This course is eligible for the Get Formed! scheme, allowing students to reclaim 70% of their course fees upon completion. For more information, visit: https://pfi.edu.mt/get-formed/.
This course is designed to prepare committed Catholics to serve as catechists, guiding individuals on their journey toward full membership in the Catholic Church. Participants will learn how to accompany and support those discerning whether to join the Church, as well as newly baptized Catholics in their first months of initiation. The course will cover the key stages of the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA), from initial inquiry to the period of Mystagogy, ensuring catechists are equipped to share the teachings of the Church with clarity, compassion, and faithfulness.
This course is intended for committed Catholics who would like to share their experience of what it means to be part of the Church with persons who are in a process of discernment about whether to become Catholics. Ideally, these persons would be active in a particular parish where the persons that they would be accompanying could become eventually rooted following their baptism.
This course does not entitle the student to become an accompanying person for Catechumens. The accompanying persons are appointed by the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) Team in collaboration with the Parish Priest/Chaplain of the respective community.
Target audience: 25+
Module 1 – Introduction to Basic Themes in Theology
This module will be offered entirely online, allowing you to complete it at your own pace and on your own schedule.
Module 2 – Historical and Theological Perspectives of Christian Initiation
These sessions will be held from 6:00pm – 8:00pm.
These sessions will be held at Ta’ Mlit Pastoral Centre, Mosta.
| Date | Session |
| 8th January 2025 | The Initiation in the Early Church |
| 15th January 2025 | The Development of the Rite/Order of the Christian Initiation of Adults |
| 22nd January 2025 | Catechising During the Pre-Catechumenate Phase And “Identity of the Catechist” |
| 29th January 2025 | Catechising During the Catechumenate and the Enlightenment Phases And “Methodology in Catechesis” |
| 5th February 2025 | Catechising During Mystagogy And “The Liturgy as a Mystagogical Journey” |
Module 3: Practicum
Those who successfully finish Module 2 – Historical and Theological Perspectives of Christian Initiation may apply for this module which will consist in a 20 hour supervised accompaniment of a person going through the RCIA process, whilst being supported by other persons such as the parish priest and the catechists who will be providing catechesis to the person concerned, often in a group context.
This course has one exit certificate option:
1. Certificate of Achievement
The student will receive a Certificate of Achievement when students attend 80% of course contact hours and successfully complete and pass from all assessments, which are:
(i) a short online assessment
and,
(ii) a written assignment / reflective journal.
Enrolment for this course necessitates a recommendation from the Parish Priest/Chaplain of the relevant community, a requirement that is subsequently verified by PFI.
Language: Applicants must be fluent in English and have basic proficiency in Maltese.
Digital: Applicants must be digitally literate, especially on how to access the internet and use office suites.