Supporting cenacle for 40 years

By ANGELA CAVE- | Comments: 0 | Leave a comment

The Marian Movement of Priests Cenacle meeting has long been a staple in The Evangelist's weekly calendar of events (see page 17), but many readers may not be familiar with the group.

A special Mass at 3 p.m. on Mother's Day, May 11, at St. Francis Chapel in Colonie may answer some questions. Members of the group will be consecrating themselves to Mary, as they do at their weekly meetings.

"We give ourselves to the Blessed Mother to guide us," explained Lena Zullo, 85, who has been involved with the movement since it came to the Albany Diocese in the mid-1970s. Today, there are about 20 members. "We're her children - children of God and brothers and sisters of Jesus. She explains things to us."

The word "cenacle" refers to the site of the Last Supper in Jerusalem and the "upper room" where Mary and the Apostles gathered in prayer to await the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

A now-deceased Italian priest named Rev. Stefano Gobbi said he'd begun receiving messages from Mary in 1972; the messages continued for more than two decades. Father Gobbi traveled the world encouraging priests to consecrate themselves to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and holding cenacles, or prayer gatherings.

Since then, tens of thousands of deacons, priests and bishops and millions of religious and laity have participated in the consecration and in cenacles.

A cenacle prayer session consists of an invocation to the Holy Spirit, recitation of the Rosary, prayers for the pope, reading and meditation on messages given to Father Gobbi and consecration to Mary. Participants in the Albany Diocese have prayed for local priests and Bishop Emeritus Howard J. Hubbard; they're now praying for Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger.

Mrs. Zullo, who attends St. Vincent de Paul parish in Albany, said the messages are "really the Gospel message of our Lord.

"This is about the mother of Jesus - and who knows more about the son than the mother?" she mused. "We're like a family that gathers. I believe in it so very, very much. We always have to be praying. This is our connection to God."

Fellow participant Joanne Clough of St. Mary's parish in Albany said that "we invoke the Holy Spirit for spiritual renewal for the world. I like to go pray for priests because, lately, I've seen that [people] don't give their priests enough support. Our priests need to be encouraged and our young people need to see how important they are."

The group prays for all vocations. Mrs. Clough goes to Mass and frequent eucharistic adoration, but thinks prayer cenacles are special.

"I pray with other people for the same intentions," she said. "[Jesus said], 'Where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am.' Sometimes you need to know that other people are there."[[In-content Ad]]