Formazione ministeriale
PIAMS was founded "to come to the aid of choirs of basilicas, prevostships, parishes and linked music chapels of the archdiocese", and therefore has always showed a particular attention to basic pastoral bodies (parishes, pastoral units and communities, deaneries or vicariates, religious communities,
) of the Archdiocese of Milan, and not only these ones.
The Institute provides first of all a basic course, which is thought for the training of people who already exercise, or want to exercise, a liturgical ministry, and for liturgical operators in general:
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The course aims to provide a solid basic education on the liturgy of the Church and highlight the attention to its biblical and theological fundamentals, without forgetting the unavoidable historical-liturgical contextualization and the analysis of ritual aspects of Ambrosian and Roman tradition. On the background of the conciliar teaching, the training programme is oriented to support the pastoral activity and aims to provide both food for thought about the symbolic-ritual ecclesial actions with regard to their involvement, nature and ecclesial role, and analysis and intervention tools for a proper celebratory practice.
Admission
The course is open to everyone. The admission is free, without prerequisites. No prior expertise is required to be admitted.
Recipients
The course lasts two years (4 semesters) and is addressed to members of parish liturgical groups, religious men and women, extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist, those who exercise (are preparing to exercise) an instituted or de facto ministry, religion and humanities teachers and generally to those who would like to improve their knowledge of basic elements of liturgy;
Courses
See the Didactic programme
The School for liturgical-musical animators (SALM) provides a two-year course geared to the complete training of people in charge with a liturgical service mainly in the domains of music, singing, proclamation and animation of celebrating assemblies, for a competent exercise of their own ministry.
Two specialized courses are proposed:
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Singing and music are not only fundamental elements of the liturgical language, but also an form of education and participation in the liturgy. For a correct service to celebrating assemblies, it is necessary first of all to know basic elements of the musical language. To have a developed 'musical ear' and perform the vocality appropriately is not sufficient. In order to perform effectively the ministry of cantor, instrumentalist or musical animator of the assembly, it is necessary to know the tools for critical assessment of the liturgical-musical repertoire, the dynamics of liturgy and basic elements of Christian ritual. The training programme aims to provide to operators the instruments to give an adequate contribute to the needs of these ministries under the biblical, liturgical and technical point of view, and to be able to fit into the context of a celebration with propriety and consciousness.
Admission
Students are admitted to the course after attending the preparatory course in Piano or in Vocality or after completing level 1 (Basic) of structured courses in Ambrosian and Gregorian chant, Organ or Vocality. Subsequently an ability examination or an aptitude test aimed at understanding the level of competence previously obtained by candidates is scheduled.
Recipients
The course lasts two years (4 semesters) and is addressed to people who have been just charged with, that is who already perform are preparing to perform the office of cantor, instrumentalist and/or musical animator in their basic communities.
Courses
See the Didactic programme
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The Word of God proclaimed in liturgical celebrations is the first and main 'faith school'. For this reason the liturgical assembly cannot do without readers. The training of lay ministers for proclamation is an unavoidable ecclesiastical need, so that the liturgy of the Word is carried out with the care required by the mystery which is being celebrated. With reference to this, Pope Benedict XVI stressed the need that "all those entrusted with this office [
] should be truly suitable and carefully trained" (Verbum Domini, 58). Then again, rites themselves are for faithful the natural 'school to celebrate'. To obtain more easily the participation in the liturgical action is therefore important even the ministry of commentators and liturgy readers, who is not only entrusted with explanations, exhortations, instructions and introductions to different moments of the rite, but also all those interventions which, in the framework of general dynamics of rituality, are useful for the animation and care for the well-ordered progress of celebrations. The training programme aims to provide each operator with instruments to give an adequate contribute to the needs of these two ministries from the biblical, liturgical and technical point of view. The common training programme may be completed with individual vocality or instrument lessons, because readers and liturgy directors may be required even musical competences.
Admission
The admission is free, without prerequisites. For students who want to attend individual lessons of vocality or instrument an ability examination or an aptitude test aimed at understanding their level of competence previously obtained is scheduled.
Recipients
The course lasts two years (4 semesters) and is addressed to people who have been just charged with, that is who already perform are preparing to perform the office of reader or liturgy director in the their basic communities.
Courses
See the Didactic programme
In each year of course an assisted teaching activity (frontal lessons and laboratories) is provided for 130 hours of collective lessons in the main subjects of interest and 26 individual instrument or vocality lessons, which are mandatory or optional according to the chosen course of studies.
At the end of the prescribed course of studies, the certificate of Liturgical animator in the chosen specialisation is issued. It is not an university qualification, but offers a number of credits equal to that required for European diplomas Short cycle or for C-Ausbildung diplomas.
Different types of personalized Lifelong Learning Programmes (PERFORMA) are then proposed to educate and train communities to the ecclesial participation and foster the co-responsibility of lay people under the service and communion point of view, and to qualify and support in the community the useful commitment and irreplaceable activity of several people which are designed to exercise a service in the liturgical celebration and to encourage and train new liturgical ministries:
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In the framework of todays evolution of pastoral structures, the possibility to arrange short training programmes is offered. They have a clever form and local communities have been involved in the planning process. In this way rhythms, themes and methodology can be properly measured on actual needs of direct recipients. So it is offered to them a qualified support on-site and a well-defined education proposal aimed at the specific topic to be approached.
Admission
Admission is open to everyone excepting for what concerns limits and modalities proposed by requesting and organizing bodies. Generally, no prior expertise is required to be admitted.
Recipients
Cycles of meetings (usually 4-6 meetings) addressed especially to:
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liturgical groups / ministerial teams / parochial or interparochial staff;
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acolytes and altar servers (young and adult);
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readers and commentators;
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music ministers and singing animators (singers, psalmists, choir and assembly directors);
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educators and catechists.
Structure
The proposal may be planned on the needs of requesting communities. According to the most common configuration, 4-6 evening meetings are scheduled for each cycles. They are divided into a part of topic introduction and a part of laboratories.
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Every ecclesial community is called to become protagonist of a more lively and involving celebration. The liturgical lifelong learning gives a certain contribute to the achievement of this objective. Residential programmes dedicated to different forms of ministry are proposed to ensure an effective training involved in the different services for the liturgy, to provide continuity of the education previously received so that each pastoral entity may have always new well-trained collaborators.
Admission
Admission is open to everyone. No prior expertise is required to be admitted.
Recipients
Meetings are addressed mainly to people who exercise or want to prepare to exercise liturgical ministries, in particular those involved in the proclamation, music and singing in the liturgical celebration.
Struttura
Each specialized course takes place in a residential form from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon. The teaching methodology combines relations or frontal lessons with laboratories and practical exercises.