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About Us
We are Auxiliaries of the CenacleAuxiliaries of the Cenacle are single vowed lay women who live our mission in the church and in the world in the ordinary circumstances of our secular life. We are attracted to the richness of the Cenacle Mystery from the promises of the Last Supper through their fulfillment at Pentecost.Auxiliaries have neither a specific work nor a specific apostolate. Through the various facets of our life we discover our particular field of apostolic endeavor, allowing ourselves to be transformed by Jesus that we may bring him to the world. To request information about the Auxiliaries of Our Lady of the Cenacle, please e-mail: auxiliaries@cenaclesisters.org
Consecrated SecularityOur consecrated secularity is a response to the appeal of the love of Jesus Christ. It is a radical and definitive commitment to follow Christ.Our consecration is lived in the most varied social structures, commitments, and professions. We assume our specific roles in the world as do all people. Even if nothing about us is changed exteriorly, our whole life is to be changed interiorly. Our commitment to consecrated celibacy, poverty, and obedience expresses the absolute gift of ourselves to God. Articles 8- 10, Constitution of the Auxiliaries of the Cenacle, adapted "They seek to make present in society the newness and power of Christ's Kingdom, striving to transfigure the world from within by the power of the Beatitudes. In this way, while they belong completely to God. . .their activity contributes to shedding the light of the Gospel on temporal realities." Consecrated Life, Apostolic Letter of Pope John Paul II, paragraph 10 SpiritualityOur spirituality is rooted in the mystery of the Cenacle, the heritage of St. Therese Couderc, and the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. It is centered in the Holy Spirit, the Eucharist, Mary, the church, and communal sharing.It was in the Cenacle that the newborn church gathered with Mary in prayer and communal sharing. Empowered and led by the Holy Spirit, the new church proclaimed to the world the Gospel � the Good News of Jesus resurrected. We learn from St. Therese Couderc, Cenacle Foundress, to surrender ourselves without reserve to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to confide all to Mary, and to root ourselves in an ever-deepening faith in God. Through St. Therese Couderc we received an Ignatian character which forms us in discernment. We learn to recognize the forces by which we are moved, to unite contemplation and action, and to "find God in all things."
PrayerPrayer is an essential part of our daily life and gives a contemplative dimension to our entire secular life. It is the indispensable condition for meeting the Lord throughout our days, the source and means of our mission, and the basis of fidelity to our commitment.Our need and hunger for prayer draw us to the Cenacle mystery where we are taught by the Holy Spirit, attracted by Mary �who kept all these things in her heart� (Luke 2:51) and led to self-surrender by Saint Therese Couderc. Our individual prayer invokes the community. Since we live in and for the world, our prayer � whether it expresses adoration, praise, thanksgiving, offering or intercession � is in and for the world. It reaches out to include all persons and encompasses all needs, according to the example of Saint Therese Couderc. Whether Auxiliaries pray alone or together, our prayer is always joined to the prayer of the Universal Church in union with Mary, Mother of the Church. The Eucharist is the center of our life, the privileged place of our meeting with Christ, with the church and with all our sisters and brothers. We desire to become more like Christ, blessed, broken and shared for others. Articles 17-18, 20-21, 24, Constitution of the Auxiliaries of the Cenacle, adapted Group LifeAlthough we do not live in community, each Auxiliary belongs to a local group for sharing our daily lives and to encourage one another to move forward in fidelity to the calls of our vocation. Local groups do not always mean that Auxiliaries live in the same geographic area.VowsAnnually, we pronounce vows of poverty, celibacy, and obedience. The three vows touch every aspect of our life as we seek to live the commitment of our baptism and confirmation.The vows encompass the totality of our life. They lead us to liberty of spirit, flexibility, and availability for building the Kingdom of God, a Kingdom of peace and justice for all persons which begins here on earth. Article 31, Constitution of the Auxiliaries of the Cenacle, adapted FormationAs Auxiliaries we participate in a formation program which prepares us for the various stages of commitment inherent in our vocation: First Offering, First Vows, and Definitive Vows.Formation takes place in the daily life and surroundings of the individual Auxiliary. With the personal direction of a formation guide, we participate in a formation program which prepares us for each stage of commitment. During formation we seek to clarify the call of the Lord and our response to that call, and to gain a deeper understanding of the spirituality and mission of the Auxiliaries. We live as ordinary lay women in the world, either alone, with family, or with others. Although we do not form residential groups, each Auxiliary belongs to a local group. The local groups in a geographical area form a Region. The responsibility for the life of the Region is assumed by the Regional Director, assisted by a Regional Council. The Regional Director and Council members are in regular communication with the local groups. "Each Auxiliary belongs to a local group, even though she may live at a distance. Each assumes responsibility for prayer with the group and for the group, and for simple sharing of what constitutes our daily lives: joys, anxieties, triumphs, trials. We encourage one another to move forward in fidelity to the calls of our vocation, helping each other to make progress. We seek together the manner in which each can respond in the light of the Gospel to the calls and needs of the world around us." Article 34, Constitution of the Auxiliaries of the Cenacle Our MeetingsEach local group meets regularly. Meeting frequency is determined by the local group. The meetings are facilitated by the local group Sponsor and are usually held on weekends. The purpose of the meetings is to mutually support each other in fidelity to the demands of the vocation.Regional Meetings of the members of the local groups are held bi-annually. These occasions deepen the bonds among the Auxiliaries and offer a means of sharing with one another on a broader scale. An International Meeting, at which delegates of both Regions join in discussion of common concerns of the vocation, is held every six years. Both Regions are united under the Superior General of the Congregation of Our Lady of the Retreat in the Cenacle, who is also the Superior General of the entire Group. History
 The origin of the Auxiliaries dates back to 1878 when three Christian lay women from various parts of Europe independently approached the Superior General of the Congregation of Our Lady of the Retreat in the Cenacle and asked to unite themselves by a special bond to the Congregation. Each woman expressed the desire to dedicate herself to bear witness to Christ in the secular world. Out of this small beginning an international group of lay women of the Cenacle gradually evolved. The Constitution of the Auxiliaries of the Cenacle was approved by the Congregation of Our Lady of the Retreat in the Cenacle, and by the Sacred Congregation for Religious and Secular Institutes in Rome, in February 1985. Today, the Auxiliaries are an international group with members living in two Regions. Canada Belgium |
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