German Order Superior Conference

The Deutsche Ordensobernkonferenz e. V. (DOK) — rendered in English as the German Order Superior Conference — is the representative body of the Roman Catholic religious orders and congregations in Germany. It is a registered association (eingetragener Verein) whose members are the higher superiors of women's, priests' and brothers' orders. According to its own and Wikipedia data, 405 higher superiors of sisters', priests' and brothers' orders are represented in the DOK, and through them the conference speaks for roughly 8,800 religious women and roughly 3,000 religious men in Germany (as of 2025). The DOK was founded on 8 June 2006 at the Archabbey of St. Ottilien, when the previously separate superiors' associations of priests' orders, brothers' orders and sisters' orders — the VDO, VOD and VOB — merged into a single joint conference. Its first chair was Sister Aloisia Höing SMMP, then general superior of the Sisters of Saint Mary Magdalene Postel. The conference's purpose, as articulated at its founding by the then prefect of the Vatican congregation for religious, Cardinal Franc Rodé CM, is the promotion of consecrated life within the overall mission of the Church, and the strengthening of communion among the institutes while respecting the particular charisms of each. The DOK is headquartered in the "Haus der Orden" on Wittelsbacherring in Bonn. Its general secretary is Hubert Wissing. It is a member of the Union of European Conferences of Major Superiors (UCESM). Its chairs have been Sr. Aloisia Höing SMMP (2006–2010), Hermann Josef Kugler OPraem (2010–2018), Katharina Kluitmann OSF (2018–2022) and Andreas Murk OFMConv (from 2022). Beyond representation, the DOK operates a portfolio of projects and services: the journal Ordenskorrespondenz – Zeitschrift für das katholische Ordensleben; "RUACH – Bildung für Ordensleute", an institute for continuing formation around religious and monastic life; the Solidarwerk der katholischen Orden Deutschlands (SW); an internal arbitration body; and a joint data protection officer for religious orders. It also cooperates with the Vereinigung Katholischer Orden zur Förderung internationaler Solidarität (VKO), the association of foreign Catholic orders in Germany, based in Neuwied. Its public-facing work includes the website orden.de, a press room, a members' area, a newsletter, the "Freiwilliges Ordensjahr" (voluntary religious year), the "Geistliche Landkarte" (spiritual map) of monasteries, and materials on vocations and on topics such as sexualized violence against minors, home education from 1949 to 1975, and orders' engagement for refugees.

The Deutsche Ordensobernkonferenz (DOK) was founded on 8 June 2006 at the Archabbey of St. Ottilien, during the first joint meeting of its predecessor organizations — the superiors' associations of priests' orders, brothers' orders and sisters' orders (VDO, VOD and VOB). Sister Aloisia Höing SMMP, then general superior of the Sisters of Saint Mary Magdalene Postel, was elected the first chair of the joint conference. In a greeting, the prefect of the Vatican congregation for religious, Cardinal Franc Rodé CM, recalled the task of superiors' conferences: "Hauptzweck ...ist die Förderung des geweihten Lebens im Gesamtauftrag der kirchlichen Sendung. Durch diese Konferenzen bringen die Institute die Gemeinschaft unter ihnen zum Ausdruck und suchen nach Mitteln, um sie unter Achtung und Erschließung der Besonderheit der verschiedenen Charismen zu stärken, in denen sich das Geheimnis der Kirche und die vielgestaltige Weisheit Gottes widerspiegelt (VC 53)." In his sermon at the festive service, the then archabbot of St. Ottilien, Jeremias Schröder OSB, gave this mission concrete form: "Vor allem bekennen wir unsere Hoffnung und Zuversicht: dass auch in Zukunft unsere Gemeinschaften der Kirche und den Menschen in diesem Land dienen werden, durch gelebte Communio, durch den Dienst an Jungen, Alten, Kranken, Verlassenen, an den Rand Gedrängten, durch Wissenschaft und Lehre, durch Gottesdienst und Gastfreundschaft." The prehistory of the DOK reaches back further. On 24 August 1898, the higher superiors of the missionary orders met to discuss possible participation in an exhibition of the German Colonial Museum in Berlin. This round, titled "Superioren-Konferenz" (SK), was the earliest forerunner. Over the following decades the various strands of superiors' organization developed separately — the Superioren-Vereinigung (SV) and the Vereinigung Deutscher Ordensobern (VDO) among them — before the 2006 merger brought the priests', brothers' and sisters' superiors into a single conference. Since its founding, the DOK has been led by a succession of chairs: Sr. Aloisia Höing SMMP (2006–2010), Hermann Josef Kugler OPraem (2010–2018), Katharina Kluitmann OSF (2018–2022) and Andreas Murk OFMConv (from 2022). Its general secretariat is located in the "Haus der Orden" on Wittelsbacherring in Bonn; the general secretary is Hubert Wissing. The DOK is a member of the Union of European Conferences of Major Superiors (UCESM). It represents 405 higher superiors of sisters', priests' and brothers' orders, and through them around 8,800 religious women and around 3,000 religious men in Germany (as of 2025). Alongside its representative role, the DOK has built a set of projects: the journal Ordenskorrespondenz – Zeitschrift für das katholische Ordensleben; "RUACH – Bildung für Ordensleute", an institute for continuing formation around religious and monastic life; the Solidarwerk der katholischen Orden Deutschlands (SW); an internal arbitration body; and a joint data protection officer for religious orders. It cooperates with the Vereinigung Katholischer Orden zur Förderung internationaler Solidarität (VKO), the association of foreign Catholic orders in Germany, based in Neuwied. Its public work includes the website orden.de, a press room, a members' area, a newsletter, the "Freiwilliges Ordensjahr", the "Geistliche Landkarte" of monasteries, and engagement with topics such as sexualized violence against minors, home education from 1949 to 1975, and orders' service for refugees.

• 2025

  The DOK represents 405 higher superiors and, through them, around 8,800 religious women and around 3,000 religious men in Germany.

• 2022

  Andreas Murk OFMConv becomes chair.

• 2018

  Katharina Kluitmann OSF becomes chair (until 2022).

• 2010

  Hermann Josef Kugler OPraem becomes chair (until 2018).

• 2006

  The Deutsche Ordensobernkonferenz (DOK) is founded at the Archabbey of St. Ottilien through the merger of the VDO, VOD and VOB; Sr. Aloisia Höing SMMP is elected first chair.

• 1898

  Higher superiors of the missionary orders meet as the "Superioren-Konferenz" (SK), the earliest forerunner of the DOK.

Umbrella representative body and service platform for Roman Catholic religious orders and congregations in Germany.

• Ordenskorrespondenz – Zeitschrift für das katholische Ordensleben

• RUACH – Bildung für Ordensleute

• Solidarwerk der katholischen Orden Deutschlands (SW)

• Internal arbitration body

• Joint data protection officer for religious orders

• Freiwilliges Ordensjahr

• Geistliche Landkarte (spiritual map of monasteries)

1. 1Ordensgemeinschaften in Deutschland – official websiteorden.de
2. 2Geschichte der DOKorden.de
3. 3Deutsche Ordensobernkonferenz – Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org
4. 4German Order Superior Conference – Wikidatawikidata.org