Before enrolling at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in 2014, Moonkyung Park worked in South Korea in the area of Clinical Pastoral Education. Now she is studying to become a U.S.-credentialed CPE supervisor. “Returning to school as a foreign student was difficult for me, but the support of the PTS community has made my academic success possible and confirmed that God has called me here. I’ve promised myself that all the benefits entrusted to me at this seminary will be used for the glory of God and for his people,” Moonkyung says.
A Roman Catholic student enrolled in the M.Div. program, she has received several PTS scholarships that have made her educational preparation here a reality. And that such preparation has also been valuable, even essential, almost goes without saying. “My academic and ministerial training at PTS have deepened my knowledge of theology and pastoral care practices, thereby enabling me to build on my previous ministerial experiences.” Those experiences included serving as a CPE supervisor in South Korea for five years, and earlier as a hospital chaplain in the United States for seven years.
“My studies at PTS and the dedicated guidance of my professors here have confirmed the gifts God has given me—gifts that seem so well suited to CPE supervision,” says Moonkyung. As recognized by her professors, those gifts include insight into supervision, competence in analyzing family and group dynamics, integration of practice and theology, and sensitivity to racial diversity.
In addition to displaying giftedness for CPE supervision, Moonkyung also excels in the classroom. She dedicates herself to pursuing all her endeavors—academic and ministerial—from the conviction that her “sole purpose in life is to glorify God by making the best use of my gifts for his people on earth. What excites me most is to witness to God’s providential guidance. Studying at PTS is one of those hidden but exciting plans of God for me.” She “can’t wait” to serve God’s people as an even better prepared CPE supervisor after she graduates.