Culture – Pastoral Formation Institute

Malta’s Catholic Churches as Bibles in Stone

16/05/2025

This course aims to provide a fresh perspective on how we experience our places of worship. It is designed for anyone interested in exploring how Sacred Scripture and Sacred Architecture connect, and understanding the biblical and spiritual meanings derived from the Churches around us.

The course comprises five sessions, each held in a different church. The Churches featured in this course include the Annunciation Church in Balzan, St Mary’s Church and St Helen’s Basilica in Birkirkara, the Rotunda in Mosta, and St John’s Co-Cathedral in Valletta.

Suitable for everyone, regardless of their academic background in architecture or biblical studies, this course requires no prior experience.

Anyone with an interest in the link between sacred architecture and the Bible

Target Audience Age: 18+

The course will take place on Saturdays from 9:30am – 11:30am

Date	Session	Venue
27th September 2025	The Church as a Garden	Annuciation Church, Ħal Balzan
4th October 2025	The Church as a Temple: Part 1	St Mary’s Church, Birkirkara
11th October 2025	The Church as a Temple: Part 2	St Helen’s Basilica, Birkirkara
18th October 2025	The Church as Cosmos	Mosta Rotunda
25th October 2025	The Church as Heavenly Jerusalem	St John’s Co-Cathedral, Valletta

This course has three exit certificate options:

1. Certificate of Attendance

The student will receive a Certificate of Attendance when attending a minimum of 80% of all contact hours for this course.

2. Certificate of Participation

The student will receive a Certificate of Participation when attending a minimum of 80% of all contact hours for this course and pass from short multiple-choice exam.

3. Certificate of Achievement

To obtain a Certificate of Achievement, students must attend a minimum of 80% of all contact hour and pass from a short multiple-choice exam and an assignment.

Language: Applicants must be proficient in both Maltese and English.

Digital: Applicants must be digitally literate particularly, in use of office suites and internet access.

Church History in Malta

16/05/2025

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 explores the rich history of the Church in Malta, tracing its origins to Apostolic times and examining its profound influence on the development of Maltese identity. Students will analyse the Church’s cultural, social, and artistic contributions to Malta’s heritage through an interdisciplinary approach, utilising primary sources, including monuments, artworks, and documents. The course emphasises the intersection of local and universal Church history, fostering an understanding of the Church’s role in shaping the island’s religious and national identity. Students will gain critical interpretative skills to analyse the artistic and documentary patrimony of the Church within a faith context.

Anyone with an interest in Catholic Social Teaching and its application in everyday life.

Target Audience Age: 18+

The course will take place in October 2025

Students have the option to join this course online via Zoom

Date	Session
TBA	Introduction
TBA	Faith and Fortress: The Church in Malta During the Medieval and Hospitaller Periods
TBA	Baroque Splendor and Beyond: The Church’s Artistic and Cultural Patronage
TBA	The Church and Maltese Identity: Religion in the Struggle for Nationhood
TBA	Modern Challenges and Continuity: The Church in Contemporary Malta

This course has three exit certificate options:

1. Certificate of Attendance

The student will receive a Certificate of Attendance when attending a minimum of 80% of all contact hours for this course.

2. Certificate of Participation

The student will receive a Certificate of Participation when attending a minimum of 80% of all contact hours for this course and pass from short multiple-choice exam.

3. Certificate of Achievement

To obtain a Certificate of Achievement, students must attend a minimum of 80% of all contact hour and pass from a short multiple-choice exam and an assignment.

Language: Applicants must be proficient in both Maltese and English.

Digital: Applicants must be digitally literate particularly, in use of office suites and internet access.

Icon Writing

15/05/2025

The first part of this course will introduce the students to iconography, offering a basic understanding of how and why an icon is written. After this, the hands-on part will commence. A balance between theoretical inputs and hands-on practice will be kept throughout the course in a manner that students can experiment with various processes and techniques whilst writing their own icons. This is a simulation of the actual icon writing process and therefore some material that is normally used will be substituted with alternatives to allow participants to get a feel of the process in a concise period. Students will be encouraged to reflect on the spiritual aspect of the icon writing process originating in Eastern traditions, and upon completion of the writing and relevant catechesis, there will be the opportunity for blessing of the work. Materials will be provided to all attending.

Adults interested in icon writing as both a form of art and spiritual experience. Priority will be given to young adults under the age of 40.

Target Audience Age: 18+

Date and Time	Session	Venue
20th November 2025 5:00pm – 8:00pm	Introduction to icon writing, design and composition	Malta School of Art
29th November 2025 9:00am – 3:00pm	Icon writing retreat – Use of colour	The Parish Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, St Julian’s
15th January 2026 5:00pm – 8:00pm	The golden colour	Malta School of Art
22nd January 2026 6:00pm – 8:00pm	The final steps – catechesis & blessing icons	Malta School of Art

This course has two exit certificate options:

1. Certificate of Participation

The student will receive a Certificate of Participation when attending a minimum of 80% of all contact hours and finalise the icon writing process.

2. Certificate of Achievement

To student will receive a Certificate of Achievement, when students must attend a minimum of 80% of all contact hour, finalise the icon writing process and a reflective journal.

Language: Applicants must be proficient in both Maltese and English.

Digital: Applicants must be digitally literate particularly, in use of office suites and internet access.

Previous courses / training: Applicants need to have basic painting skills.

20/10/2025 – Award in Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults

07/04/2025

The Pastoral Formation Institute is licensed by MFHEA
(Licence #: 2013-FHI-023) as a Further and Higher Educational Institute. The Award in Safeguarding Children & Vulnerable Adults is accredited at EQF/MQF Level 4, as Further Education Programme.

This short course will assist employees and volunteers who work with children and vulnerable adults or handle their data, to recognise the key principles of safeguarding and learn to create a safe environment for children, young people, and vulnerable adults.

The intended learning outcomes:

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

familiarise themselves with safeguarding policies
understand the legal obligations with child abuse
identify signs and symptoms of abuse
know the disclosures of abuse
identify the principles of safeguarding
practice professional boundaries
know their legal obligations related to the Protection of Minors (Registration) Act (2011) and the Minors Protection Act (2019)
learn about the different types of abuse and poor practice
learn a standard response to a disclosure of abuse
be able to recognise signs of abuse
identify the actions to take if you have a concern and who can help

Click here to view and download a detailed course description

Employees who work with children and vulnerable adults
Employees who handle children and vulnerable adults` data
Volunteers who work with children and vulnerable adults
Volunteers who handle children and vulnerable adults` data.

Code	Mode of Delivery	Value
PFE/SCA4-23	Blended Learning	1 ECTS

The course is delivered over 5 contact hours. These 5 hours are delivered over two sessions:

3 hours – In person session (Face-to-Face Learning)
2 hours – recorded material which can be accessed on the PFI`s Moodle Portal (Blended Learning)

Students will also be given additional reading material which they can read in their own time.

Click here to view and download a detailed course description

You may find all the dates in the Calendar section below.

Each course is delivered over two sessions; (a) 3-hour, in-person session and (b) 2 hours of recorded material which can be accessed on the PFI’s Moodle Portal.

October 2025

Lecturing Period

Mode of Delivery	Date & Time	Venue
In-person	20th October 2025 from 5.30pm to 8.30pm	Ta’ Mlit Pastoral Centre, Mosta
Recorded Material	21st October – 4th November 2025	Recorded videos on the VLE platform

Assessment Period:

Assessment	Available From	Due by
Short Multiple-Choice Online Exam	21st October 2025	4th November 2025
Reflective Journal	20th October 2025	20th November 2025

This course has three exit certificate options:

Certificate of Attendance

A Certificate of Attendance will be rewarded to students who have:

attended in-person session
watched all the recorded material
and did not submit any course assessments.

Certificate of Participation

A Certificate of Participation* will be rewarded to students who meet the attendance criteria and successfully conclude the course multiple choice test. (please check the calendar tab above for exam dates)

Certificate of Achievement

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

meet the attendance criteria
sit and pass the short multiple-choice online exam (mentioned in point 2),
and also submit a written assessment

Click here to view the PFI’s Grading System

*_{To obtain a Certificate of Achievement or a Certificate of Participation, a student must; attend all the contact hours and successfully conclude the assessment/s}.

EQF/MQF Level: Level 4

Accreditation Category: Further Education Programme

Total ECTS: 1 ECTS

Teaching Institutions: Safeguarding Commission together with Pastoral Formation Institute

Award Institution: Pastoral Formation Institute

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.

Language: Primary level understanding of Maltese and English.

Digital: Knows how to access the internet and use a word processor.

For courses offered in face-to-face learning and Blended Learning, it is required that applicants reside in the Maltese Islands and use their Maltese address in their application form.

For further information regarding visa requirements, head to Identity Malta’s VISA requirement for third-country nationals.