The Full Story
What is the Cenacle?
Cenacle (L.“Coenaculum”) in Scripture (Acts 1:14), is the place where Jesus celebrated the Last Supper and washed his disciples’ feet, and where Mary and the disciples waited in prayer for the coming of the Holy Spirit after the Ascension. It is where the mission of the Church began when the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost.
In the Spirit of the first Cenacle, the Cenacle Sisters assist in the awakening and deepening of faith with and for the people of our time. Our mission in the world is to make Jesus known and loved through the ministry of retreats, spiritual direction and other spiritual ministries.
The Religious of the Cenacle
The Congregation of Our Lady of the Retreat in the Cenacle (Cenacle Sisters / Religious of the Cenacle) is an international religious congregation working for the transformation of the world by awakening and deepening faith with and for the people of our times.
The mystery of the Cenacle expresses our mission in the Church and the significance of Mary in our spirituality. It is the mystery of prayerful expectation and waiting in retreat by the first assembly of the Church, with Mary, directed to that outpouring of the Spirit which sent the apostles to the ends of the earth “clothed with power from on high” (Acts 1:8, Luke 24:49).
It is the inspiration for integrating the three dimensions of our mission: prayer, community and apostolic service...
Impelled by the love of Christ, we go where the need is greatest.
Cenacle Constitutions #2, 6
Our Three-fold Mission
As Cenacle Sisters, we are called to surrender our whole lives to God, and this we do through our threefold mission
Life in Community
The very word Cenacle recalls the gathering together of disciples out of love for the Lord... Today in the Cenacle we freely choose and are strongly committed to community life, Jesus Christ having called us together and united us for the same mission.
Constitutions #67
Apostolic life in the service of the Church
Impelled by the love of Christ and concern for a world in need of this message, we give ourselves with all our strength to making the gospel known so that it may become a source of life for everyone.
Constitutions #6
A Life of Prayer
Prayer, which is at the center of the mystery of the Cenacle, should permeate our life. It draws down on us and on the world the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Constitutions #25
The Cenacle has always been regarded as a place where people seek a deeper relationship with God. We provide a rich variety of retreats, seminars, workshops and other spiritual programs for:
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women and men
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lay and religious
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single and married
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Catholic and other denominations
We offer retreats in our house and also at other locations such as parishes, community centers and in private homes.