling Stone Magazine Honor Roll.
Rev. Morris has taught over 16 different courses at Madonna. Among his favorite courses are: sustainability, environmental ethics, Western Religion and Sacraments.
