This course gives a brief outline of the development of Spiritual Direction throughout Church History.
It aims to give a better understanding of the movements of the Spirit and to delve deeper into the process of discernment of the will of God in day-to-day decisions. This course helps in building a better personal relationship with God within different contexts which the director and/or directee may encounter in daily life. Apart from the theoretical part, this course gives practical skills to understand better the way the Spirit of God leads the person.
At the end of the course the priest will be able to make a clear distinction between spiritual direction and other roles within the ministry itself; consolidate where necessary such practices and give insights for better accompaniment in the priests’ ministry as Spiritual Directors.
It is a course that the director will benefit from both on a personal level and in his ministry when accompanying the directee.
This course is intended for priests who accompany persons in Spiritual Direction.
Target Audience Age: 18+
6th November 2023
| Session Title | Speaker |
|---|---|
| Session 1: Welcoming introduction and Sharing of Experiences | Rev. Ronnie Zammit |
| Session 2: The difference between Pastoral Mentoring, Confession, and Spiritual Direction | Rev. Dr Jimmy Bonnici |
| Session 3: Experiences | Rev. Dr Jimmy Bonnici |
| Session 4: Spiritual Direction from the Sources of Tradition: the needs which arose throughout the years and the dynamics addressed in relation to spiritual direction | Mr Natalino Camilleri |
7th November 2023
| Session Title | Speaker |
|---|---|
| Session 1: Different prayer methods | Rev. Prof. Mark Sultana |
| Session 2: Spiritual movements: the different experiences which the human being passes through | Rev. Prof. Mark Sultana |
8th November 2023
| Session Title | Speaker |
|---|---|
| Session 1: Welcoming introduction and sharing of experiences | Rev. Dr Jimmy Bonnici |
| Session 2: Living our faith throughout the different stages of life: the call to mature discipleship | Rev. Dr Jimmy Bonnici |
| Session 3: The Dynamics and Interior struggle of our interior life | Rev. Christopher Vella SJ |
20th November 2023
| Session Title | Speaker |
|---|---|
| Session 1: Spiritual discernment: the spiritual movements | Rev. Christopher Vella SJ |
| Session 2: Rules of Discernment of Spirits – First Week | Rev. Christopher Vella SJ |
| Session 3: The Importance of Desires | Rev. Christopher Vella SJ |
| Session 4:Rules of discernment of Spirits – Second Week | Rev. Christopher Vella SJ |
21st November 2023
| Session Title | Speaker |
|---|---|
| Session 1: Discerning in the process of spiritual direction: discerning God’s will in daily life or in taking important decisions | Rev. Christopher Vella SJ |
| Session 2: Some Ignatian Exercises that Help in making choices | Rev. Christopher Vella SJ |
| Session 3: Three times for doing an election | Rev. Christopher Vella SJ |
| Session 4:Suggestions by St Ignatius on dealing with the discerning person | Rev. Christopher Vella SJ |
15th January 2024
| Session Title | Speaker |
|---|---|
| Listening and Communication skills (psychological & spiritual level in the director & directee) | Rev. Alfred Micallef SJ & Ms Jenny Zammit |
16th January 2024
| Session Title | Speaker |
|---|---|
| Session 1: A Short and Quick History of Spiritual Direction | Rev. Alfred Micallef SJ |
| Session 2: What is Spiritual Direction? | Rev. Alfred Micallef SJ |
| Session 3: Myself as a Spiritual Director | Rev. Alfred Micallef SJ |
| Session 4: Bill`s Case | Rev. Alfred Micallef SJ |
5th February 2024
| Session Title | Speaker |
|---|---|
| Session 1: Director Directee Relationship | Rev. Alfred Micallef SJ |
| Session 2: The Spiritual Interview | Rev. Alfred Micallef SJ |
| Session 3: Blockages in Prayer | Rev. Alfred Micallef SJ |
| Session 4: Psychological Dynamics in Spiritual Direction | Rev. Alfred Micallef SJ |
6th February 2024
| Session Title | Speaker |
|---|---|
| Session 1: Feelings in Interpersonal Relationships PC | Rev. Alfred Micallef SJ |
| Session 2: God Talk | Rev. Alfred Micallef SJ |
| Session 3: Dealing with Guilt | Rev. Alfred Micallef SJ |
| Session 4: Accompanying the Sick and the Dying | Rev. Alfred Micallef SJ |
Certification:
This course has two exit certificate options:
- Certificate of Attendance
A Certificate of Attendance is received if one attends all the contact hours of this course.
or
- Certificate of Achievement
To obtain a Certificate of Achievement, students must:
- attend all the contact hours
- and successfully complete an assignment/journal/presentation or case study analysis.
Assessment: Written assignment at the end of the course.
Final Award: Accompaniment in Spiritual Direction for Priests
PFI Level: Level 5
Duration: 4 months part-time (54 hours)
Qualifications: Every application will be considered on its individual merits. The Pastoral Formation Institute accepts a wide range of qualifications, and we always try to judge applications on the basis of academic potential. We do consider a very wide range of academic, vocational, and professional qualifications, as well as work and other appropriate experiences and skills.