The elective General Assembly of the Community of the Beatitudes was held from May 8^th to 12^th. Seventy-one delegates, composed of twenty-two different nationalities, gathered in Blagnac (France) elected the community’s new government. On Thursday May 9^th, Brother Johannes-Maria Poblotzki was elected President. He succeeds Sr. Anna Katharina Pollmeyer.

The General Assembly and the Particular Assemblies of the three branches (brothers, sisters and lay people) are convened every four years. Delegates are elected by committed members of the Community, with proportional representation from each state of life and geographical region where the Community is present. For the Community, this event is a powerful spiritual moment when the synodal dimension of its status as an “Ecclesial Family of Consecrated Life” is experienced par excellence.

On Thursday May 9^th, Br. Johannes-Maria Poblotzki was elected President. The Particular Assemblies then met to elect the general officers. The following were elected: Elisabeth Bossuwe, for the lay branch; Sr. Theresia Schuschnigg, for the sisters’ branch; and Br. Olivier-Marie Cassagnou, for the brothers’ branch.

Surrounded by the General Council, made up of branch general leaders and their assistants, the President works collegially, in a common search for God’s will. He exercises his authority and oversees the common good, while respecting the autonomy of each branch.

SOME BIOGRAPHICAL DETAILS ON THE PRESIDENT AND BRANCHES GENERAL HEADS

Br. Johannes-Maria Poblotzki is German. He joined the Community in Germany in 1994. He took his perpetual vows in 2000 and was ordained a priest in 2005. With a doctorate in theology, he has been in charge of various houses and general counselor to the brothers for six years. For the last four years, he has been general assistant to the head of the brothers’ branch and general director for the brothers’ formation.

Elisabeth Bossuwe is French. She joined the Community in 1995, making her commitment as a “celibate for the Kingdom” in the lay branch. She spent some fifteen years in various houses in Africa, then three years in Belgium before taking charge of the Saint-Broladre community house (France). In recent years, she has also been Africa regional head for the lay branch.

Br. Olivier-Marie Cassagnou is French. He joined the Community in 2002, took his perpetual vows in 2010 and was ordained a priest in 2012. He has been in charge of the Nouan-le-Fuzelier community house (France), then the Zug community house (Switzerland). He also held responsibilities in the brothers’ branch (regional head and general counselor), before joining the Presidential government in November 2023.

Sr. Theresia Schuschnigg is Austrian. She joined the Community in Austria in 1995, and took her perpetual vows in 2001. After stays in Blagnac (France), Rome and Israel, she has been living in Hungary since 2009. For the past four years, she has been the Regional Sister for the Americas and New Zealand.