Certificate Program Overview

The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Certificate Program includes seminars, presentations, and hands-on practice:

• Seminars explore children’s spiritual needs and capacities and introduce the biblical and liturgical themes, theological concepts, and pedagogy fundamental to this ministry.
• Presentations demonstrate how handmade catechetical materials support children’s prayer and meditation. These are delivered as they would be in the Atrium and are designed to invite your own reflection on key biblical and liturgical themes.
• Practice includes orientation to the Atrium environment, guided work with materials, and the creation of a personal album—a handbook of CGS presentations for children.

To receive a Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Certificate from Continuing Education at the University of St. Michael’s College in the University of Toronto, learners must complete:

Basic Certificate: (180h) Endowed upon completion of Level I (ages 3 to 6) and Level II (ages 6-9)

Advanced Certificate: Endowed upon completion of Level I, Level II, and Level III (120h, ages 9-12)

About the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd

The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) is a scriptural and liturgical approach to religious formation for children ages 3 and up. Rooted in the Montessori tradition, it was developed in Rome in 1954 by scripture scholar Sofia Cavalletti and Montessori educator Gianna Gobbi. This method honours a child’s natural capacity for wonder as essential to nurturing a relationship with God.

The CGS Atrium is a prepared sacred space where children can explore the mysteries of the Catholic faith through handmade materials, quiet reflection, and guided discovery. This approach trusts that “when wonder becomes a fundamental attitude of our spirit, it will confer a religious character to our whole life” (Cavalletti, Religious Potential of the Child, p. 139).

For full details and to register, please visit the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd‘s webpage.

This Professional Certificate equips you with the essential skills to create, implement, assess, and communicate a Social Impact Measurement Strategy for a new program, or to modify or evaluate an existing one.

For full program details, including dates and registration, visit the SIMPC Program Website

Module 1: Fundamentals of Social Impact Measurement
Build a strong foundation in the core concepts and language of social impact measurement. Explore key frameworks and approaches used across sectors, and examine how organizations define, assess, and communicate impact.
Participants will compare qualitative and quantitative methodologies, understand the role of Theory of Change, and explore how impact data is used in nonprofits, social enterprises, and corporations.

Module 2: Theory of Change
Learn how to design and apply a Theory of Change and Logic Model to guide your organization’s social impact strategy.
This module focuses on aligning mission, values, and strategy with measurable outcomes, while meaningfully engaging partners and those affected by your work. Participants will explore ethical frameworks, risks such as greenwashing, and practical tools for operationalizing impact measurement.
Culminating work includes: developing a Theory of Change, logic model, and a clear impact thesis for an organization.

Module 3: Developing a Metrics and Data Collection Strategy
Design a robust approach to measuring impact through appropriate metrics, indicators, and data systems.
Participants will learn how to select and apply frameworks (e.g., UN SDGs, IRIS+, SROI), build a data pipeline, and ensure indicators capture meaningful change over time. The module also addresses stakeholder engagement, power dynamics, and capacity considerations in data collection.
Culminating work includes: creating a comprehensive metrics and data collection strategy.

Module 4: Making the Business and Impact Case
Develop a compelling case for social impact measurement within your organization.
This module explores the costs, benefits, and strategic value of impact measurement, including resource allocation, stakeholder alignment, and long-term sustainability. Participants will assess risks and opportunities, and connect impact initiatives to broader organizational strategy and systems change.
Culminating work includes: building a business and impact case for senior leadership, including cost analysis and strategic alignment.

Module 5: Social Impact Reporting and Communication Strategies
Learn how to effectively communicate social impact to diverse audiences.
Participants will explore reporting formats and tools—from dashboards to formal reports—and examine best practices in clarity, credibility, and strategic alignment. The module emphasizes storytelling, data visualization, and stakeholder engagement to ensure impact is communicated in meaningful and actionable ways.
Culminating work includes: developing a reporting framework and presenting a capstone project, including an outline of both an impact report and evaluation report.

Diploma in Interfaith Dialogue: Overview

The Diploma in Interfaith Dialogue focuses on building confidence and skills for effective communication and encounters across differences. The mandatory core course, Foundations of Interfaith Communication & Dialogue, will introduce you to the tools and techniques for open, curious, and non-judgmental communication—skills that will be central to every elective course. This course also endows you with a micro-credential upon successful completion.

Elective courses within the Diploma will be structured around the Four Levels of Interfaith Dialogue, ensuring that you experience diverse ways of encountering and appreciating different faith traditions:

Dialogue of Life – Courses in this category will explore how people of different faiths coexist in daily life, emphasizing relationships, shared experiences, and cultural interaction. You will reflect on personal experiences and examine case studies of interfaith communities.

Dialogue of Action (Deeds) – These courses will focus on current examples and opportunities for interfaith collaboration in areas such as social justice, environmental stewardship, and community service. You will examine real-world initiatives, both internationally and in Canada, where faith groups work together for the common good.

Dialogue of Religious Experience – You will engage with the spirituality and faith practices of different traditions, including meditation, prayer, rituals, and sacred objects and places. Courses may include site visits, guest speakers, or experiential activities to deepen appreciation for the commonalities, differences, and distinctive claims of various religions.

Dialogue of Theological Exchange – You will explore core beliefs, texts, doctrines, and worldviews of various religious traditions. You will learn to compare them respectfully and appreciate how religious convictions shape self-understanding, relationships with others, and our sense of meaning in the world.

To earn the diploma, you must complete at least one elective from each level.

In the capstone project, you will apply the principles of interfaith dialogue to a real-world issue of your choice. You will demonstrate your ability to foster mutual understanding, address societal challenges, and propose actionable solutions through research, reflection, and engagement with people of diverse faith perspectives and spiritualities

Diploma Outcomes

By the end of the program, you will be able to:

1. Demonstrate Interreligious Understanding – Analyze key beliefs, practices, and historical developments of major religious traditions, recognizing commonalities and differences.
2. Engage in Meaningful and Pragmatic Interfaith Dialogue – Apply effective communication strategies to engage respectfully, with curiosity and without judgement, in discussions and encounters across religious traditions, fostering mutual understanding and collaboration.
3. Critically Reflect on Personal and Social Impacts of Religion – Evaluate the role of religion in shaping individual identity, societal values, artistic expression, and global issues
4. Apply Interfaith Perspectives to Social Action – Demonstrate an understanding of the value of promoting interfaith cooperation in areas such as social justice, community building, and environmental sustainability.
5. Synthesize Theological and Experiential Learning – Integrate your lived experience with faith traditions and insights to form a personal, nuanced, and applicable perspective on interfaith relations in your own milieu.

Read the reflections of 2025 graduate Simon Burke, Instructor of Introduction to Buddhism Rory Tasker, and Continuing Education Manager Roxanne Wright on Faith & Food

Admission Requirements

The Diploma in Interfaith Dialogue is an open-enrolment, non-degree credit program offered by Continuing Education. There are no academic or professional prerequisites. Learners of all faith traditions—or none—are welcome and encouraged to enrol.

To begin, choose a course and enrol. We recommend starting with SMCE3000 Foundations of Interfaith Communication & Dialogue, but courses may be taken in any order. The maximum timeframe for completing the Diploma requirements is 4 years.

To complete the diploma, you must:

Complete a mandatory core course – Take SMCE3000 Foundations of Interfaith Communication & Dialogue to gain foundational skills in interfaith dialogue.

Take 8 Elective Courses – Select from various topics across the four Levels of Interfaith Dialogue (Life, Deeds, Religious Experience, Theological Exchange), ensuring at least one course from each level, and

Complete the Capstone Course – Engage in a final project applying interfaith dialogue principles through research, creative work, or community engagement.

Note: If you completed SMD102 Dialogue Principles and Practices before Fall 2025, it fulfills the core course requirement. Learners who started before Fall 2025 may complete the program by either:

• taking the capstone, or
• taking the core course plus nine electives (including prior courses).

Fees

Each course within the program costs $150.

This program is supported by a significant financial endowment from Scarboro Foreign Missions (SFM), and extends the charism of the SFM Fathers in interfaith dialogue. SFM has been deeply committed to interfaith dialogue for many decades. This Diploma in Interfaith Dialogue situates the legacy of the Scarboro Foreign Mission to create an educational opportunity for all who wish to understand the religious ideals and values of their neighbours and even themselves within Continuing Education at USMC, where our mission, vision, and values, and adult learning pedagogies will support it.

Courses

To get started in the Diploma in Interfaith Dialogue, choose a course and enroll.

You may choose to register for individual courses without committing to the full Diploma program.

Each academic year, courses will be offered across Levels of Dialogue, both in-person and online, to ensure that you can meet the program’s breadth requirements.

Course Schedule, Fall 2025 to Fall 2026

Please note: Programming is subject to change

Questions?

Land Acknowledgement

We wish to acknowledge this land on which the University of St. Michael’s College operates. For thousands of years it has been the traditional land of the Huron-Wendat, the Seneca, and the Mississaugas of the Credit. Today, this meeting place is still the home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island and we are grateful to have the opportunity to work on this land.