ALUMNI UPDATE
Partners in Marriage and Evangelization
Rose and Dennis Wingfield earned their MAPS degrees together . Now they minister together supporting Christ-centered marriages .
Darci Swisher
INTO THE VINEYARD
Alumni Advancing the New Evangelization
T
hey were clearly meant to minister side-by-side , even before they earned master ’ s degrees in pastoral studies from Sacred Heart one year apart .
A widower and a widow whose shared faith brought them together fifteen years ago , Dennis and Rose Wingfield know their own relationship has been enriched through participating in and leading marriage programs . In 2006 , while Dennis was discerning a vocation to the permanent diaconate , the Wingfields realized that marriages were being “ enriched , saved and fed ” through the Covenant of Love program they had brought to St . Michael Parish in Livonia .
Ultimately , Dennis opted to continue this ministry he and Rose had already began , and he applied the classes he had already completed at Sacred Heart toward the MAPS degree . His wife soon joined him .
Rose graduated from Sacred Heart in
2017 and Dennis in 2016 . As both chose the New Evangelization as their concentration , they were able to schedule many of the same classes .
“ It was really great to learn that information together and study together ,” Rose says . Dennis — a retired engineer — points out that even though he and Rose graduated a year apart , and some of their classes were different , their final grade point averages were an identical 3.778 .
Both Dennis and Rose focused on marriage for their practicums . Dennis examined the use of couples ’ Bible study as an evangelization tool and its effectiveness in bringing husbands and wives into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ .
Similarly , Rose explored the topic but with using the Alpha parish evangelization program as the outreach tool . Each of their research yielded the positive results that they anticipated , given the role of Christ in their own lives and marriage .
“ We ’ re convinced your relationship to Christ is critical in your marriage relationship ,” Rose says . To that end , they have taken the knowledge they gained in the Master of Arts in Pastoral Studies program and launched a new ministry initiative , Calling Couples to Christ ( callingcouplestochrist . org ). Its mission is “ to help couples live Christ-centered , joy-filled marriages ” through services such as marriage mentoring , marriage retreats , and couple-to-couple coaching .
“ Our studies at Sacred Heart equipped us to effectively minister by forming us on the human , spiritual , intellectual , and pastoral levels ,” Dennis says .
“ The Wingfields ’ marriage ministry
22 Sacred Heart Major Seminary | Mosaic | Fall 2017