96 The Art of Accompaniment
healthy ministerial practice, pursues opportunities for ministerial growth,
and maintains record of institutions and people involved in the apostolate
of accompaniment. Ideally, the archdiocese or diocese also identifies a point
of contact in among their staff to communicate, form, and assist leaders of
accompaniment.
National Level
In addition to the support of the national body of bishops, the national
level involved in the implementation of accompaniment is also comprised
of national ministerial organizations or conferences that prioritize accom-
paniment as a ministry. These national conferences provide training, texts,
and formation, as well as help implement accompaniment according to the
needs of the culture of a nation.
Universal Church
The universal Church plays a role in implementation through providing
texts and frameworks that inspire authentic accompaniment. Aside from of-
ficial Church documents, apostolic exhortations, or synodal documents, the
Church also offers her articulation of accompaniment through the work of
Catholic organizations and theologians both nationally and internationally.
Obstacles to Fruitful Implementation
There are often systems or thought processes that stand in the way of
implementing authentic and productive spiritual accompaniment. Some
of these impediments are broad and systemic while others are commonly
found in local parishes. Naming these obstacles allows for them to be iden-
tified and avoided.
Programs and Processes over People
The reception areas and offices in Catholic institutions are holy spaces
in which people first seek out opportunities for grace. God’s people walk
through the doors of Catholic institutions with their joys, sorrows, ques-
tions, anger, or confusion and hope to be heard. Parish secretaries, lay lead-
ers, and clergy are often the first ones to accompany a person at vulnerable
moments of their lives. When God’s people come vulnerably to ask for the
help of communities of faith, they can be often met with a response of