IFE Short Courses

Address

On-line

Description

If you’ve wondered, What’s next? Or are looking for new ways to share, experience and learn about your faith with others, this is your chance! Explore your faith through topics relevant for today with the Archdiocese of Brisbane’s own Institute of Faith Education (IFE). At IFE, we’ve been delivering tailor-made formation for the Catholic Church in Australia since 1976. Our 2025 short courses promise to be a stimulating, engaging and thought-provoking experience for anyone seeking to think more deeply about faith and contemporary issues.

2025 Short courses:

This year we are offering a series of three short courses. Each course involves three interactive two-hour sessions delivered on-line on either Thursday mornings or Thursday evenings. Click on the course title to read more about each course.

Truth matters: What do you believe? May – June

- What is truth? Celebrating 1700 years of the Nicene Creed.
- Resurrection: Why does it matter?
- Putting it into practice: The Jubilee year and you

In a world of “alternative facts” is there still any place for truth? What is truth? Why has the church confessed the Nicene Creed as a core set of truths for 1700 years? Is that creed still relevant? What do you believe? Where do you find solid ground to stand?

Dates: Thursday mornings (10am – noon) on 15^th May, 29^th May and 12^th June

OR: Thursday evenings (6:30pm – 8:30pm) on 22^nd May, 5^th June and 19^th June

Cost: $90 per person. $75 early bird discount for participants who have signed up and fully paid their fees by 1^st May. Please talk to us if these short course fees are a barrier for you. We can help!

Finding the sacred: Where? July – August

- Finding the sacred here
- Finding the sacred here and there
- Finding the sacred here, there and everywhere

This will be an opportunity to look within, look deeper and look around to discover the sacred in your life, God in our midst.

Dates: Thursday mornings (10am – noon) on 24^th July, 7^th August and 21^st August

OR: Thursday evenings (6:30pm – 8:30pm) on 31^st July, 14^th August and 28^th August

Cost: $90 per person. $75 early bird discount for participants who have signed up and fully paid their fees by 10^th July. Please talk to us if these short course fees are a barrier for you. We can help!

Seeing the other: Go beyond the stereotype. October – November

- Nobody stands nowhere: How worldview shapes your behaviour and perception
- Welcome the Stranger: Encountering prejudice
- Catholic Social Teaching on human dignity and marginalisation.

Catholic Social Teaching has been called ‘the Church’s best-kept secret’. Here is an opportunity to explore this treasure and see how it can enrich our lives and the lives of our parishes.

Dates: Thursday mornings (10am – noon) on 2^nd October, 16^th October and 30^th October

OR: Thursday evenings (6:30pm – 8:30pm) on 9^th October, 23^rd October, 6^th Novenber

Cost: $90 per person. $75 early bird discount for participants who have signed up and fully paid their fees by 18^th September. Please talk to us if these short course fees are a barrier for you. We can help!

These short courses are provided by the Institute of Faith Education with the support of the Catholic Foundation.

Your learning experience

When you enrol you’ll become part of a small group led by an IFE mentor. You will need access to a computer, preferably with camera, and internet. The workshops are conducted in real time so there’s plenty of opportunity for questions, discussion and connection. All from the convenience of home. After the workshops you can follow up with personal reading and videos provided for you, that will expand your understanding of the topics, should you wish.

What will I learn?

Each short course covers a relevant topic, exploring essential themes and topics. Course mentors will link these to contemporary issues as well as offering strategies for linking these to your own parish and/or your own faith journey. Mentors will enable you to engage at a level that suits you. This means there will be no pressure to share in the online sessions, but plenty of opportunities to ask questions if you wish. Additional learning materials that explore topics further are made available to participants. These include short articles, videos, and activities to explore and apply the topics discussed in the workshops. Materials are designed to cater to a range of participants and to different learning styles and preferences. An online library of books is also accessible for those who like to read and explore their faith more broadly.

Where can it take me?

These courses are designed to help you extend your own personal faith experience. The knowledge and insights you gather can also be applied in the context of a parish or other Catholic ministry. Or, you may choose to build on these short courses by completing further studies through the Institute of Faith Education, including accredited studies: our popular and long-standing Foundations course, which is a nationally accredited Diploma of Christian Ministry and Theology.

What previous participants have said about IFE short courses:

“I can’t believe the Archdiocese does such great stuff!” – 2024 Course participant

“The course is meeting my expectations in terms of theological and religious education content. It provides a solid foundation, which I find beneficial for someone new to Christianity and Catholicism. The material is informative. The way it is presented makes it easy to follow and encourages deeper reflection on the topics discussed.” – 2024 Course participant

“This course has been fantastic. It has exceeded my expectations in many ways. I completed a great deal of undergrad and post grad work and this is on par with that type of study. Highly relevant and informative – it was good to go over much previously learnt material and simply to refresh the basics in my mind. I also felt as though I could now begin to explain the Bible in a more coherent and understandable manner. If this continues in this manner, I would seriously consider completing the full course!” – 2024 Course participant

Click here to sign up or if you have questions about our short courses.