Licence Number: 2013-FHI-028
Pastoral Care/Chaplaincy in Schools is being considered as a bridge between faith(s) and culture(s) in the contemporary context. People involved in this mission are to be well prepared in order to be effective instruments of sharing the joy of the Gospel and Gospel values within schools in the current pluralistic society.
Course Aim:
This course gives participants the knowledge and practical skills needed to enhance effective Pastoral Care and Chaplaincy in Schools. The course assists participants to build a range of skills necessary for this ministry: reflective, analytical, critical and synthetic, leadership, collaborative, interpersonal, listening, planning, and implementation.
This course is open to all people involved in the educational sector or with an expressed interest to work in this area.
This module, participants will be introduced to the concept of Pastoral Care / Chaplaincy in schools. Participants will get the opportunity to discuss and learn how pastoral care/ chaplaincy can be a means to facilitate dialogue between faith(s) and culture(s). In this module, we will articulate how to nurture a wholesome attitude towards life, different religions, and the whole of creation, founded on Gospel values and the teachings of the Church.
This module offers the participants the opportunity to examine the richness and the challenges of a multicultural and multifaith environment within the school community in the context of Pastoral Theology.
In the context of Pastoral Care/Chaplaincy, Pastoral Theology enables the people involved in this ministry to nurture in their life and in the life of the whole school community the truth that;
“[t]he nature of the reign of God is the communion of all human beings between themselves and with God”
( Pope John Paul II, Redemptoris Missio)
This theme will be discussed through selected Scriptural texts and texts from the teachings of the Church and early Church Fathers.
By the end of this module, participants will be able to identify various ways of fostering a relationship with the Transcendent/God through different methods of Prayer. Participants will be able to become more familiar with :
- the meaning of spirituality,
- the spiritual development of the young (4-10 yrs.), youth (11-16yrs.), and adults (18+), keeping in mind contemporary culture/s.
- how to plan and conduct various spiritual encounters and activities with the young (4-10yrs), youth (11-16yrs) and adults (18+).
The aim of this module is to enable participants to build resources to design and enrich liturgical and religious celebrations/activities in schools through exploring and adapting artistic expressions, media, and IT resources in the context of Pastoral Care/Chaplaincy.
This module is divided into three parts;
Part One: One-day seminar – This seminar will enable participants to relate various leadership models and collaboration strategies to Pastoral Care/Chaplaincy in Schools.
Part Two: Half-day spiritual retreat: where participants will have time to reflect on their own spiritual journey in the light of selected Biblical texts and spiritual literature.
Part Three: Online reading: Four papers are going to be presented as online reading. These papers are related to all the modules and will enable participants to reflect on the different ways that Pastoral Care/Chaplaincy is expressed around the world. Participants will be asked to critically analyze and review these articles and use them to evaluate national experiences.
Session Format
- Twenty-eight lectures on Thursday between 17:00-19:15 (60 hours)
- One day-seminar on Saturday 8th January 2022, between 8:30 – 16:30 ( 8hours
- Morning Retreat (4 hours)
- Online learning (16 hours)
Calendar:
THM5021: Internalizing and Evaluating various perspectives of Pastoral Care/Chaplaincy in Schools. – Part 1
| Date | Time | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday 8th January 2022 | 8:30 – 16:30 | Rivotorto Retreat House Birkirkara |
THM5017: Pastoral Care/Chaplaincy in Schools: Promoting Human Dignity and Gospel Values in Contemporary Cultures.
Thursdays at 17:00 – 19:15
| January | 13th, 20th, 27th |
| February | 3rd, 17th, 24th |
| March | 3rd |
Carnival Recess – Friday 25th February – Tuesday 1st March 2022
THM5019: Nurturing Spirituality through Pastoral Care / Chaplaincy in Schools
Thursdays at 17:00 – 19:15
| March | 10th, 17th, 24th |
| April | 7th, 28th |
| May | 5th, 12th |
Easter Recess: Monday 11th April – Sunday 24th April 2022
THM5018: Pastoral Theology in relation to Pastoral Care / Chaplaincy in Schools
Thursdays at 17:00 – 19:15
| May | 19th, 26th |
| June | 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd, 30th |
THM5020: Practical ways of Enriching Liturgical Celebrations and Religious Activities in Schools.
Thursdays at 17:00 – 19:15
| September | 15th, 22nd, 29th |
| October | 6th, 13th, 20th, 27th |
THM5021: Internalizing and Evaluating various perspectives of Pastoral Care/Chaplaincy in Schools.
| Date | Time | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday TBA | 8:30 – 14:30 | Rivotorto Retreat House Birkirkara |
Assessment: Written assignments. Each assignment will be handed for every module
Final Award: Higher Education Award in Pastoral Care in Schools
MQF Level: Level 6
Duration: 1 year part-time (84 hours)
Certification: A sealed Certificate together with a Certificate supplement after successful* completion of the course
* To obtain a Certificate of Achievement a student must; Attend a minimum of 70% of each module and Pass successfully the assignment
Every application will be considered on its individual merits* and includes:
- Full qaulification at MQF Level 5 (Undergraduate Certificate/ Diploma) or equivalent
- Proficient in English and/or Maltese language
- Basic digital competencies (able to do research)
- Expressed interest in Pastoral Care/ chaplaincy in state or non-state schools.
*sit for a short interview with the board of studies which would assess and consider alternative transferable skills, including proficiency in English/ Maltese – O level or equivalent.