[1][6] After beginning her career as a secondary school teacher and university chaplain, Madigan has worked predominantly in ecumenical and interfaith ministry in Sydney, Australia.
She was a foundation member of the Women's Interfaith Network (WIN) in Sydney and a Christian representative on the Australian National Dialogue of Christians, Muslims and Jews (ANDCMJ),[6][7][8] Australia's peak inter-religious body and was the former Director of the Commission for Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations in the Catholic Diocese of Broken Bay (2003–2013) and the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney (1997–2003).
[1][6][9][4] In 2002 Madigan participated in a Consultation of the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue for the Asian region held in Seoul, South Korea.
[6] [14][15] Madigan is the author of many books and articles about interreligious dialogue and also writes about the status of women in the Catholic Church and in other religions.
"[17] After the Arab Spring, Madigan published Women and Fundamentalism in Islam and Catholicism, one reviewer noted the timeliness of her work as much as its content.