History
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Publications through Mother Marie Therese
From 1976 to 1994, Mother Marie Therese wrote and published a total of 26 books, including the Rule of the Ordo Communionis in Christo.
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Establishment of the Unio of Atoning Love
On 1 September 1977, the "Unio of Atoning Love" is founded for priests and lay people. For Mother Marie Therese, this first foundation forms the basis for the founding of Communio in Christo on 8 December 1984.
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Establishing of Unio sacerdotalis vivere in Deo
On 1 September 1978, the priestly community "Unitas sacerdotalis vivere in Deo" and the sisterly community "Unitas reparationis" are founded.
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Establishing the Unio for the Sick & Suffering
On 1 September 1979, the "Unio für Kranke u. Leidende" (Union for the Sick and Suffering) is founded.
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Establishment of the Unio zur Hilfe für in Not befindlichen Menschen in der Gesellschaft e.V. (Unio to help people in need in society).
On 23 November 1979, the "Unio zur Hilfe für in Not befindliche Menschen in der Gesellschaft e.V." is founded in the vicarage of Mechernich-Holzheim.
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Founding of Unio to help people in need in society
On 13 August 1980, the "Unio zur Hilfe für in Not befindliche Menschen in der Gesellschaft gemeinnützige GmbH" is founded with its headquarters in Jünkerath/Feusdorf.
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Foundation Youth Union Our Future
On 30 August 1980, the Youth Union "Our Future" is founded by Mother Marie Therese.
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Foundation of the Effata Collective Community
On 13 September 1981, Mother Marie Therese founded the collective community "Effata" in the lower church in Steyl / Netherlands, again in a Eucharistic celebration.
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Construction of the Uniozentrum
Construction and completion of the Uniozentrum (ground floor) in Mechernich, Bruchgasse, as a contact point for people in need, seat of the association and first branch of the priestly community with Mother Marie Therese.
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Permission for establishment
On January 6, 1982, at the request of Mother Marie Therese, the Bishop of Aachen, Dr. Klaus Hemmerle, gives permission to the priests of the Unio to move to the Unio Center to live together.
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Opening Haus Effata
In October 1982, "Haus Effata", home for the elderly and nursing home of the Communio in Christo opens in Blankenheim
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Construction and completion motherhouse
In 1984, the motherhouse of Communio in Christo is built and completed in Mechernich.
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Founding of the Communio in Christo
On December 8, 1984, Communio in Christo is founded by Mother Marie Therese, a community of priests, sisters and lay people.
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Merger into Communio in Christo e.V.
On May 17, 1988, "Unio e.V." and "Unio GmbH" merge to form "Communio in Christo e.V.".
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Visit to Poland
In November 1988, Mother Marie Therese and a delegation of Communio in Christo visited bishops and parishes in the dioceses of Radom and Lublin in Poland.
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Branch office in Czestochowa/Poland
On March 20, 1990, a branch is opened in Czestochowa/Poland in the form of a non-profit "Communio in Christo e.V." to promote close cooperation with Polish parishes and monasteries.
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Opening Hospice "Stella Maris
On May 22, 1990, the opening and inauguration of the "Stella Maris" Hospice in Mechernich is held by Bishop Dr. Edward Materski from Radom/Poland.
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Relocation of the community
After just over a year, the "Stella Maris" hospice has already become too small due to constant requests to take on seriously ill patients who are difficult to place. Therefore, on December 8, 1991, the members of the community move to make room for another 27 seriously ill patients.
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Mother Marie Therese Death Day
On April 11, 1994, Mother Marie Therese dies. The Resurrection Mass in the house chapel of Communio in Christo and the burial in the Mechernich cemetery takes place under the liturgical direction of Bishop Dr. Edward Materski from Radom/Poland.
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Blessing of the memorial room
On the occasion of the 10th Founding Commemoration on December 8, 1994, Bishop Dr. Edward Materski blesses the Memorial Room of Mother Marie Therese.
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Alfred-Müller-Felsenburg-Prize
On 8 April 1995, Mother Marie Therese is posthumously awarded the Alfred Müller Felsenburg Prize for Upright Literature.
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Unterstützung der Aidskranken in Lusaka/SamSupport for AIDS patients in Lusaka/Sambia
Im November 1995 startet das erste Projekt zur Unterstützung der Aidskranken in Lusaka/Sambia durch Medikamentensendungen über „action medeor“. Ansprechpartner in Lusaka ist zu jener Zeit Pfarrer Romuald Szczodrowski, der im Jahr 2006 die erste Doktorarbeit über die missionarische Dimension des Lebens und Wirkens von Mutter Marie Therese schreiben wird.
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Start of construction of long-term care facility
In February 1996, construction work begins on the long-term care facility Communio in Christo with 153 places in Mechernich.
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Laying of the foundation stone for the long-term care facility
On 20 April 1996, the foundation stone of the long-term care facility "Communio in Christo" in Mechernich is laid by Prelate Stanislaw Pindera, the Episcopal Vicar and Protonotary of the Polish Diocese of Radom. Prelate Stanislaw Pindera has been a Communio priest since 1987.
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Trip to Poland
In October 1996, another Communio delegation travels to Poland. During this visit, Bishop Materski consecrates the "Hall of Thanks to Mother Marie Therese" in the seminary in Radom on 7 October.
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Opening and blessing of the long-term care facility
On 12 April 1997, the new long-term care facility "Communio in Christo" with integrated hospice "Stella Maris" is opened and blessed by Bishop Dr Edward Materski from Radom/Poland.
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First book with texts by Mother Marie Therese in Polish
Father Jozef Zielonka publishes the first book with texts by Mother Marie Therese in Polish in June 1997. The title: "On the Threshold of Love - My Encounters with Adversity in the Church and the World".
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Journey through Northern Poland
In September 1998, a Communio delegation went to northern Poland to follow in the footsteps of Mother Marie Therese.
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Opening of a centre for children in need
On 1 September 1999, a centre for children in need was opened by the Communio Group in the parish of St. Michael in Skarszewy, northern Poland. The centre receives support from the "non-profit Communio in Christo e.V." in Czestochowa.
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Founding of the "Stella Maris" Hospice Association
On 29 November 1999, the Förderverein Hospiz "Stella Maris" e. V. was founded in Mechernich.
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Trip to Zambia
In June 2000, Communio Spiritual Father Hermann Walch travels to Zambia with a delegation from Communio in Christo. There, the parish priests Thomas Banda and Romuald Szczodrowski take the vows of Communio in Christo into his hands.
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Grundstückerwerb
On 5 July 2000, Communio in Christo acquired a 22,000 square metre plot of land by notarised contract. The property is federally owned land to the south of the existing Communio site in Mechernich. Among other things, it will be used for the realisation of the new "Stella Maris" hospice.
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Hospice inauguration in Zambia
On 19 March 2001, the hospice "Mother Marie Therese" in Mpanshya/Sambia, run by Borromean Sisters, is inaugurated by Communio priest Romuald Szczodrowski.
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Cooperation with the Swiatlo Hospice
In 2001, the cooperation of Communio in Christo with the Swiatlo Hospice in Torun/Poland begins.
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Visit from the Diocese of Innsbruck
In July 2001, a delegation from the Diocese of Innsbruck visited Communio in Christo at the invitation of Bishop Kothgasser.
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Chapter foundation
On 11 September 2001, the Chapter of Communio in Christo is founded according to the ideas and instructions of Mother Marie Therese.
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New ward for coma patients at Swiatlo Hospice
In 2002, the new ward for coma patients in the Swiatlo Hospice in Torun/Poland is blessed by the Communio priest Romuald Szczodrowski on behalf of Superior General Karl-Heinz Haus.
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Start of construction of the "Stella Maris" hospice
In June 2002, construction work begins on the new "Stella Maris" hospice in Mechernich.
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Laying of the foundation stone of the "Stella Maris" hospice
On 7 December 2002, Bishop Zygmunt Zimowski from Radom/Poland belatedly lays the foundation stone for the new "Stella Maris" hospice in Mechernich.
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Renaming of the association to "Sozialwerk Communio in Christo e.V.".
In January 2003, the previous association was renamed "Sozialwerk Communio in Christo e.V." and registered as a non-profit association at the Euskirchen District Court under VR No. 536. It is the supporting association of the three facilities "Communio in Christo", "Stella Maris Hospice" and "Haus Effata".
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Foundation of the "Communio in Christo e.V." non-profit association
Also in January 2003, the "non-profit association Communio in Christo e.V." is founded and registered at the district court of Euskirchen under VR-Nr. 1221. According to the statutes, the association's responsibilities include helping old, sick and young people as well as socially weak families, migrants, addicts and people in marginalised groups who are in emotional, religious or material need. The purposes of the statutes also include the dissemination of the idea of Mother Marie Therese and her foundations.
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Opening and blessing of the "Stella Maris" Hospice
On 12 April 2003, the new hospice "Stella Maris" in Mechernich is opened and blessed by Bishop Dr Edward Materski from Radom.
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New opening of "Haus Effata
On 10 August 2003, after one year of renovation and refurbishment, the reopening of "Haus Effata" in Blankenheim is celebrated.
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Imprimatur for the Rules of Communio in Christo in Polish
On 26 September 2003 Archbishop Nowak of Czestochowa granted the imprimatur for the printing and distribution of the Rules of Communion in Christ in Polish.
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Visit from India
On 19 April 2004, Bishop Geevarghese Mar Divannasios of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church from the diocese of Bathery in India arrives for a visit to the Communio in Christo in Mechernich. This was followed by a joint Eucharistic celebration and the inauguration of the organ in the house chapel, a gift from Father Van den Hoven from Oud Valkenburg.
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Joining the Mechernich Food Bank
In May 2004, Communio in Christo actively participates in the creation of the Mechernich Food Bank. Since then, Communio in Christo has been involved in the weekly distribution of food and daily necessities to those in need.
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First Hospice Benefit Concert
On July 3, 2004, the first benefit concert by star tenor Johannes Kalpers for the Communio Hospice "Stella Maris" takes place. Kalpers takes over the patronage of the hospice in the same year.
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Bishop Frans Wiertz visits
On August 27, 2004, Bishop Frans Wiertz from Roermond, the home diocese of Mother Marie Therese, will visit the Communio in Christo in Mechernich.
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20th Foundation Commemoration Day
On December 4, 2004, Bishop Aleksander Kaszkiewicz from the Diocese of Grodno in Belarus visits Communio in Christo. The bishop is the main celebrant on the occasion of the 20th Founding Commemoration Day. On the evening before, three international Communio priests will visit the diocesan bishop of Aachen, Dr. Heinrich Mussinghoff. At the Founding Commemoration Day itself, Professor Dr. Hermann-Josef Pottmeyer will give a lecture on the "Pastoral Guiding Idea for the Realization of the Second Vatican Council".
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Communio Friendship Circle in Poland
In the summer of 2005, a circle of Communio Friends was formed among the seminarians at the seminary in Pelplin, Poland.
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Visit from Dzialdowo/Poland
On April 2, 2006 the hospice "Stella Maris" organizes an open day. Representatives of a hospice under construction in the area of the former concentration camp in Dzialdowo/Poland will also visit.
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Visitation of Bishop Dr. Heinrich Mussinghoff
In May 2006, the visitation of Bishop Dr. Heinrich Mussinghoff takes place in the motherhouse and the care facilities of Communio in Christo in Mechernich.
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Promotion party in Warsaw
On June 8, 2006, in Warsaw, Superior General Karl-Heinz Haus participated in the celebration of the doctorate of Father Romuald Szczodrowski. The title of the dissertation is "Missionary Dimension of the Life and Work of Mother Marie Therese and the Communio in Christo".
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Bishop consecration of Waclaw Depo
A delegation of Communio in Christo attends the episcopal ordination of Waclaw Depo, former rector of Radom Seminary, at Zamosc Cathedral in Poland on September 9, 2006.
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Trip to Kerala/India
On behalf of the Superior General, the couple Edo and Marie Therese Dijkstra, together with Pastor Van den Hoven from Oud-Valkenburg, will make a trip to Kerala/India in the fall of 2006.
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Visit from Lusaka/Zambia
In October 2006, Archbishop Medardo Mazombwe from Lusaka/Zambia visits Communio in Christo and participates in a Eucharistic celebration and a Communio meeting.
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Besuch aus Zansibar/Tansania
In October 2006 the short visit of Bishop Augustine Shao from Zansibar/Tanzania takes place in the course of the missio events in the diocese region Eifel.
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Cooperation agreement
The Social Work of Communio in Christo in Mechernich and the Hospice Swiatlo in Torun/Poland conclude a cooperation agreement in 2007.
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Diocesan Bishop Dr. Heinrich Mussinghoff on visit
In May 2007, the diocesan bishop of Aachen, Dr. Heinrich Mussinghoff, who is responsible for Communio in Christo, visits the motherhouse and the care facilities in Mechernich.
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Visit of the Major Archbishop Moran Mor Baselios Cardinal Cleemis
Major Archbishop Moran Mor Baselios Cardinal Cleemis, Catholicos, head of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church in India, visits Mechernich in June 2007 together with Father Thomas Naickamparambil. The Catholicos comes directly from his inaugural visit to Pope Benedict and, accompanied by Superior General Karl-Heinz Haus and Spiritual Director Father Hermann Walch in Aachen, participates in the shrine pilgrimage together with Bishop Heinrich Mussinghoff.
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23 Foundation commemoration day
The 23rd Founding Commemoration Day of Communio in Christo in Mechernich on December 8, 2007, will be musically accompanied by the choir of the seminary from Pelplin/Poland. Together with Rector Antoni Baczkowski and a delegation of the Communio in Christo, the seminarians will visit Bishop Dr. Heinrich Mussinghoff in Aachen on December 9 and will also participate in the musical arrangement of Vespers in Aachen Cathedral.
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Pfarrer Gregor Stepkes zieht ins Haus Effata
In 2008, Father Gregor Stepkes moved into Haus Effata in Blankenheim and initially served the surrounding communities and Haus Effata as pastor from there.
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Opening reference library
In June 2008, the new reference library will be opened in the Motherhouse of Communio in Christo in Mechernich. In this library, Superior General Karl-Heinz Haus, in decades of work, has placed the work of the Foundress Mother Marie Therese in a well-founded relationship to theological literature in general, especially to dogmatics, but also to current Council literature and to current works of mysticism.
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Father Jaison comes to Mechernich
Father Jaison Thazhathil from Kerala/India will be exempted by his bishop for the Communio in Christo on October 4, 2008 and will come to the motherhouse in Mechernich.
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Prelate Jozef Zielonka receives doctorate degree
On June 2, 2009, Prelate Jozef Zielonka from Czestochowa, Poland, receives his doctorate from Cardinal Wyszynski State University on the "Spirituality of the Order Communio in Christo based on the life and mystical writings of the Foundress Mother Marie Therese (1927 - 1994)."
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Delegation visits Coventry/England
A Communio delegation with Father Hermann Walch and Father Jaison visited the Communio priest Dr. Romuald Szczodrowski in his new field of activity in Coventry/England on June 19, 2009.
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Superior General in Rome
Superior General Karl-Heinz Haus attends the opening of the African Synod of Bishops by Pope Benedict XVI in Rome on October 4, 2009.
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25th Founding Commemoration Day
On November 28, 2009, Communio in Christo will celebrate its 25th founding anniversary with Archbishop Zygmunt Zimowski, President of the Pontifical Council for Pastoral Care of the Sick. In addition to the Vatican representative, Cathedral Provost Helmut Poqué will be among the guests as the official envoy of Aachen Bishop Dr. Heinrich Mussinghoff.
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Decretum Laudis
On September 07, 2010, a Decretum Laudis is issued by Bishop Dr. Heinrich Mussinghoff, Aachen.
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Trip to the Holy See
On May 23, 2011, the Superior General traveled to the Holy See in preparation for a Congress for the New Evangelization. On October 15-16, 2011, a large delegation of Communio in Christo made a trip to Rome for this purpose. On October 16, 2011, the Superior General, together with Br. Jaison and Msgr. Van der Hoven, con-celebrated at the Mass celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI.
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Establishment of the International Council of Communio in Christo
On December 7, 2011, the International Council of Communio in Christo was established.
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Father Hermann Walch dies
On May 27, 2012, Father Hermann Walch, Deputy Superior General and Spiritual Director of the community, died in Blankenheim.
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Padre Rudolf Ammann moves to Blankenheim
On January 6, 2015, Padre Rudolf Ammann, Schoenstatt Father and member of the Chapter of Communio in Christo, moved into the Centro Communio in Blankenheim.
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Consultation by Prof. Dr. Rüdiger Althaus
In August 2015, Prof. Dr. Rüdiger Althaus, Paderborn, takes up the consultation and accompaniment of Communio in Christo with regard to a recognition as "consociatio privata".
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Inauguration of the chapel in Mechernich
On November 28, 2015, the chapel for people in need of care and their relatives, located in the garden of the care facilities in Mechernich, was inaugurated. The chapel is financed entirely from donations.
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The death of Helmut Weber
On December 5, 2015, Helmut Weber, founding member, longtime executive director and responsible for the laity in the Communio, a chapter member until the end, dies.
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Chapel in Mechernich opens
In June 2016, the Devotional Chapel of Communio in Christo opened as a place of peace and prayer. As a symbol of this, the artist Maria J. Fernandez from Engelsdorf designed a Pietà, a bronze sculpture of the Blessed Mother with the dead Jesus.
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Foundation in Uganda
On August 17, 2017, the Butiiti Communio in Christo Initiative (BCICI) is founded in Uganda.
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Foundation of a community in Kerala
In September 2018, Fr. Jojo and Sr. Shiny from Kerala/India profess their vows and thus take on the foundation of a Communio in Christo community in Kerala.
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Recognition as „Consociatio privata“
In October 2018, the Communio in Christo was recognized as a "Consociatio privata" (ecclesiastical association under ecclesiastical law) under the name "Ordo Communionis in Christo" or established under diocesan law by Bishop Dr. Helmut Dieser, Aachen.
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Rev. Jaison becomes Deputy Superior General
In August 2019, Rev. Jaison Thazhathil was elected as Deputy Superior General