Introduction: God, the One Who Accompanies 9
have be formally instituted as a program or as a strict ministry to be effec-
tive and fruitful. The call to accompaniment for both mentors and those
accompanied is extended by the Holy Spirit who is at work in institutions
and churches, but also within individuals.
In some circumstances, accompaniment is carried out as a ministry of
one person to another; however, the Church’s nature lends herself to provide
a communal style of accompaniment. As the Body of Christ, the Church is
the family of the people of God. Through the grace of the Holy Spirit, this
family is given gifts to love, encourage, and build up one another:
As all the members of the human body, though they are many,
form one body, so also are the faithful in Christ….Giving the body
unity through Himself and through His power and inner joining
of the members, this same Spirit produces and urges love among
the believers. From all this it follows that if one member endures
anything, all the members co-endure it, and if one member is hon-
ored, all the members together rejoice. (Gaudium et Spes, 7)
Communal style accompaniment represents the family of God through re-
lationships that build up individual members and the entire Church.
Similar to one-to-one accompaniment, communal accompaniment is
intentional, collaborative, and requires the investment of all involved. This
communal style of accompaniment is rooted in Jesus’ formation and guid-
ance of his apostles:
He went up the mountain and summoned those whom he wanted
and they came to him. He appointed twelve [whom he also named
apostles] that they might be with him and he might send them
forth to preach and to have authority to drive out demons. (Mark
3:13-15)
Communal accompaniment imitates Jesus' example of accompanying his
disciples because it involves the initiative of one or more mentors who help
guide and mediate relationships within the group so as to grow in holiness
and move towards mission. As Jesus took time to be with his disciples on
the mountain, so too does accompaniment in community involve inten-
tional relationship and time spent with others. The variety of experiences,
gifts, and perspectives of the members and mentors enrich each individual’s