Chaminade University of Honolulu

Master of Pastoral Theology

Newest Diaconate Formation Cohort Welcomed

Thirty-six Chaminade students received a warm welcome on campus recently as they prepare to embark on a journey that is as much spiritual as it is scholarly.

The students are part of the newest diaconate formation cohort at Chaminade.

Together, they’ll pursue a Permanent Diaconate Education Certificate—designed to provide the academic preparation required to serve as a deacon or deacon’s wife in the Catholic Church.

Fifteen members of the cohort are simultaneously pursuing bachelor’s degrees in Religious Studies while 12 are seeking a Master’s in Pastoral Theology from Chaminade.

A special orientation event March 15 on Chaminade’s campus offered cohort members an opportunity to learn from one another as they also learn about the program—and the academic pathway they’ll take as they build a strong foundation in Scripture studies and theology.

Attendees included Allan and May Kuaana, who are seeking the diaconate certificate.

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“I am attending the Diaconate Program because, yes, it is a requirement for formation. But more importantly, it’s part of a deeper response to a greater calling,” Allan Kuaana said.

“This is where I believe God is asking me to be at this very moment.”

May Kuaana added, “I am here to walk with and support my husband in this journey of faith. This is not just his calling, it’s something we are living together—each day, one step at a time.”

Cohort members Brandon and Katherine Perea are also pursuing the master’s in Pastoral Theology. The couple said the orientation offered them new insight into the Marianists and their work to serve marginalized communities. “In this way, Chaminade’s spirituality embodies what it means to be a deacon—so it’s fitting our diocese facilitates our formation here,” they said.

The couple said they are looking to help others and expand their service to the community.

“I think I speak for everyone in the formation program when I say we are filled with a restless love for our Church and our community,” Brandon Perea said.


“Growing in relationship with Christ has resulted in this sensitivity to suffering around us. After the Mass, nothing makes us feel closer to Christ than helping others overcome physical, emotional, or spiritual barriers between them and God.”

Dustyn Ragasa, Ph.D., director of the master’s in Pastoral Theology program, said the cohort is among the biggest in recent memory. “Participants come from all walks of life,” he said. “Some are older and some are younger. Some are longtime residents and some are in the military.”

He noted the orientation, which included introductions from Chaminade President Lynn Babington and Marianist leaders, offered an opportunity for cohort members to feel like they’re a part of the Chaminade ‘ohana. It also gave them tools they’ll need as they embark on their studies.

For example, participants learned about the library resources available at Chaminade.

Ragasa said he was heartened to see the latest diaconate formation so full—including with younger parents. “It’s a full house,” he said. “I think the pandemic and everything that’s happened since has really encouraged people to slow down a little and ask, ‘What does it mean to live a flourishing life?’ People want to give to others in meaningful sorts of ways,” he said.

He said while the cohort members will be learning together, the graduate students will take leadership roles as part of their academic work. And ultimately, he added, all of them will serve in leadership roles in their parishes. “Seeing a new cohort come in, especially one with so many younger participants, gives me a sense of hope in the best of our faith tradition,” he said.

“At the end of the day, somebody who graduates from our program might be ministering to someone I know, comforting someone I care about. They’re going to be there for people in our community.”

Alumna ‘Answering a Call’ as Nonprofit’s CEO

Tina Andrade ’05, MPT ’14 is the first woman and Native Hawaiian to lead Catholic Charities Hawaiʻi in the organization’s 77-year history.

But as she takes the helm of the nonprofit at a moment of great change for the islands, she isn’t focused on herself. She’s working to lift up her employees and her community.

“A major theme I have is helping our employees understand the ‘why’ of their work. We’re here to create a better path for people in life,” she said. “We’re here to make sure that when people leave our services, they’re better off than when they came to us.”

It’s an ambitious goal, but one Catholic Charities, as one of Hawaiʻi’s largest social service agencies, is living up to—thanks in no small part to Andrade’s leadership. While she officially became president and CEO at Catholic Charities in January, Andrade has been on the nonprofit’s executive team for years and previously served as chief operating officer.

Andrade says her drive to serve has been a lifelong one.

It’s why she chose to pursue a bachelor’s degree at Chaminade when she decided to return to school. At the time, Andrade was teaching religion part-time at a Catholic school while also tackling obligations at home and remaining active in the community.

“I went to Chaminade because of the values and the education they provide,” Andrade said.

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About the same time, Andrade was invited to assist Catholic Charities with efforts to embrace their mission. She was later named vice president of mission integration at the nonprofit, a role that allowed her to spotlight the nonprofit’s service-focused goals.

Andrade graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Religious Studies from Chaminade in 2005, and returned to campus several years later to pursue a master’s degree in Pastoral Theology. She graduated with her master’s in 2014, and recounts the educational experience helping her embrace her own religious foundation and her role as a community leader.

Today, Andrade said the pursuit of social justice is what keeps her passionate and engaged. “This work has transformed me,” she said. “We are answering a call together.”

She added that her time at Chaminade not only allowed her to build on her academic knowledge, but gave her the chance to meet new people and broaden her perspectives. She also forged strong relationships with her professors and stays in contact with several.

As she looks to the year ahead, Andrade says she is concerned about the economic headwinds the state and nation are facing. At the same time, she is optimistic about everything her agency is poised to bring to island communities—and embracing those “firsts” that her leadership brings.

“The journey of Native Hawaiians has been a challenging one,” she noted.

“From that standpoint, this role really is growth and opportunity for all of us.”

Community Service

Catholic Charities Hawaii renders aid to Maui residents

A day after the catastrophic Maui wildfire, Tina Andrade was already anticipating a groundswell of pleas for assistance. As the Chief Operations Officer of Catholic Charities Hawai‘i, Andrade is no stranger to emergency crisis. After all, the aftermath of COVID-19 still lingers among some residents who continue to struggle financially, physically and emotionally.

“I am on Maui right now, and we are meeting with families on the west side,” says Andrade, who joined Catholic Charities Hawai‘i in 2003 as its vice president in mission integration and was appointed earlier this year to serve as the nonprofit’s Chief Operations Officer. “We’ve been giving them gift cards and solar lights, which also serve as phone chargers. We’ve distributed food, water and personal items. And we’ve placed families in Airbnb rentals, and will be helping with rental assistance/housing stability. We’ve also had counselors meeting with individuals.”

Serving Hawai‘i since 1947, Catholic Charities Hawai‘i has rendered aid to local residents of all faiths and cultures in previous disasters, including Hurricane Iniki, the recent Kīlauea eruptions, the COVID-19 pandemic and now the worst natural catastrophe in Hawaii’s history.

Tina Andrade has been with Hawaii Catholic Charities since 2003, and is currently the nonprofit's Chief Operations Officer.
Tina Andrade has been with Hawaii Catholic Charities since 2003, and is currently the nonprofit’s Chief Operations Officer.

“We typically serve approximately 40,000 individuals per year,” says Andrade, who engages the local community in Catholic Charities Hawai‘i’s mission through its Social Policy efforts and with the neighboring islands advisory boards. “We provide more than 40 social services and programs, ranging from rental assistance and mental health to immigration and senior advocacy to assist our kūpuna.”

Born and raised in Honolulu, Andrade graduated from Kamehameha Schools, and received her bachelor’s degree in religious studies (2005) and master’s degree (2014) in pastoral theology from Chaminade University.

Prior to joining Catholic Charities Hawai‘i, she was an educator at several Hawai‘i Catholic schools and worked within the Catholic community in the area of religious education and social ministry. Additionally, she has an Executive Certificate in Nonprofit Transformational Leadership from Notre Dame University and a Professional Certificate in Human Resource & Workforce Development & Management from Michigan State University.

“I started with Catholic Charities Hawai‘i years ago as a receptionist until I decided to enroll at Chaminade,” Andrade says. “I really believe in our mission and our values—which are similar to Chaminade’s— that were first established by the Maryknoll Sisters. We seek to help strengthen families in the community and, to do so effectively, we partner with government agencies, hospitals and parishes, and we’re also part of Aloha United Way’s 211 helpline.”

With affordable housing as the number one priority in Hawaii—especially on Maui right now— Andrade has collaborated with community partners in securing $200 million to build affordable housing. As part of Catholic Charities executive team, she helped oversee the distribution of more than $150 million in federal rental assistance to tenants during the pandemic.

“Tina has been a trusted and collaborative member of our executive team for the past 20 years, helping us identify the priorities of our agency’s social policies to address poverty and social justice,” says CEO and President Robert Van Tassell, in a released statement. “With her extensive knowledge of our organization’s history, programs, personnel, partners and future potential, she is a natural fit to run CCH’s day-to-day operations.”

Celebrating its 75th anniversary last year, Catholic Charities Hawai‘i continues to serve as a beacon of hope for the state’s most vulnerable populations. It all started in 1859 when the Catholic Women’s Guild provided food, clothes and medical aid to immigrant plantation workers. The association was later reorganized by Bishop Sweeney as Catholic Charities in 1942. Recognizing that Hawai‘i was in dire need of social services following World War II, Sweeney contacted the Maryknoll Sisters, a group of New York women who exemplified their faith by devoting their lives to others.

“The Maryknoll Sisters’ primary emphasis was putting their faith into action,” Andrade explains. “That faith is what brought me here. It’s what keeps me here. We have one mission—to provide compassionate care—but there are many ways to carry out that mission.”

Education with a Higher Purpose

Jayne Mondoy, Master of Pastoral Theology '00

Jayne Mondoy was teaching fifth through eighth grade at St. Elizabeth School in Central Oahu—and enjoying the work—when she felt driven to build her leadership skills. She started looking for a graduate program that could prepare her for the rigors of Catholic school administration.

And she found Chaminade’s Master of Pastoral Theology.

“School administration was something that I believe God was calling me to do,” said Mondoy, MPT ’00.

At Chaminade, Mondoy found a graduate program that incorporated both “practical aspects of responsible stewardship” and the mission of Catholic schools. “It really was a wonderful blending of both,” she said. “The education at Chaminade really served me well in building an awareness and a level of competence in areas that school administrators require—and certainly in my current position.”

That position is the director of the Office of Religious Education at the Diocese of Honolulu, a role Mondoy has held since 2005. Previously, she served as dean of curriculum and instruction at Saint Louis School and spent seven years teaching in Hawaii Catholic Schools.

Mondoy took a circuitous route to teaching and educational leadership.

In the late 1980s to mid-1990s, she and her husband were living in San Francisco and climbing the corporate ladder. He was in engineering and she was in merchant banking. Everything changed when they had their first child. They moved back to Hawaii, where they had both grown up.

And Mondoy decided to pursue a lifelong dream of teaching.

Education was fulfilling, challenging, inspiring—everything she’d hoped it would be. She knew administration was her next step, but she needed the right preparation. At Chaminade, she said, she found professors who were passionate and happy to give students individualized attention.

Jayne Monody, MPT '00, at Book release celebration as a new author for Loyola Press

“They actually are involved in the stuff they teach. It’s not theoretical,” Mondoy said. “I didn’t have to look too far to find mentors that helped me understand how stewardship mission truly works together.”

Mondoy added that she still uses the foundation she built at Chaminade in her everyday work.

And she continues to expand on her knowledge, too, including as a consultant for the National Conversations of Parish Life and Committee for Cultural Diversity with the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. Mondoy has also published extensively on religious education, including with her 2017 Loyola Press title, Cultivating Your Catechists: How to Recruit, Encourage, and Retain Successful Catechists.

She said she is especially excited about helping to build a stronger voice for Pacific Islanders in the national Catholic community. And she said Chaminade’s inclusive and rich campus environment helped prepare her for her current role in helping to highlight and celebrate a diversity of voices.

“I often reflect on my experiences at Chaminade, collaborating with a community of peoples from around the world. This was another way I was being prepared by just being on campus,” Mondoy said.

And to today’s emerging religious scholars considering Chaminade’s MPT program, she has this message: “Be open to that call because our world needs your voice, your leadership. Our world needs well-formed young people who have the compassion of Christ and can play that sensibility out.”

Coming Home to Chaminade and Paying it Forward

As part of an effort to open theological studies to more laypeople, Chaminade has significantly broadened its Master of Pastoral Theology (MPT) program to include opportunities for those interested in education, ethics, campus ministry, pastoral counseling and other direct service positions.

The MPT master’s degree at Chaminade has traditionally been geared toward a diaconate track.

But the program now welcomes those outside of that cohort—and is already seeing more students.

Dustyn Kainoa Ragasa

Dr. Dustyn Ragasa, director of the Pastoral Theology master’s degree program, said difficult philosophical and ethical questions facing our communities have driven up interest in theological studies programs nationally. He added that the MPT program at Chaminade is individualized to each student, offering a diversity of pathways and a curriculum designed to promote personal growth.

“Someone once told me that Hawaii is not a melting pot, but a mixed plate,” Ragasa said.

“Each culture’s specific contribution is not homogenized or boiled down to a set of common denominators, but preserved in their integrity so as to enrich through diversity. The MPT recognizes the specific gifts of culture that our students make to the learning experience. This kind of ‘mixed plate theology’ draws upon our heritages (and place-based theologies) so as to share them.”

Finding his way

Ragasa ‘07, who is also an assistant professor of Religious Studies at Chaminade, followed his own unique pathway to leadership at the university. He said he came to Chaminade a bit lost after dropping out of Waimea High on Kauai and then completing his GED. On his first day on campus—as the first student in his family to ever attend college—he wasn’t sure if he would be able to “hack it.”

“I thought, ‘I’m going to fail my first week.’ But the professors I had were so supportive from the beginning. When I was struggling, I knew they would be there,” he said, adding he was determined to succeed. And that’s exactly what he did—so much so that his professors encouraged him to pursue graduate studies and then helped him plot a course to a theology program on the mainland.

“They identified strengths in me that I couldn’t see in myself,” Ragasa said.

After graduating from Chaminade, Ragasa went on to earn a master’s degree from The Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology and a doctoral degree from the Graduate Theological Union. He said while earning his graduate degrees, he pledged to himself to use all he was learning to do two things: “I knew I wanted to be of service to my community and I knew I wanted to help other students.”

And after receiving his doctoral degree, an opportunity at Chaminade just happened to open up.

Chaminade homecoming

He quickly applied and Ragasa joined Chaminade’s School of Humanities, Arts and Design faculty in August 2019.

For Ragasa, returning to Chaminade was an opportunity to give back—just as his mentors at the University offered guidance and inspiration to him. And he jumped at the chance to reimagine the MPT program, widening its scope and potential impact to bring in more students.

He said he wanted to focus on helping MPT students apply what they were learning to real-life problems. He also wanted to integrate laypeople in the program with those on the diaconate track, creating a rich and robust dialogue and building relationships that last long after graduation.

“Laypeople and candidates preparing for the diaconate learn side-by-side,” he said. “Contact with candidates helps laypeople to think more pastorally. Similarly, contact with laypeople helps candidates remain grounded, and many candidates will often learn from the academic insights of the lay students.”

Ragasa is also looking for new ways to expand and enrich the program.

Moving the MPT program forward

He said he’s interested in striking up partnerships with Chaminade’s Education and Data Science programs to offer Pastoral Theology students hands-on learning opportunities, such as in-classroom teaching experiences. And he wants to build relationships with theology programs on the mainland so that students who are interested could get the chance to study at another university for a semester.

Whatever the additions, Ragasa is confident the program’s faculty members—who come from a diversity of academic backgrounds—will continue to provide a rich and individualized experience for each student that includes both robust academic study and direct service opportunities.

With fieldwork and academic contemplation combined, he said, “it’s my hope that someone who reflects on theology will approach their ministry empowered by the intellectual tradition of the church.”

‘Outstanding Graduate’ in Pastoral Theology Starting End-of-Life Spiritual Care Program

In recognition of his educational achievements, leadership skills and “sincere heart to serve,” Gerald Streff was named the “Outstanding Graduate” in Chaminade University’s Master of Pastoral Theology program.

Streff and five other students graduated from the program this spring.

Gerald StreffStreff, who retired in 2012 after a 39-year career with the U.S. Air Force, will use his academic training to launch an end-of-life spiritual care volunteer program at the Saint Jude Makakilo parish. His initiative addresses growing concerns about caring for seniors in Hawaii, which has one of the highest percentages of elderly residents in America.

“Gary’s academic acumen, his generous desire both to help develop an end-of-life ministry program for the people of his parish, and to serve to emerging concerns of the larger professional health care community of Hawaii have more than qualified him for the graduate award,” according to Father Paul Fitzpatrick, SM, director of the pastoral program.

Streff says Father Paul’s mentorship, friendship and method of teaching “opened me up to God in a way that no one else has ever done.”

“It was Father Paul’s constant challenges that made the Bible and other sacred writings come alive and relevant,” according to Streff. “His personal dedication to God, the Catholic Church and the fulfillment of his Marian mission were very inspirational.”

And although Streff says he “thoroughly enjoyed his military career and its challenges,” now he’s finding pastoral work “much more fulfilling and definitely worth it.”

Chaminade’s Master of Pastoral Theology program is part of the Division of Humanities and Fine Arts. Specialized certificate programs are offered in Pastoral Counseling and Spiritual Direction and in Permanent Diaconate Education to prepare for ordination as a deacon in the Roman Catholic Church.