Welcome to the Department of Short Courses
Our sabbatical programme is a personalized programme. We do not work with a fixed programme. When you join us you decide what your course emphasis is going to be.
Sabbatical
Our sabbatical programme is a personalized programme. We do not work with a fixed programme. When you come you have to decide what your emphasis is going to be:
1. Personal reading: we have a large library and are connected with the various libraries of the area.
2. Producing a research paper on a topic of your choice.
3. Selecting a number of courses from our Philosophy, Theology, and Development Studies programmes. Participating in one of the post-graduate courses at the University of KwaZulu-Natal is also a possibility.
4. Focus on prayer, spiritual direction and retreat. You can mix these elements according to your choice.
You can spend one semester or two semesters. Our academic year starts early in February, with a winter break usually from about June 15 to July 18. The second semester then follows until the end of November. See the Calendar for each year for exact dates.
We are situated near Pietermaritzburg, the capital city of KwaZulu-Natal, about 400 meters above the city in the countryside, near farms and a nature reserve (no lions or elephants, only antelopes of various kinds, birds, monkeys, …). So, it is ideal if you want to be away from the hustle and bustle of noisy city life. We are situated about 100 km from the Indian Ocean and about 100 km from the famous Drakensberg Mountains. Once in a while, a day long excursion will be organized to hike in the mountains, see the Bushmen paintings, or to wet your feet in the salty water of the Indian Ocean. Accommodation is available in a small residence for Sisters studying at St. Joseph’s Theological Institute.
Other Short Courses
St Joseph’s Theological Institute offers other relevant short courses, including but not limited to Peace Studies, Child Protection, Bible and Spirituality, etc.
We have the following short course on offer:
05-08 December 2022 – Parish Operations Management Short Course
Course Objective:
- The course is called Parish Operations Management. This Course is trying to solve the problem of day to day Parish Operations management.
- Parish ministry should be an environment setting up one (priest or lay) for success and the sustainability of the Parish itself this is made possible by the day-to day operations of the parish and how these are managed.
- The Assumption is that when we are asked to take charge of the Parish, we are not prepared enough for the day-to-day operations of the parish and how these are managed because each parish is a unique community of the faithful with parish assets belonging to the Parish.
Learning Outcomes – It is Knowledge of how:
- Develop a vision
- Examine management of human resources
- Examine leading pastoral teams Parish Pastoral Council
- Exploring Parish Finance Council Frameworks
- Examine Parish meetings and developing parish stewardship
- Explore Parish Communications
- Explore Managing change at the Parish
- Developing lasting Parish Leadership
