Mechernich - When the celebration started, the birthday kid was exactly 40 years, 7 hours and 15 minutes old. The Communio in Christo is still young, but its achievements over the past 4 decades have been amazing. Also, the Aachen Bishop Dr. Helmut Dieser was impressed, and he cordially congratulated the Mechernich community during a Eucharistic celebration in the St. John Baptist parish church.
„It has been a pleasure for me to come to you to Mechernich today to celebrate this small anniversary together with you,” emphasized Bishop Dr Helmut Dieser who, in his sermon, compared the Communio in Christo to an oasis – and in many various aspects.
First, he remembered the foundation of Mother Marie Therese, who on 8 December 1984 merged her various individual foundations into one and with it called into being the Communio in Christo. At the time this was anything but an easy task. After all there were strong reservations against this project. “What fascinates me, is the spiritual strength that Mother Marie Therese received from God, so that she always held on to her mission even during a long dry spell, in a time full of resentment, hostility and rejection,” said the head of the Aachen church.
Signs of the authenticity of the calling
He compared the work of Mother Marie Therese to that of the Prophet Baruch, thus referring to the first reading. Like him Mother Marie Therese had proclaimed what would come at a time when one could not yet see it all or how. "Many people with mystical or prophetic gifts must endure such spiritual loneliness and deserts in their path and their work. And the fact that they endure them is precisely a sign of the authenticity of the calling that has reached them."
It had been a calling that prompted Mother Marie Therese 40 years ago to plant a first shade providing little plant for her oasis. The entire social foundation consisting of the long-term-care facility and the hospice Stella Maris in Mechernich, House Effata in Blankenheim, and the Christian community being active worldwide has developed to become an impressing place where you can take a deep breath and recharge your batteries.
„These are all oases in the world of today,” said the guest from Aachen. There you will find everywhere practically lived love given to those who have doubts about whether dying would not be better than staying alive so as not to be a burden to others. The love for seriously ill people, the love for the highly aged are a Christian oasis against the denial of human life when it is no longer productive but rather in need of help, emphasized the Bishop.
An oasis for the Church
Furthermore, he sees the Communio as an oasis für the Church itself. “What fascinates me, as well, is the idea of the foundress to offer to ordained priests, religious and deacons a life as a community in the Communio in Christo,” mentioned the Aachen Diocesan Bishop. The idea would create an oasis to help avoid the destruction and desolation of the image of priests and the Church in our time caused by sexual abuse cases in our Church.” With its work, the Communio shows that the Church can only remain in the spirit of Christ as an organism of all, with its various members.
The honorable guest from the Imperial city of Aachen encouraged those present to further follow the foundation ideal of Mother Marie Therese. Only God knows what will come of this, he said. “However, his plans for us are greater than our plans,” emphasized Bishop Dr. Helmut Dieser and he added: “I am sure that faith in the Church, in the community and in your facilities thus will create true oases for today.”
Already in his welcome address in the Mechernich parish church St. John Baptist the Superior General Jaison Thazhathil had emphasized his intention to remain faithful to the foundation mission also in the future. He went on to say that the social work of Communio offered hope to all people in society who are in great need and require support.
Double joy
Furthermore, Fr. Jaison Thazhathil expressed his joy on the fact that for the first time in the 40 years of the Communio in Christo history a bishop from Aachen attended the foundation commemoration. He remembered his predecessor, the late Superior General Karl-Heinz Haus and he said: “If I look overwhelmingly happy, and please do not get this wrong, it is because it is not just my but also his joy.”
It was also a pleasure to see that the community and the social foundation was and still is supported by many people. “Thank you for your support, your friendship and your coming”, Jaison Thazhathil said explicitly.
Connected in friendship with the Communio in Christo is for example the Mechernich parish priest Erik Pühringer, who in the position of the host, had also welcomed the people in the church to celebrate the Eucharist. The musical arrangement was made by the parish church choir St. Cäcilia Mechernich conducted by the organist Erik Arndt.
Also, numerous clergymen had come to Mechernich including Father Innocent Abagoami, Provincial Superior of the Spiritans in Switzerland, Father Paul Cyrys, Superior of the Salvatorians from Steinfeld, Father Hermann Preußner, a long-time companion of Superior General Karl-Heinz Haus, Father Günther Wendel from the Salesians of Don Bosco in Jünkerath, Father Joseph Chelamparambath from the Indian community in Cologne/Bonn and Pastor Susanne Salentin from the Protestant parish of Mechernich.
A further supporter is the mayor Dr. Hans-Peter Schick who only recently took over the chairmanship of the hospice supporting association. During a reception in the Johanneshaus moderated by the deacon Manfred Lang, the mayor also recalled the difficult start of the Communio. “Many things were misunderstood at the time and it was a very toxic atmosphere,” said the head of the city of Mechernich.
Messengers of God
Meanwhile that had changed. „Many prejudices on both sides could be broken down,” said Dr. Hans Peter Schick. The Communio has played its part and opened up to the Mechernich society. At the same time the people of Mechernich themselves have also approached Communio. “And today we can say that the Communio with its homes like the long-term-care facility and the hospice have become an important part of the city and we cannot imagine the city without them,” stated the major from the former lead mining town Mechernich (by the locals also called “Bleiberg” – lead mountain).
Therefore, it was amatter of course for him to take over the chairmanship of the support association of the hospice Stella Maris. “Several times I have personally experienced the beneficial and self-sacrificing work of the hospice employees,” said the major Schick who cordially congratulated the Communio on their 40th anniversary and wished them all the very best for the future.
The same did Leo Wolter, the deputy district administrator of Euskirchen.
He emphasized the special significance of the hospice. “This facility is good for the Eifel,” said the deputy of the present district administrator Markus Ramers. After all, no one can rule out that one day they might not need this facility themselves. For him, the employees are therefore also messengers of God. For you make dying easier for many people. And that is an important task in our times: To still trust God, even when things are going badly,” said Leo Wolter.
After these words it was Sister Lidwina’s turn to review the past 40 years of the Communio in Christo in a 20 minute PowerPoint presentation. She managed this task perfectly. Starting with the founding of the first communities in the years 1977 to 1981, through the founding ceremony on December 8, 1984 at 6:45 a.m. in the newly built chapel of the Motherhouse, to the many other milestones of Communio in Christo, she showed how the community became the oasis as described by Bishop Dr. Helmut Dieser: “A garden with water spaces, green plants, fruits, shade, a place to breathe and to give new life.”
pp/Agentur ProfiPress
