Community of St. John

Community of St. John
Orientation	Roman Catholic
Polity	Hierarchical
Leader	Fr. Thomas Joachim
Official website	www.stjean.com

The Community of St. John is a religious institute founded by Dominican Father Marie-Dominique Philippe in 1975. The brothers of the community are called "small greys", with refers to their grey habit (it is composed of a grey tunic and a scapular similar to the black habit of Benedictine), with a rosary to the waist. Contemplative sisters wear an additional white veil and apostolic sisters, a gray veil.

Since 1986, the Community of the Brothers of St. John has been a religious institute of diocesan right depending on the bishop of Autun, under the authority of the Catholic Church.

In 1975, a group of five students of the University of Freiburg asked Marie-Dominique Philippe to be their spiritual father. On Marthe Robin's advice, he accompanied them in their desire for monastic life. In 1978, this group was ad experimentum linked to the Cistercian monastery Lérins Abbey and was then named Community of St. John. In 1982, the first monastery was founded in Rimont (Burgundy), and the novitiate was opened in 1983 in Saint-Jodard (diocese of Lyon). Until 1996, the community was expanded with many foundations in France and other countries.

From 1996 to 2004, the community had a number of difficulties, marked by departures and the obligation to restructure. In 2000, the Collège Stanislas de Paris was no longer under the direction of the congregation, after a decision by Cardinal Lustiger. In 2001, Father Marie-Dominique Philippe left the direction of the community to Father Jean-Pierre-Marie ; he also stopped teaching in 2003 after a request of the hierarchy. In 2004, Monseigneur Joseph Madec became the religious community's assistant. On 26 August 2006, Marie-Dominique Philippe died in Saint-Jodard (Loire) and Pope Benedict XVI paid tribute to him.

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Wikipedia