Madelyn Knutson: From Admission to Final Prayer

For her Clinical Pastoral Education, MDiv student Madelyn Knutson served at Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where she was assigned primarily to the oncology and hospice floors. She describes the unit as full of uncertainty, holy interruption, and the need to be fully present without knowing what a day would bring.

One of the experiences that has stayed with her most vividly was the chance to accompany a single patient across an entire medical journey. Knutson first met her when she was admitted with unexplained pain, stayed with her through the shock of a new cancer diagnosis, and prayed with her after surgery. “It was really meaningful to walk with her through so many difficult days and to form a deep relationship despite the circumstances,” she said. That kind of continuity of care, showing up again and again, was characteristic of the spiritual center of the experience for Knutson.

CPE also re-shaped Knutson’s understanding of how ministry is practiced beyond a solo pastor in a parish. Coming from rural contexts where churches often have one staff person, she suddenly found herself in a full office suite of chaplains. “I learned in CPE was how to work with and lean on my coworkers. As someone from the rural Midwest, most of my ministry experience was with churches that only had one staff person: the pastor. In CPE, I worked with a whole office suite filled with chaplains! It was really important for me to learn how to function as part of a team and to identify when I needed to ask for help.” 

Knutson also brought LSTC formation with her into the hospital. “I took Pastoral Care with Dr. Brooke Peterson before CPE, which gave me a huge wealth of knowledge to draw from. In CPE, you do learn on the job, but it was helpful to have a foundation of pastoral skills that I could use from the very beginning,” she says. These courses allow students like Knutson to engage deeply in both academic and lived environments. 

Knutson’s advice to other students is both pastoral and practical: “Choose a supervisor you can truly work with. The work of caring for people can be complex and difficult, but you want your supervisor and your group experiences to be constructive.”