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Introduction to AI in Pastoral Settings: Tools and Practices

23/05/2024

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 aims to equip individuals working in pastoral contexts with the knowledge and skills needed to utilize AI tools effectively. Designed for those with little to no prior knowledge of AI, the course provides a basic understanding of AI systems, their potential applications, and best practices for implementation in pastoral work. By the end of the course, students will have a foundational understanding of how AI tools and systems function, an awareness of the positive and negative aspects of such tools, and an understanding of the Church’s position on AI. They will also develop the ability to critically assess which contexts might benefit from introducing AI tools and which would not, as well as gain awareness of some AI tools that might prove useful in pastoral work.

  • Pastoral Workers
  • Priests
  • Religious

And other individuals interested in the subject

Target Audience Age: 18+

The course will take place on Saturdays from 9:30am to 12:30pm

Students have the option to join this course online via Zoom

DateSession
19th October 2024What is AI? What is the Church’s position on AI?
26th October 2024Helpful AI tools and how to make use of them

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 written 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.

Living Beyond Sunday

09/05/2024

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/.

Our relationship with God is not meant to stay within the walls of our parish church when we leave after Sunday Mass. Instead, “the Mass is ended, go in peace” is an exhortation for us to let what we received during Mass transform our hearts, families, homes, and schools into welcoming places to encounter Christ. This transformation should continue until we gather again the following Sunday to be strengthened and sent forth once more.

In this new course, Living Beyond Sunday, we aim to share ideas to help parents and all those working with children make their time together a place of encounter with God—a place where saints are being made. The course discusses how to foster holiness in all the everyday moments of Catholic life, starting with spiritual pedagogy and moving on to practical ways to celebrate this. It is based on the premise that with small efforts, creativity, and adaptations, it is possible to make what we experience during liturgy appealing, meaningful, and impactful for children.

  • Pastoral workers aiding in children’s and family ministry
  • Chaplaincy teams in schools
  • Parents

And other individuals interested in the subject.

Target Audience Age: 18+

The course will take place on Mondays from 6:00pm to 8:00pm

Students have the option to join this course online via Zoom*

DatesSession
28th October 2024Introduction: Children’s Spirituality and their Relationship with God
4th November 2024Children’s Liturgy in Schools
Adaption of a Liturgy
11th November 2024Introduction to the Liturgical Year
Advent and Christmas
18th November 2024Lent and Easter Triduum
25th November 2024Easter
Ordinary Time and Celebrating Saints
2nd December 2024Seminar – Sharing Good Practice*

*Participation in the seminar to be held on 2nd December 2024, is required to be in person.

This course has three exit certificate options:

1. Certificates 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 Participation

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

The Reality of the Family Today

05/03/2024   Ta' Mlit, Pastoral Centre, Mosta
Reality of the Family Today

Does the family change as much as society does, or does society change as much as the family? This question is asked and discussed repeatedly in different forums.

For society, but even more so for Christians, the family is at the center of human formation. A Christian can be a good Christian only if one is a good human being, and a good human being has a well-formed and balanced character.

This character formation is an ongoing process, mostly based on good familial interactions, where stages of life, events, and situations constantly change dynamics. It is not always easy to keep up with the constant changes, and this can put great pressure on relationships, which might lead to some struggles.

Family ministry, just like any other ministry, needs to read the signs of the times and use the tools of discernment to provide the necessary answers to the evolving questions.

These challenges faced by families today will be addressed by professionals to better equip family ministers.

If you are a registered pastoral worker with the Archdiocese of Malta, you can benefit from a 50% discount on this course. Start your application process as a pastoral worker on parrocci.knisja.mt/pfi.

  • Chair Couples of family/couple groups in parishes
  • People who are interested in the subject

Target Audience Age: 18+

The course will take place on Mondays from 6:30pm to 8:30pm

DatesSession
6th MayLiving out one’s vocation within our families
13th MayStress management: Work-life balance
20th MayWhat is more important, being a parent or a spouse?
27th MayFinancial Burdens
3rd JuneEvolving children’s needs and teenagers

This course has two exit certificate options:

1. Certificates 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 Achievement

To obtain a Certificate of Achievement, students must:

  • attend a minimum of 80% of all contact hours
  • successfully complete a written assignment

Language: Understanding Maltese and be fluent in English.

Digital: Applicants are required to be digitally literate especially, in office suites.

Award in Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults

17/02/2024
Safeguarding Others
MQF

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:

  1. familiarise themselves with safeguarding policies
  2. understand the legal obligations with child abuse
  3. identify signs and symptoms of abuse
  4. know the disclosures of abuse
  5. identify the principles of safeguarding
  6. practice professional boundaries
  7. know their legal obligations related to the Protection of Minors (Registration) Act (2011) and the Minors Protection Act (2019)
  8. learn about the different types of abuse and poor practice
  9. learn a standard response to a disclosure of abuse
  10. be able to recognise signs of abuse
  11. 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.
CodeMode of DeliveryValue
PFE/SCA4-23Blended Learning1 ECTS

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

  1. 3 hours – In person session (Face-to-Face Learning)
  2. 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.

May 2024
Lecturing Period
Mode of DeliveryDate & TimeVenue
In-person11th May 2024
from 9:00am to 12:00pm		Ta’ Mlit Pastoral Centre, Mosta
Recorded Material11th – 20th May 2024Recorded videos on the VLE platform
Assessment Period:
AssessmentAvailable FromDue by
Short Multiple-Choice Online Exam11th May 2024Monday 27th May 2024
Reflective Journal11th May 2024Thursday 27th June 2024

This course has three exit certificate options: 

  1. 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.
  1. 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)

  1. 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: 2 ECTS

Teaching Institutions: Safeguarding Commission together with Pastoral Formation Institute

Award Institution: Pastoral Formation Institute

MQF

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.

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.