Cenacle nuns' new home, modern mission

On the most romantic day of the year, Valentine's Day, one would hardly expect to find the hand-holding set tucking into a candlelit dinner for married couples at a convent.

But, says Bev Bienemann, 70, a staff assistant at the Ronkonkoma Cenacle Convent and Retreat House, "It's a way for couples to deepen their relationship, to say 'I still love you' and to renew their vows."

The ''Evening for Couples'' is just one of many community outreach programs keeping the Sisters of the Cenacle on their toes in their new home, the recently built Ronkonkoma Cenacle, a more compact, energy-efficient version of the original structure, which was demolished two years ago.

Despite their religious overtones, some programs, including lectures, workshops and retreats, are as contemporary as the new building: ''The Spirituality of the Beatles Music'' and ''Bad Girls of the Bible'' among them. Other titles include ''We're Off to See the Wizard'' and ''Who Will I Be if I Retire?''

There are also programs for marriage enrichment, compulsive eaters, men in recovery, and for men, women and youths.

"One of my favorites is the dream weekend; it's a present I give myself," said Marcia Gaudet, 70, a Central Islip resident who has been attending Cenacle programs for more than 30 years. "It helps you get in touch with your dreams, to understand the symbolism."

Retreats are led by priests, professors, therapists and nuns.

But the Cenacle was not always home to what Bienemann calls "busy, working women" -- nuns who dress not in habits but in casual clothes, use cellphones and laptops and attend administrative and prayer meetings.

There was a time, decades ago, when passersby on Cenacle Road would pause alongside a rose-twined split-rail fence to admire an idyllic vista of cows and sheep grazing in a lush pasture. Ducks and geese, half hidden beyond clusters of tall oaks, swam in a pretty pond near the original Ronkonkoma Cenacle, a Roman Catholic retreat house and convent that anchored the scene.

In this sprawling pastoral setting, the Sisters of the Cenacle once lived off the land, tending their farm animals and vegetable gardens and hosting retreats. In the early dawn, black-robed nuns carrying lighted candles could be seen walking to a stone grotto for morning prayers.

Retreats treasured

Retreats remain the nuns' primary ministry. People of all faiths are welcome for stays of several hours to several days, spending their time in prayer and quiet moments of self-reflection. They're encouraged to enjoy the natural world of the wooded grounds and the pond or to explore the well-stocked library. Meals are included in the suggested offering.

"The retreats are absolutely life-changing," says retired librarian Peter Carroll, 64, formerly of Rocky Point who now lives in Pennsylvania. "The fellowship is so strong that I'm willing to travel to Lake Ronkonkoma once a month. The Sisters of the Cenacle move you more deeply on your spiritual journey. The rooms are comfortable, and the food is excellent."

The Cenacle, set on a vast tract of forest and wetlands, has been an area landmark since 1926, when the cornerstone of the original building was set. Financed by donations to the Cenacle Sisters, the 300-room, four-story behemoth had a clay-tile roof topped by a bell tower and provided overnight accommodations for 50 guests.

The Ronkonkoma Cenacle, one of nine Cenacle centers in the United States, is a unit of the Chicago-based International Congregation of Our Lady of the Cenacle, which is affiliated with the Vatican. The order was founded in 1826 at the shrine of St. Regis in France and now has centers in 13 countries. The word "cenacle," a Latin derivative, means ''upper room'' and refers to the site of the Last Supper.

The 400-acre Ronkonkoma property, which included a residence reminiscent of a provincial Mediterranean villa, was a gift -- actually purchased for $1 -- to the Cenacle Sisters in 1922 from the stage actress Maude Adams in gratitude for the nuns' spiritual support. Famous for her Broadway roles as Peter Pan and Joan of Arc in the early 1900s, Adams retired in 1918 and divided her time between her "villa" (still called the Maude Adams House) at the Ronkonkoma Cenacle and a home in Tannersville until her death at 80 in 1953. She is buried in the cemetery on the grounds.

Building a problem

Over the years, the Ronkonkoma Cenacle gradually became a white elephant. Energy consumption and maintenance were a financial drain despite the sale of land parcels that reduced the property's size to its current 45 acres. To save money, the nuns gamely took on chores, wielding wrenches and hammers, shovels and rakes. But it became clear that a change was inevitable.

A five-year study completed in 2007 by an advisory committee of Cenacle Sisters of the North American Province determined renovation was impractical, and its recommendation that a smaller replacement be built was adopted.

"Financing came from donations, gifts, fundraisers and the sale of two Cenacle properties -- one in Warrenville, Ill., is finalized, the other, in Florida, is still on the market," said Sister Barbara Regan, 63, who participated in the study.

She adds, "Our goal was to respect our heritage while following the most environmentally responsible methods, and we were guided through every step by experts from Hoffman Llc, a planning, design and construction company in Appleton, Wis., that's known for their expertise in green building."

The project was a collaborative effort by the Cenacle Sisters, Hoffman, Melville architect Michael Russo and local building contractors.

The new, two-story brick structure with a domed rotunda, houses 12 nuns and 24 retreatants in private bedrooms with baths. "And now it's handicapped-accessible," said Carroll. "They [planners and builders] attended to the ecology of humans as well as the ecology of the planet."

Despite an imposing facade, the nearly 50,000-square-foot building addresses the economic and environmental realities of our time. The building is projected to reduce energy costs by up to 40 percent over its old counterpart by making use of geothermal heating, low-flow water fixtures, passive solar heat and fluorescent lighting. It has earned Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification for green building construction and design.

Saving the charm

But all concerned were unwilling to destroy the grand features that infused the original structure with Old World charm.

"To that end," said Regan, "the old Cenacle was not so much demolished but taken apart, section by section, each component laid out on the ground and studied for what could be recycled into the new building."

The result is a showplace of creativity and pragmatism coexisting. Six stained-glass windows from the original chapel were installed in back-lit frames that grace the new rotunda. Paneled oak doors were refinished, repaired and reused, as were roof tiles, statuary, corbels and lighting fixtures wherever possible. Even the old brick was crushed and used as fill under the parking area. Four new "hermitages" -- cottages for retreatants who request complete solitude -- were paneled with reclaimed planks from an old barn on the property. Sustainable materials include cork and bamboo flooring.

"We've found that women in religious orders are at the forefront of the movement to respect creation by going green, says Patrick Del Ponte, director of planning for Hoffman. "They've made a tremendous impact in this country because of their leadership in health care, education and now conservation. With a building project like this one in Ronkonkoma they've created an oasis for future generations."