Sacred Heart Major Seminary revised its Master of Arts in Pastoral Studies (MAPS) academic curriculum and created a formation component to adequately prepare lay pastoral ministers for service. The seminary examined the education and formation of lay pastoral ministry in North America with a view to reassessing the standards of its own MAPS program and implemented a reworked model. The seminary also focused on intensifying the recruitment campaign to invite lay pastoral ministry candidates to enter into a full-time ministry program. The formation component of lay pastoral ministers saw renewed emphasis in the areas of spiritual direction, mentoring and theological reflection.