Study-Unit Description

Study-Unit Description


CODE MRT5860

 
TITLE Spiritual Direction

 
UM LEVEL 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course

 
MQF LEVEL 7

 
ECTS CREDITS 4

 
DEPARTMENT Moral Theology

 
DESCRIPTION Spiritual direction is an ancient practice which in the Christian tradition dates back to the desert fathers. Although practices of mentorship pre-date the Christian practice of spiritual direction, the latter has its own rationale and goals. In spiritual direction one seeks to become aware of God's presence in personal life and to make life decisions in light of that awareness through the accompaniment of a gifted and trained mentor. The ministry of Spiritual Direction is a helping tool which enables the directee to articulate and understand one's own search for meaning through life situations and events. Spiritual direction as a practice distinguishes itself from psychotherapy or counseling although it utilizes many skills of these clinical practices. This study-unit aims at enabling participants to integrate their theological and psychological training from previous courses and utilizing it through theory and supervision in the practice of spiritual direction.

Study-unit Aims:

At providing participants with the necessary knowledge and skills to help people asking for spiritual mentorship in a pastoral relationship.

Learning Outcomes:

A. Knowledge & Understanding:

By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

1. discover and appreciate the charism of Spiritual Direction;
2. distinguish Spiritual Direction from other types of personal accompaniment to a directee (psycotherapy, counseling, etc...);
3. know what are the characteristics and aims of Spiritual Direction.

B. Skills:

By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

1. be self-conscious as a pastoral minister;
2. develop focused attentive listening skills;
3. develop empathy and compassion.

Main Text/s and any supplementary readings:

Barry William – Connolly William, The Practice of Spiritual Direction, New York: The Seabury Press, 1982.
Barry William, Spiritual Direction and the Encounter with God: A Theological enquiry, Mahwah/nj: Paulist Press, 1992.
Bonnici John S., Person to Person. Friendship and Love in the Life and Theology of Hans Urs von Balthasar, New York: St. Pauls, 1999.
Bonello Kathleen, A Historical Sketch of the Catholic Tradition of Spiritual Direction by means of Letters – A Representative Selection, in Melita Theologica 58/2 (2007) 31-88.
Brundell Michael, Traditions of Spiritual Guidance. Themes in Carmelite Spiritual Direction, in The Way 25/3 (1985) 236-245. (available at the Carmelite Institute Library - Mdina)
Bumpus Mary Rose – Langer Rebecca Bradburn, Supervision of Spiritual Directors: Engaging in Holy Mystery, Harrisburg, Morehouse Publishing, 2006.
Burrows Ruth, Guidelines for Mystical Prayer, Denville/nj: Dimension Books, 1980.
Costa Maurizio, Direzione spirituale e discernimento, Rome: ADP Edizioni, 2002.
Douglas Julie M., Handbook for Spiritual Directors, Mahwah/nj: St. Pauls 1998.
Empereur James L., Spiritual Direction and the Gay Person, London: Geoffrey Chapman, 1998.

 
STUDY-UNIT TYPE Lecture, Independent Study and Practical

 
METHOD OF ASSESSMENT
Assessment Component/s Sept. Asst Session Weighting
Assignment Yes 100%

 
LECTURER/S Charlo Camilleri

 

 
The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints.
Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice.
It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years.

https://www.um.edu.mt/course/studyunit