St. John's Seminary offers the Master of Arts in Ministry Program with the purpose of assisting the local Church in the formation of the laity for "the mission of the whole Christian people in the Church and in the world" (Lumen Gentium, 31). The program is specifically designed for laity who volunteer or work professionally in a ministerial capacity in the Archdiocese. More information can be found at http://www.sjs.edu
The Master of Arts Ministry Program encompasses the vision and four aspects of lay formation as articulated by Pope John Paul II in Christifidelis Laici:
Academic Program: a core curriculum of eleven courses and four electives;
Human Formation: workshops, faculty advising;
Spiritual Formation: spiritual direction, retreats
Apostolic Field Education: supervised field placements
Designed for non-resident students, this program is geared for those who seek to serve the local church as pastoral associates, religious educators, or in a variety of administrative and ministerial positions that are open to the laity in contemporary Catholic parish life and in other settings such as hospitals, campuses and prisons.
The foremost goals of the Master of Arts in Ministry Program are:
- That students understand and appreciate that vocation of the lay faithful in the Church and the world so that they can discern well the particular ways in which they are called to live out their baptismal dignity;
- That students grow in personal and spiritual maturity for a deeper appropriation of the gospel of Jesus Christ;
- That students acquire a general knowledge and understanding of the Catholic Tradition;
- That students develop their capacity for analytical and constructive theological reflection pertaining to public work in parishes and other ecclesial institutions;
- That students develop a theological fluency needed for effective evangelization of the contemporary world and fruitful participation and collaboration in the public work of the Church;
- That students acquire skill in the design, implementation and assessment of educational, spiritual and social service programs in support of the Roman Catholic Church's mission.