Each February the United States celebrates Black History Month. The North American Province of the Cenacle Sisters wishes to be apart of this celebration as it continues to work, pray, and minister in a non-racist, intergenerational and intercultural way, just as Jesus Christ did.
This year we would like to highlight three things.
1.) There is a retreat offered by the Leadership Conference for Women Religious (LCWR) which we think you might find of value. HERE
2.) The Sisters of Mercy of the Americas have many stories and resources that are worth reviewing and praying over. HERE
3.) We would like to share a little Cenacle history that involves Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
In June 1967, Sr. Margaret Byrne, r.c., then Superior at the Cenacle Retreat House in Warrenville, IL, was approached by Al Raby, a civil rights leader in Chicago. At the time, communities surrounding the proposed Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, IL, upheld racially discriminatory housing statutes, forcing Black employees to commute long distances.
Al Raby requested to hold a protest “tent-in” on the Cenacle grounds to challenge these unjust policies. With permission from the Cenacle Major Superior, Sr. Byrne and her community courageously hosted the event, despite significant public backlash, including opposition from members of the clergy. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. attended the tent-in briefly, lending his voice to the cause. This peaceful protest played a pivotal role in dismantling residential segregation across DuPage County.
Sr. Byrne’s unwavering commitment to justice led to her appointment as Provincial of the Cenacle Midwest Province the following year, a role she served in until 1974.
