Certificate in Spirituality

Programme Title/Award: Certificate in Spirituality - Applied Youth Ministry and Facilitation
NFQ Level: Level 6
certificate in spirituality

SHEKINAH OFFERS A ONE YEAR BLENDED LEARNING CERTIFICATE IN SPIRITUALITY – Applied Youth Ministry

Cost: €800

Course Structure

  • Blended Learning
  • 6.5 Days Zoom
  • 4 days in St. Patrick’s College Maynooth 9-5pm
  • 3 Essays
  • Weekly reflections
  • Craft assignments- Peer Presentation – 2 Practical Retreats.

The Certificate in Spirituality course runs from September to April with an orientation day in August. It is a blended learning course, creating opportunities to study a wide range of subjects applicable to applied youth ministry and facilitation. The modular structure of the course is designed with flexibility in mind, enabling the student to balance study with work and family commitments. Through a combination of media and virtual learning resources students will have opportunities to view lectures, access readings, ask questions, facilitate icebreakers and other activities, and submit assignments online. Students will be offered several live e-tutorial sessions, providing them with opportunities to ask questions and engage in discussions using “break-out” rooms. Three in person days will take place in Seomra na Cullaghta, St. Patrick’s College Maynooth.

Certificate In Spirituality Course Assessment

This comprises four elements: full attendance, course participation, weekly learning reflections, completion of three essays, craft assignments, and the practical element of the course. The  practical element will comprise the planning, resourcing, and delivery of two youth retreats/parish reflective youth experiences, (one as lead facilitator and one as co-facilitator). Certificate students are requested to work in teams of two. Students are also required to prepare and present one retreat to a small group of their course peers on-line in the presence of a supervisor. Peer presentations are a useful method of preparing students for their retreat facilitation with young people. Training for retreats is included in the course.  Students are required to arrange their own school/parish placement

Who Is This Course For?

Anyone interested in the spiritual and human development of young people, including parents, teachers, school chaplains and youth workers in parish ministry.    

Teacher Fee Refund Scheme

Teachers can access information on this scheme through the Marino Institution of Education 

Serving primary and post primary teachers who are registered with The Teaching Council and paid by the State are eligible to apply for funding under the scheme.

This includes permanent whole-time, temporary whole-time, part-time teachers, substitute teachers, teachers holding contracts of indefinite duration and teachers holding fixed-term contracts who are employed for the full school year and who provide teaching service during each school week. More information here

Certificate in Spirituality Course Aims and Focus

  • To train the participants in creative ways of bringing the gospel to young people. The course offers transferrable youth ministry skills through a series of experiential workshops and lectures. 
  • Promotes the personal and spiritual development of the participants

Course Topics

  1. Introduction/course ethos – theological, educational and anthropological underpinnings of the course
  2. Safeguarding
  3. Adolescent Development Piaget, Erikson, Marcia, Vygotsky
  4. Understanding the social media culture and influences on today’s teens
  5. Holistic understanding of mindfulness and wellbeing
  6. Christian meditation and young people
  7. Class facilitation skills, group work, and practical approaches
  8. Practical use of music
  9. Practical use of drama and ice breakers
  10. Use of YouTube, video and film
  11. The Use of Story 
  12. Youth culture and difficult questions
  13. Images of God. How our images of God affects our retreat facilitation and youth ministry.
  14. The universe story, ecological awareness and responsibilities

Learning Progression

1 or 2 year Diploma in Spirituality: Applied youth ministry and facilitation