A Chaplain’s Journey Into the Business of Dying How to Find a Trustworthy
Provider
Nonfiction / Medical
Date Published: October 9, 2023
Publisher: MindStir Media
Maryclaire Torinus invites you to join her at the bedsides of dying
patients. Her enlightenment becomes your learning as each chapter unfolds.
Her admiration for hospice helps her see its darker side. Her list of
interview questions for those seeking good, community-oriented hospice is a
valuable tool.
Larry Patten, Retired United Methodist Minister, Hospice Chaplain, author
of “A Companion for the Hospice Journey.
Maryclaire Torinus received certification in Clinical Pastoral Education
for Chaplaincy at St. Camillus Senior Living Residence. She worked as a
hospice chaplain and as a hospice consumer advocate for eight years. She
also worked for two years as a pastoral counselor in an acute-care wing of
the Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Complex. Maryclaire is a Wisconsin
native and met her husband, Mark, in the fifth grade. She and Mark were
married for 37 years until he died in 2013. They have three children and
three grandchildren.
Praise for Surviving Hospice
Powerful, beautifully written, and eye-opening, this book spotlights the
inner workings of a multi-billion-dollar industry and the effect on
patients, families, and hospice staff. The author shares poignant accounts
of hospice at its best and worst and the hard-hitting truths she learned on
her journey. A must-read for family members exploring hospice care.
Stacy Juba, author, editor, and award-winning health journalist
Maryclaire Torinus speaks with authority, providing this essential handbook
for choosing a hospice care team and why that selection really
matters.
Laura Kukowski, CEO
For-Profit Badger Hospice, LLC
About the Author
I am intellectual, contemplative, and intuitive. I resonate deeply with the
writing and theological teachings of Franciscan Friar Richard Rohr and am a
One on the Enneagram Spiritual Inventory. I recently converted from Roman
Catholicism to Episcopalian and I am an active member of St. Mark’s
Church in Milwaukee. My colleagues have told me that I am a bridge-maker and
an agent for change and spiritual growth. I am a lover of water with a
passion for kayaking.
I think it’s important to take healthy (informed) risks in life,
which is why I am writing this book. During my years of study in the field
of music, I’ve grown to love the vocal polyphony of the Renaissance
period, Broadway musicals, and the film scores composed by John Williams
(Schindler’s List and E.T.) My favorite performing experiences have
been in Europe, Carnegie Hall, semi-professional theater roles, and touring
with my college vocal jazz ensemble.
After more than 35 years of marriage I lost my husband and best friend to
heart failure. I am a mom to three millennials and am a nana to three
grandchildren and three cats.
My love of travel began when I studied abroad for a year in W. Berlin,
Germany during the height of the Cold War; where I was profoundly affected
by the history, culture, post-war politics, and ghastly Soviet-built wall.
It was my first experience living amidst suffering.
Favorite memories over the years include riding a sweaty, stumbling horse
for 6 hours into the Bob Marshall Wilderness to fly-fish, camp, and raft;
hoofing up “The Great Wall” of China for three hours in a
torrent of rain and wind; and cross-country skiing with my husband into a
Colorado valley; lit only by the moon and our head lamps.
My Bachelor Degree is in Vocal Music Education from St. Norbert College. My
Master’s degree is in Religious Studies from Cardinal Stritch
University. I trained in Clinical Pastoral Education for Chaplaincy at St.
Camillus Skilled Nursing Facility in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I was humbled to
receive the Heart of Compassion Award in 2012, as one of the top chaplains
in the nation for my company. I studied at the Writers Institute at UW
Madison, The Clearing Folk School in Door County, and Red Oak Writing
Studio.
My career in pastoral ministry culminated in my position as a full-time
Hospice Chaplain at the same time that my husband was dying. Having also
endured a serious clinical depression in my early fifties, my combined
personal and professional experiences offered a peculiar benefit for my work
in Hospice – where holding a certain comfort level with suffering and
loss was imperative.
I have worked in the fields of education, hospice chaplaincy, and eldercare
for almost 30 years. My chaplain ministry has afforded many opportunities to
speak at funerals, conduct workshops on the industry of hospice, and teach
on the Spirituality of Aging.
From this experience, I am offering my knowledge with the mission of
helping consumers navigate hospice services.
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