In a sprawling, tree-lined street in Ronkonkoma you will find a quiet spiritual retreat center situated on numerous acres of land. The Cenacle Retreat Center—one of numerous Cenacle retreats throughout North America, which are run by the Cenacle Sisters, a Roman Catholic order of nuns—is unique in its history. The original house on the property belonged to the area’s well-known Smith family, and portions of it date back as far as the 17th century. Unique, too, is the Cenacle’s eco-sustainable approach to the main retreat center building, downhill from the old Smith house, as it is a designated Gold LEED building. To receive such a designation, the building must meet the criteria of energy reduction and leadership in energy. Boasting cork floors from harvestable trees, which regrow in three years’ time, geothermal heating, and other eco-conscious amendments, the building reflects the builders’ desire to keep our Earth beautiful.
In 1922, famous stage actress Maude Adams (famous for being the first actress to play Peter Pan on Broadway) donated her property—where the Ronkonkoma Cenacle now sits—to the Cenacle Sisters, although she was not Catholic; she was a practicing Mormon. “The Cenacle Retreat Center of Ronkonkoma’s mission is to assist a person on their spiritual journey,” states Sister Margaret Rohde, RC, director of ministry. “We do so most importantly by meeting the person where they are.” The Cenacle is open to all persons searching for God in their lives, and is not simply a retreat center for the practicing Catholic.
The Cenacle Sisters were founded in 1826 in Lalouvesc, France, by St. Therese Couderc and Father Stephen Terme. They first offered their space as a retreat house where Catholic women could deepen their prayer and grow in their spiritual life.
After Vatican II in the 1970s, the Cenacle Sisters and their retreat centers began serving Catholics and non-Catholics alike. “We were set up to help those who are seeking the divine, with a more ecumenical focus,” explains Rohde. Men and women, Catholics and those of all faiths. Even those with no faith; all are welcome that seek to be closer to God.
The Ronkonkoma Cenacle offers an amazing, vast array of opportunities to participate in self-discovery, all the while moving closer to God. There are numerous seminars, workshops, silent-guided retreats, as well as meditation sessions, kripalu yoga classes on Wednesday mornings, and more.
The Cenacle makes a point of inviting a wide variety of presenters for daily and multi-day seminars. The names and topics covered are not what one might expect from a Roman Catholic organization: “Feeling Unworthy, the Need to Be Perfect and Other Enemies of the Soul”; “Women in Relationship with Self, God and Others”; “The Dynamic of Guilt”; and “Spirituality of The Beatles Music,” where participants spend the day listening to and praying with the group’s timeless classics.
There are so many different topics in the hopes that one of the many “will call the spirit to go deeper,” says Rohde. “We truly try to have a wide array, so that we can keep growing and keep alive.” As spiritual guides, “we guide you, meeting you where you are in your faith journey,” she adds.
This July, there is an eight-day workshop with Tom Petriano, of St. Joseph’s College, who will be presenting Spirituality and the New Cosmology, focusing on the fact that science is not only compatible with spirituality; it is a profound source of spirituality.
There are four beautiful hermitages on the property for solitary retreats for the more experienced in prayer, offering a time of silence to fulfill a desire to deepen a relationship with God. Ability to stay overnight in one of the hermitages is available via recommendation by a spiritual adviser and application process.
For more information, call 631-588-8366 or visit CenacleSisters.org/Ronkonkoma.
