*** Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator***

Swarożyn/Skarszewy/Mechernich – In Poland, the cohesion of the spiritual family of Communio in Christo continues to grow: On 20 October, friends and members of the community founded on 8 December 1984 in Mechernich met in the parish of Swarożyn near Tczew for a spiritually oriented afternoon marked by deep faith, fellowship and a warm atmosphere. It was the first meeting since a visit by Superior General Jaison Thazhathil from Mechernich at the beginning of September.

The meeting day was also an expression of a lively international connection that stretches from Mechernich to the Polish region of Pomerania. Father Piotr Malinowski, who provides spiritual guidance to the local Communio group, spoke openly and impressively about his personal path to the priesthood and his inner connection to Communio in Christo. At that time, he had personally taken his vows in the hands of the founder, Mother Marie Therese, who died in 1994.

In a cosy atmosphere, with homemade cake and coffee, the recent meeting in Malinowski's parish hall in Swarożyn created an atmosphere that has also characterised the community in Mechernich since its foundation. A togetherness that thrives on trust, spirituality and mutual appreciation.

"Honest and moving"

"It was an honest, very moving story," reports Teresa Świeca, who has been organising the Communio in Skarszewy for years. "We talked together about the life and work of Mother Marie Therese from the Netherlands – about her path to realising her calling and the beginnings of Communio in Christo."

The highlight of the most recent meeting was Holy Mass, during which prayers were said for all members, friends and deceased members of the community. According to Świeca, "it was clearly noticeable that we don't just talk about spirituality, we live it."

A new initiative has already grown out of the meeting in Swarożyn: a 14-member delegation from Skarszewy plans to visit the mother house of Communio in Mechernich from 9 to 12 April 2026. On 10 April, they will celebrate the anniversary of the death of Mother Marie Therese, the woman who founded Communio in Christo as a spiritual response to the challenges of the modern Church and whose message of universal love was confirmed by the Second Vatican Council and continues to have an impact today.

On 11 April, the anniversary of her death, the group from Mechernich's twin town of Skarszewy plans to make a pilgrimage in the footsteps of the founder – to Oud-Valkenburg, Valkenburg and Maastricht, the Dutch stages of Mother Marie Therese's life. Superior General Jaison Thazhathil: "In this way, our Polish friends are connecting with the roots of the Communio, which emerged from the personal testimony of faith and spiritual experience of its founder."

"The result of our meeting is the desire to visit the mother house in Mechernich and get to know the home towns of Mother Marie Therese," wrote Teresa Świeca to Sister Lidwina, who had visited the Polish friends with a small delegation at the beginning of September. More than 50 members, sympathisers, priests, lay people and religious from Poland met with the Mechernich community, led by the Superior General of the community, Father Jaison Thazhathil, who is originally from India, and his German deputy, Deacon Manfred Lang from Mechernich.

Praise for Małgosia Szwajkowska

Polish, German and Indian Christians celebrated their shared faith, their community and the spiritual mission that began in Mechernich in 1984 with the founder, Mother Marie Therese. Close contacts have existed for years between Communio in Christo in Mechernich and the Communio group in Skarszewy, Poland.

Thanks to the commitment of dedicated members such as Małgosia Szwajkowska, a teacher and educator who was responsible for youth work and volunteer work on site, the message of Communio is also being passed on to young people.

Teresa Świeca interprets the idea of Communio – "life in Christ" as the basis of all action – as solidarity and closeness to people in practice. These Polish-German encounters demonstrate that Communio in Christo is not a closed community, but a spiritual movement that transcends borders.

"We returned with joy in our hearts," Teresa Świeca sums up the meeting – a sentence that symbolises the spirit that emanates from Mechernich and has blossomed anew in Swarożyn. When the Polish friends come to Mechernich in April 2026, a circle will be closed, from the Communio group to the mother house, but also from one twin town to another. "Carried by faith in Christ and by the message of a woman who said with her life, 'Love is the heart of the Church,'" says Teresa Świeca.

pp/Agentur ProfiPress