Abstract
This article will begin by referencing briefly the notion of detraditionalisation—referencing scholars such as Lieven Boeve, who has written extensively on the issue. By way of contrast, accompaniment constitutes a perennial theme in a Christian context, best encapsulated in the Emmaus story (Luke 22:13–35), when Jesus accompanies the two disciples on what could be described as a journey of discovery. This journey paradigm, which underpins many religious education programmes, constitutes a central feature of the Salesian education vision known as the Preventive System. St John Bosco (1815–1888), the founder of the Salesians, was concerned with the transformation of the lives of every young person with whom he came into contact, resonating with ‘the uniqueness of the individual’, one of the key principles of Catholic education. According to one of his first Salesians, Bosco encouraged them to ‘go to the pump’, to meet young people where they had gathered and to engage in a genuine encounter. This article will explore the extent to which this model of effective presence and encounter reflects, firstly, Jesus as the Shepherd and, secondly, the vision of St John Bosco which involves the teacher/pastoral worker and the accompanied meeting each other and having frequent encounters in informal ways in a variety of environments, marked by openness, trust and availability. Research will be retrieved to exemplify the perennial impact of Salesian accompaniment in Salesian secondary schools in England in which students are, in general, familiar with the Christian faith and its central tenets.
Highlights
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Kerkhofs (1993) has spoken of a shift away from tradition as the yardstick by which to interpret the meaning of life and to define moral rules with identity being found through flexible adaptation, a term which appears to encapsulate the notion of detraditionalisation
In what could be described as a working definition of the term ‘detraditionalisation’, Boeve (2005, p. 145) asserts that: ‘Detraditionalisation as a term hints at the socio-cultural interruption of traditions which are no longer able to pass themselves from one generation to the
Summary
I would suggest that, in the context of the transmission of the Salesian tradition, the empowering nature of accompaniment has taken on a critical significance in this environment of detraditionalisation or cultural interruption, especially in endeavouring to avoid the challenge of it being “seriously hampered” by, inter alia, a decreasing number of active religious in Europe generally and in England and Wales in particular. This notion of accompaniment, central to the Salesian education vision, is rooted in the way in which Jesus accompanied his disciples at every stage of their journey. This notion of ‘offer rather than impose’, in essence a dialogical concept, is central to the underpinning methodology of many religious education programmes following the Second Vatican Council
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