Community Life
The Comunità Cenacolo is not a program, rather, it is a school of life.
The Community offers an authentic and concrete proposal of life based on
Jesus Christ. We live a simple life based on prayer, sacrifice,
renunciation, faith, and work.
For those of us who had enough materially, but fell into an inner darkness, often accompanied by alcohol and drugs, this simple proposal of life is deeply valued because it is genuine, true, and of God. Everyone in desperation is thirsting for love - true, authentic love - and this comes not from man, but from God. This school of life is for all who want truth and life, without any distinction of race or religion. Prayer
Our Life and Its Rhythm
Ours is a very active Community with a precise rhythm of life. Every morning we begin the day thanking God for His gift of new life. Through scripture reading and praying the rosary before the Blessed Sacrament, we join as family in offering ourselves and our day to God, asking Him to heal us and empower us with His Holy Spirit. We ask Him to show us the masks and lies that have ruled our lives and to replace these with His light and truth. Work
The work day at Our Lady of Hope is very important. As we build exterior structures, God builds the inner man. Through working together, we learn to communicate more effectively, accept the ideas of others, and resolve conflicts. Our work builds in us an interior discipline of life; it combats both our fear and our laziness to persevere with difficult challenges. It builds our will which has always been weak, and bridles our passions, which have always ruled our lives. The community jobs include carpentry, raising farm animals, construction, baking, cultivating fruit and vegetable gardens, cooking, and house maintenance. Perseverence
Building the Interior
The very fabric of community life forms a genuine Christian character within the members of Our Lady of Hope Community. The truth about ourselves emerges in our daily interactions as we deal with each other's weaknesses and interior poverty. We encourage, correct, criticize, and support, thus learning how to accept the truth about ourselves, as well as how to speak the truth to others. We learn to serve and sacrifice for another in spite of frailties and imperfections. Perservering through difficulties in relationships shapes our will and teaches us the meaning of Christian love and commitment.