The Thomistic Institute Accompaniment and Moral Development | Fr. Romanus Cessario, OP
Feb 10, 2020
Fr. Romanus Cessario, OP, discusses the importance of accompaniment in moral development, exploring historical views on friendship in theological texts. He highlights challenges in priestly accompaniment in modern culture and the significance of charity, accompaniment, and friendship in fostering moral growth.
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Accompaniment Returns As Personalist Formation
- Accompaniment regained prominence in Catholic formation as a personalist response to recent clerical failures and Vatican directives like the 2016 Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis.
- Fr. Romanus links renewed emphasis to the Church's move from formal manuals to relational mentorship for moral growth of priests and laity.
Post-Tridentine Manuals Discouraged Friendship
- Post-Tridentine spiritual manuals emphasized formal rules and cautioned against close personal friendships, limiting accompaniment outside confession and direction.
- St. Alphonsus exemplifies this caution, advising reliance on God over friends for consolation.
Cultural Revolutions Undermine Accompaniment
- Secular cultural shifts (civil rights, feminism, sexual revolution) have disrupted traditional friendship structures and made accompaniment harder.
- These movements foster inclusivist or undifferentiated identities that impede stable moral mentoring.