Tiġdid Kariżmatiku Kattoliku (Evening Session) – Introduction to Safeguarding for Parishes and Entities

25/09/2026   Swatar Parish Church

This short seminar will assist participants to recognise the basic themes in safeguarding and learn to create a safe environment for children, young people, and vulnerable adults in their entity.

Tiġdid Kariżmatiku Kattoliku

The seminar will consist of one in-person session, taking place on Thursday, 26th November 2026, from 6:00pm to 9:00pm.

A Certificate of Lecture Attendance will be awarded to participants who attend the in-person session. This certificate does not carry any academic credits.

Tiġdid Karizmatiku Kattoliku (Morning Session) – Introduction to Safeguarding for Parishes and Entities

25/09/2026   Swatar Parish Church

This short seminar will assist participants to recognise the basic themes in safeguarding and learn to create a safe environment for children, young people, and vulnerable adults in their entity.

Tiġdid Karizmatiku Kattoliku

The seminar will consist of one in-person session, taking place on Saturday, 21st November 2026, from 9:30am to 12:30pm.

A Certificate of Lecture Attendance will be awarded to participants who attend the in-person session. This certificate does not carry any academic credits.

Swatar Parish (Evening Session) – Introduction to Safeguarding for Parishes and Entities

25/09/2026   Swatar Parish Church

This short seminar will assist participants to recognise the basic themes in safeguarding and learn to create a safe environment for children, young people, and vulnerable adults in their entity.

Swatar Parishioners

The seminar will consist of one in-person session, taking place on Thursday, 26th November 2026, from 6:00pm to 9:00pm.

A Certificate of Lecture Attendance will be awarded to participants who attend the in-person session. This certificate does not carry any academic credits.

Swatar Parish (Morning Session) – Introduction to Safeguarding for Parishes and Entities

25/09/2026   Swatar Parish Church

This short seminar will assist participants to recognise the basic themes in safeguarding and learn to create a safe environment for children, young people, and vulnerable adults in their entity.

Swatar Parishioners

The seminar will consist of one in-person session, taking place on Saturday, 21st November 2026, from 9:30am to 12:30pm.

A Certificate of Lecture Attendance will be awarded to participants who attend the in-person session. This certificate does not carry any academic credits.

St Joseph School, Paola – Introduction to Safeguarding for Parishes and Entities

18/09/2026

This short seminar will assist participants to recognise the basic themes in safeguarding and learn to create a safe environment for children, young people, and vulnerable adults in their entity.

St Joseph School, Paola staff

The course will consist of one in-person session, taking place on Tuesday, 22nd September 2026, from 9:00am to 12:00pm.

A Certificate of Lecture Attendance will be awarded to participants who attend the in-person session. This certificate does not carry any academic credits.

Rabat Parish – Introduction to Safeguarding for Parishes and Entities

15/09/2026

This short seminar will assist participants to recognise the basic themes in safeguarding and learn to create a safe environment for children, young people, and vulnerable adults in their entity.

Rabat Pastoral Workers

The course will consist of one in-person session, taking place on Saturday, 3rd October 2026, from 9:00am to 12:00pm.

A Certificate of Lecture Attendance will be awarded to participants who attend the in-person session. This certificate does not carry any academic credits.

Introduction to Catholic Social Teaching – EOHSJ

15/09/2026

This introductory course explores the foundations and contemporary relevance of Catholic Social Teaching. Through key themes such as human dignity, the common good, structures of sin, work, ecology, and artificial intelligence, participants will reflect on how the Church responds to social, economic, and technological realities in the light of the Gospel. The course encourages a deeper understanding of justice, solidarity, and care for creation, while helping participants discern their Christian responsibility in building a more humane and compassionate society.

Members of EOHSJ (Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem)

The course will be delivered entirely through a series of pre-recorded lectures accessible on our VLE platform at a time and place convenient for you.

SessionDescription
1Introduction to Catholic Social Teaching 
2Structures of Sin 
3The Economy and The World of Work 
4Our Common Home 
5Human Dignity and the Common Good in the Time of AI 

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

  1. Explain the basic principles and foundations of Catholic Social Teaching. 
  2. Identify social, economic, and environmental challenges in light of the Gospel and Church teaching. 
  3. Reflect critically on concepts such as human dignity, the common good, and structures of sin. 
  4. Recognise ethical opportunities and concerns related to technology and artificial intelligence. 
  5. Apply Catholic Social Teaching principles to everyday life, work, and participation in society.

This course has one exit certificate option: 

This course has two exit certificate options: 

1. Certificate of Participation

The student will receive a Certificate of Participation when viewing all the videos of this course and they successfully complete a short online assessment.

2. Certificate of Achievement

The student will receive a Certificate of Achievement when viewing all the videos of this course and they successfully complete all assessments, which are:

(i) a short online assessment

and,

(ii) a written assignment.

Language: Applicants must be proficient in English.

Digital: Applicants must be digitally literate particularly in the use of office suites and of the internet, to both of which they must have access.

Award in Spiritual Dimension in Elderly Care for General Care Givers

11/09/2026   Dar tal-Kleru, Birkirkara
MQF

The Pastoral Formation Institute is licensed by MFHEA
(Licence #: 2013-FHI-028) as a Further and Higher Educational Institute. The Award in Spiritual Dimension in Elderly Care for General Care Givers is accredited at EQF/MQF Level 4, as Further Education Programme.

Recognizing that spirituality can play a critical role in the older person’s overall well-being, the program integrates spiritual care into the broader context of holistic caregiving. The program in spiritual care for caregivers is designed to equip healthcare support workers, and personal caregivers with the knowledge, skills, and resources needed to address the spiritual needs of the people they care for.

People working with the elderly e.g. carers and general staff with an MQF level 3 qualification or higher.

This course consists of 11 sessions: 10 lectures and an examination session.

Session 1: Defining Spirituality and Spiritual Care in Healthcare – Competencies in Spiritual Care

Spirituality and spiritual care in health are related to how patients and health professionals seek and express meaning, purpose, connection, value, or transcendence in the context of illness and health. There is a growing body of evidence that shows that spirituality is linked with better health outcomes, patient satisfaction, medical decision-making, and quality of life. This session will introduce the various definitions of spirituality and spiritual care together with the multidimensional spiritual field.

Session 2: Interpersonal and Intrapersonal Spirituality

INTRAPERSONAL SPIRITUALITY deals with personal spirituality as to provide spiritual care the healthcare worker must be spiritual him/herself. The student is made aware of the importance of self-reflection and self-awareness to better himself as a person and as a provider of spiritual care. Interpersonal spirituality deals with building a relationship with people through effective communication skills. It refers to a person’s spirituality that acknowledges their unique spiritual and cultural world views evoking feelings of companionship and compassionate care.

Session 3: Spiritual Assessment and Evaluation of Care

In this session the learner is introduced to formal and informal approaches to assess the patients’ spiritual needs, plan for necessary interventions based on the available resources and evaluate whether the patients’ needs were met.

Session 4: Loss, Grief, and Compassion in the Elderly

This session will introduce learners to the inevitable process of grief experienced because of loss and feelings of isolation in the elderly. This will provide learners with an understanding of the grief process described by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross so as to enable health workers to better understand and prevent spiritual distress to the elderly.

Session 5: Spiritual Care in Elderly Rehabilitation

This session will discuss the spiritual needs specifically of the elderly who are in rehabilitation. It focuses on ways how the healthcare worker will find time for the elderly to be creative and better confront his feelings of suffering and solitude.

Session 6: Spiritual Care and Mental Health

This session will inform learners about the various mental health issues the elderly person may encounter and provide skills that may assist the healthcare worker to manage and care for the elderly experiencing mental health issues.

Session 7: Spiritual Care in Dementia

This session will inform learners about dementia in the elderly. Will provide information on how to manage care of the elderly in this situation and equip his family with helping skills to better understand the situation.

Session 8: The Role of Religion in Spiritual Care for the Elderly

This session will focus on religiosity which is integral to spiritual care.

Session 9: The Sacraments in Different Religions and Spirituality

This session will discuss religious practices of various religious denominations present in our society.

Session 10: Case Scenarios in the Spiritual Dimension of Elderly Care

This session will provide different case scenarios to assess and evaluate the learners’ knowledge, skills and attitudes learnt during the program to transfer to when caring for the elderly

The course will be held in the following dates from 9:00am – 11:00am at Dar tal-Kleru, Birkirkara

DateSession
13th October 2026Interpersonal and intrapersonal spirituality
20th October 2026 Spiritual care and mental health
27th October 2026Spiritual care in the rehabilitation of the elderly
3rd November 2026Spiritual assessment and evaluation of care
10th November 2026
Loss, Grief, and Compassion in the Elderly
17th November 2026The role of religion in spiritual care for the elderly
24th November 2026Spiritual care in dementia
1st December 2026The Christian Sacraments and other sacred rites in different religions and spirituality
15th December 2026Defining Spirituality and Spiritual Care in Healthcare – Competencies in Spiritual Care
5th January 2027Case Scenarios in the Spiritual Dimension of Elderly Care
19th January 2027*Examination*

*Examination session will take place from 9:00am – 10:30am

LO1 – Competence

At the end of the module/unit the learners will have acquired the following 4 core competences (EPICC Spiritual Care Education Standard, 2016-2019):

  • Intrapersonal and Interpersonal spiritual care competences.
  • Assessment and planning for spiritual care.
  • Intervention and evaluation of spiritual care.

LO2 – Knowledge

At the end of the module/unit the learner will be able to:

  • Demonstrate knowledge of spirituality and spiritual care and its significance in health and well-being.
  • Understand different religious and spiritual traditions and their practices.
  • Recognise the role of spirituality in coping with illness, suffering, and end-of-life issues.

LO3 – Skill

At the end of the module/unit the learners will have acquired the following skills:

  • Develop empathetic listening and communication skills to discuss spiritual concerns.
  • Collaborate with nurses, chaplains, clergy, or spiritual leaders when needed.
  • Encourage self-care and spiritual well-being among patients and colleagues

This course has one exit certificate option: 

Certificate of Achievement 

A Certificate of Achievement is awarded to students who successfully concluded the course, that is;

  • attend a minimum of 80% of all contact hours
  • complete and pass from written examination

Click here to view the PFI’s Grading System

Awarding Body: Pastoral Formation Institute

Minimum Level 3 of education.

OFM – Introduction to Safeguarding for Parishes and Entities

11/09/2026
MQF

The Pastoral Formation Institute is licensed by MFHEA
(Licence #: 2013-FHI-028) as a Further and Higher Educational Institute. The is accredited at EQF/MQF Level 4, as a Higher Education Programme.

This short seminar will assist participants to recognise the basic themes in safeguarding and learn to create a safe environment for children, young people, and vulnerable adults in their entity.

Order of Friars Minor

The course will consist of one in-person session, taking place on Saturday, 19th June 2027, from 9:00am to 12:00pm.

A Certificate of Lecture Attendance will be awarded to participants who attend the in-person session. This certificate does not carry any academic credits.

Introduction to Catholic Social Teaching – EOHSJ

13/08/2026
MQF

The Pastoral Formation Institute is licensed by MFHEA
(Licence #: 2013-FHI-028) as a Further and Higher Educational Institute. The is accredited at EQF/MQF Level 4, as a Higher Education Programme.

This introductory course explores the foundations and contemporary relevance of Catholic Social Teaching. Through key themes such as human dignity, the common good, structures of sin, work, ecology, and artificial intelligence, participants will reflect on how the Church responds to social, economic, and technological realities in the light of the Gospel. The course encourages a deeper understanding of justice, solidarity, and care for creation, while helping participants discern their Christian responsibility in building a more humane and compassionate society.

Members of EOHSJ (Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem)

The course will be delivered entirely through a series of pre-recorded lectures accessible on our VLE platform at a time and place convenient for you after October 2026.
Session Title
Introduction to Catholic Social Teaching 
Structures of Sin 
The Economy and the World of Work 
Our Common Home 
Human Dignity and the Common Good in the time of AI 

This course has three exit certificate options: 

  1. Certificate of Participation 

The student will receive a Certificate of Participation when viewing all the videos of this course and they successfully complete a short online assessment.

2. Certificate of Achievement 

The student will receive a Certificate of Achievement when (in addition to meeting the attendance criteria) they successfully complete all assessments, which are:

(i) a short online assessment

and,

(ii) a written assignment.

Click here to view the PFI’s Grading System

Language: Applicants must be proficient in English.

Digital: Applicants must be digitally literate particularly in the use of office suites and of the internet, to both of which they must have access.