By Alexis Torres
As we focus on the theme of accompaniment in the month of November, three holy people that I believe lived out the call to accompany others are Mother Cabrini, the late Pope Francis and Dorothy Day.
Mother Cabrini is the patroness of immigrants, known for her work funding schools, hospitals and orphanages. She was known for her compassion, resilience and fought for social justice for marginalized communities. Mother Cabrini practiced accompaniment by actively and physically joining immigrants in their struggles, sharing their living conditions and directly addressing their spiritual and practical needs. Instead of ministering from a distance, she went to the heart of the immigrant communities living among them and sharing their hardships. We can learn a lot from St. Cabrini with her “hands-on” method of being fully present to others.
Pope Francis was an extraordinary role model in how he accompanied those on the margins. In his Apostolic Exhortation “Evangelii Gaudium,” Pope Francis speaks of the importance of accompaniment, that is the importance of being willing to walk with the needy in our lives, particularly through their darkest times and lowest valleys. “This art of accompaniment teaches us to remove our sandals before the sacred ground of the other,” (Evangelii Gaudium, 169). Removing our sandals before the sacred ground of the other illustrates the respect and humility required to walk alongside someone. It means recognizing that each person has inherent dignity.
Dorothy Day was someone who led a life of faith and action. Dorothy ‘s social activism, passion for justice and advocating for the oppressed were inspired by the Gospel and the example of the saints. Dorothy accompanied others by co-founding the Catholic Worker Movement. This movement provides houses of hospitality for the homeless and hungry. Dorothy also published a newspaper to advocate for the poor and engaged in activism for workers’ and women’s rights. She lived among the poor and embraced a life of poverty. Dorothy was an activist and her commitment to Christian nonviolence showed many people the love of Christ.
With these three holy people we can learn how to walk alongside each other. From Mother Cabrini’s hands-on method to Pope Francis’ sacred ground approach and Dorothy Day’s resilience in compassionate advocacy. we can incorporate these values in our daily lives to help build up the Kingdom of Christ.
Torres is the intern for the diocesan office of social concerns.