Learn deeply.
Serve faithfully.

Chaplain Miguel A. Ramos, Jr., is a native of the Bronx, New York, and is of Puerto Rican descent. He began his ministry at age 23 and pursued extensive theological and pastoral education. He earned an Associate Degree in Pastoral Studies, a Bachelor of Arts in Ministry and Leadership, a Master of Arts in Christian Education, and a Doctor of Education specializing in pastoral counseling from Argosy University Phoenix. He also completed graduate training in theology, pastoral ministry, religious studies, and comparative religious studies.

To prepare for professional chaplaincy, Chaplain Ramos entered Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE), integrating theological, psychological, and pastoral insights into pastoral formation and practice. He earned ten units of CPE: two through the College of Pastoral Supervision and Psychotherapy at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and eight through the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education. His Level I training at Huguley Memorial Hospital in Fort Worth, Texas, emphasized pastoral formation, pastoral competence, and self-awareness as a caregiver. His Level II training at Parkland Health & Hospital System in Dallas emphasized advanced integration, specialized pastoral reflection, professional board certification, and preparation for supervisory CPE training.

Chaplain Ramos served at Parkland Health & Hospital System in Dallas and later as a hospice chaplain with Heartland Hospice of Dallas, providing spiritual care to terminally ill patients in their homes. After relocating to Tucson, Arizona, in 2010, he served as a hospital chaplain with Banner–University Medical Center Tucson, formerly University Medical Center. In 2014, he entered correctional chaplaincy with the Arizona Department of Corrections, Tucson Complex. He later returned to Texas to be closer to his family and served as a correctional chaplain with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

“The most effective chaplains are those with an extensive knowledge of diverse religious beliefs and practices, as well as legislation related to religious practice. An effective chaplain is knowledgeable about a wide variety of practices and is capable of suspending judgment long enough to be respectful and helpful to all without feeling the need to change their beliefs.”

Chaplain Ramos is frequently invited to teach and lead conferences on chaplaincy ministry. A defining experience occurred on August 17, 2015, when he conducted a chaplaincy conference at the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. Inmates, correctional officers, administrative staff, chaplains, and the warden attended. His topic was “Being an Eagle and Overcoming Obstacles.”

At the beginning of the conference, sensing tension among the inmates, he placed his belongings on the podium and said, “I might live in the United States, but let me say this from the start: Yo soy Boricua, y Puerto Rico es mi isla”—“I am Puerto Rican, and Puerto Rico is my island.” The tension eased, and the conference continued with testimony, songs of praise, and expressions of gratitude. The inmates presented him with a handcrafted piragua cart, and the warden allowed them to pray for him.

Matthew 20:28: “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Chaplain Ramos is a certified Clinical Pastoral Education Supervisor-Educator with the Institute for Clinical Pastoral Training and CAPSTONE University; a Diplomate of Supervision with the College of Pastoral Supervision and Psychotherapy; and affiliated with the Spiritual Care Association Boisen Institute. He is also a board-certified clinical chaplain with ACCA, CPSP, NAVAC, ACI, SCABI, UACCCI, and IFCC.

For more than 20 years, Chaplain Ramos served as an ordained bishop with the Church of God in Cleveland, Tennessee, and received ecclesiastical endorsement as a professional chaplain through the Church of God Chaplains Commission. He also served for ten years as lead pastor of several Church of God congregations in Tucson, Arizona. He currently holds an Ordained Minister License and professional chaplain ecclesiastical endorsement with the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventist Chaplaincy.