An apostolate that virtually no one has heard about is responsible for changing the direction of thousands of lives in the United States for the past 30-plus years.

Comunità Cenacolo was started in 1983 in Italy by the late Sister Elvira Petrozzi, a member of the Sisters of Divine Charity order who became known as Mother Elvira, to help young people who were depressed, marginalized, struggling or dealing with addictions. The mission expanded to America in 1993 and also since its founding to 18 other countries.

Retired Bishop Robert Baker of Birmingham, Alabama, an Ohio native, was instrumental in bringing Comunità Cenacolo to the United States.

In America, Comunità Cenacolo has grown from one house to four houses, with three in Florida and one in Alabama. There are two houses each for men and women. A majority of the young adults who come there are battling drug addiction.

Charles Fowle of Columbus represents one of the thousands who have turned their lives around after spending time in the community. (His story can be found in an accompanying article.) His father, Ed, credits the program with saving his son’s life.

Ed Fowle offered the following about Comunita Cenacolo:

“Across the country, in the face of addiction's grip, families yearn for a miracle. Many have found solace in a path illuminated by the transformative power of the Eucharist and the Blessed Mother's intercession, as pioneered by the remarkable Italian Mother Elvira.

“Through her faith-based approach at Comunità Cenacolo, countless individuals have unlocked the grip of addiction and found a renewed life in Christ. Perhaps it's your daughter struggling with addiction, a silent plea echoing in your prayers. Or the fear etched on your face as your nephew relapses, leaving you yearning for divine intervention. Maybe it's the quiet desperation of a grandparent witnessing their grandson consumed by the darkness.

“Traditional treatments may fall short, but within Comunità Cenacolo, hope flourishes through faith, fellowship and the transformative power of God's grace, experienced through the Eucharist and the Blessed Mother's loving embrace. Importantly, Comunità Cenacolo's life-changing programs are free of charge.”

Comunità Cenacolo's approach encompasses a unique combination of the Latin phrase Ora et Labora, which translates to pray and work.

Once an individual gains acceptance, he or she is required to maintain a rigorous, disciplined life of prayer and manual labor in and around the houses to sustain the community. Community members and volunteers do all of the work to maintain the properties.

There is one senior resident in charge of overseeing each house. Newcomers are assigned an experienced “angel” who accompanies them everywhere to make sure no one is ever alone. 

Comunità Cenacolo is directed in America by Albino Aragno, a former addict and graduate of the program in Italy who came to Florida in 1993 to establish the first U.S. house.

Aragno has remained with Comunità Cenacolo for the entirety of its U.S. existence and has overseen the expansion of houses in the program.

Comunità Cenacolo does no advertising and relies totally on donations. Families often learn about the community while on pilgrimages to a shrine such as Medjugorje or Lourdes, or from a friend, family member or parishioner who knows about the program. 

Anyone seeking admittance to Comunità Cenacolo comes for a visit to determine whether the program is a good fit. Many of them have gone through rehab multiple times and fallen back into addiction. Parents are required to participate along with their son or daughter. 

Arango estimated that about 70 percent of the community members are Catholic or come from Catholic families. 

Each house for women, whose average age is between 18 and 30, includes 10 to 12 residents. The two men’s houses average from 20 to 25 members who range in age from 18 into their 30s.

Rosary, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and Mass are a foundational part of the program for Catholics and non-Catholics alike. Priests come from outside the community to administer the sacraments and to celebrate Mass. Religious sisters also visit the houses. 

“You wake up, you pray,” Aragno explained. “The basic foundation of the communities is prayer, work, simple life and living together – a sense of community, almost like a big family helping each other.

“There is a team leader inside each of the houses that decides the work that is to be done. Sometimes we are in construction. We maintain the property. We cook, we clean, we do pretty much everything to keep the sites in order, but that starts with putting our own lives in order.”

Detachment from the world is foundational to the program. Discipline and a strong work ethic are needed to succeed.  

“No computers, no TV, no phones,” Aragno said. “You’re learning how to sit at the table and dialog. You learn how to relate to each other – removed from society … because the lives the people have come from are pretty much destroyed. They’re broken, sad, unhappy, depressed, anxious.”

While most of the men and women who come to Comunità Cenacolo have battled drug addiction, some are dealing with other issues. One of the men who came to the community for help spent 18 hours a day on a computer or phone.

“Everybody’s made a lot of bad decisions," Aragno said. "To reveal the new person, it’s removing everything, so removing the drugs, peers, the internet, computers, phone, you name it. Each one can have its own addiction.

“You go back to basics, and with God it is possible to change.”

Charles Fowle eats lunch with community members in 2017.

Catholic faith life is imbued in the routine from the beginning of the day to the end. Starting the morning by praying the rosary in the chapel while kneeling on the hard floor is an important discipline.

“If we reach the point that we really find God in our life, we have something to reach, something to grasp,” Aragno said. “Our faith is concrete, and concrete actions help others.”

For those who were lax in their faith or not Catholic, Aragno said he has seen some amazing transformations during their stays. 

“Not only from the members of the community but also for their own families,” he said, “because this is a journey also for the family. People are the fruit of a tree. Sometimes the tree is good, sometimes the tree is not very good. And we have a variety of people coming from different kinds of families … broken, good families, super Catholic family, homeschool family, and then you have the ones that are coming from nothing.”

No one is forced to become Catholic, but he cited an example of two men who are set to join the Church in a couple of months. Two women have entered religious life and a third is in formation. Others have gone on to raise happy families.

“I’ve also seen beautiful transformations in general,” Aragno said. “A guy that is completely sad, dead. no life and then, after two or three or six months, he begins to smile, to discover the natural beauty of all of it. That is what fills my heart.” 

Fran Kempf, a member of Columbus Holy Family Church, has visited Comunità Cenacolo and was instrumental in Fowle going there. She recalled a community retreat she once attended for families.

“That’s why Cenacolo is so beautiful because the family gets involved,” she said. “They mentor the parents.”

At the community retreats, the parents are separated from their children for a weekend before they come together.

“Those who are there for healing go into the church, sit before the Blessed Sacrament and then their parents come in,” she said. “And it’s the most beautiful thing.

“The parents listen to their children ask for forgiveness, share their gratitude and thank the people in their lives that they appreciate. And they talk about God, of course. It’s quite an emotional time.” 

During Kempf’s stay as a visitor, she witnessed the faith and trust placed in the Lord .

“One morning, we had a bowl of dry Cheerios on the table and they said, ‘This is what God provided for today,’” she recalled. “No complaint. They learn to accept what God has provided for their lives and that He's not going to abandon them. He's going to be there to provide everything they need.”

For the individuals going through the program, the average length of stay varies, but individuals normally remain for approximately three years. Those admitted to Comunità Cenacolo do not sign a contract, “but this is not a hotel either to check out and come back,” Arango said

“This is not a quick fix,” Arango stressed. “A person may have been in addiction for 10-15 years. Sometimes it doesn’t take much time to destroy our lives and to make some really bad decisions, but to rebuild takes much longer. The journey is a long journey. We call it the school of life. 

“We are never in a rush to put anybody out. We decide together, but sometimes we encourage also to stay longer. It's like you're putting money on a bank. You know you will receive it later.”

“Seeing the healing that happens there, it's miraculous,” Kempf said.

Once it’s determined that an individual is ready to re-enter the outside world, there is assistance from an organization that exists independently of Comunita Cenacolo.

The Servants of the Holy Spirit Corporation is a non-profit Catholic organization that offers transitional support after completion of the Comunità Cenacolo program. While not directly associated with Comunità Cenacolo, Servants of the Holy Spirit supports a Christ-centered life in the critical months after exiting Comunità Cenacolo.

Services include housing, transportation, counseling, financial guidance, career planning and job placement.

The Servants of the Holy Spirit is also donor supported and welcomes financial assistance for their mission to help courageous young adults as they rebuild their lives.

More information on Servants of the Holy Spirit can be found at www.servantsoftheholyspirit.org or by contacting Ed Fowle at 614-302-9631 or [email protected].

For information about Comunità Cenacolo and those seeking help, visit www.hopereborn.org.