Foundations

The unrealized dream of Jerusalem

According to Mother Marie Aimée Lautier, the Congregation of the Cenacle needed a presence in Jerusalem, at the very heart of the place that gave it its name. During her long term as superior (1877-1926), she never stopped looking for a way to establish the congregation in this holy place. At the time, the Cenacle, or the “Upper Room” where Jesus held the Last Supper as well as the site of the Pentecost, was under Ottoman control and converted into a mosque because it was thought to house the tomb of King David.

For decades, she repeatedly made attempts. They were conducted remotely but fueled by precise information provided by contacts who were familiar with the area and its difficulties. Since it was impossible to acquire the Cenacle directly, the strategy was to purchase a neighboring plot of land, by virtue of an Ottoman right of preemption.

The First Attempts (1879-1892)

Various proposals emerged, but competition was fierce, particularly from the Franciscans, the former owners who had been dispossessed and were determined to recover their property.

In 1880, the Princess of La Tour d’Auvergne offered the Congregation the Credo, the place where Christ is said to have taught the “Our Father.”

In 1889, Monsignor de La Passardière, former auxiliary bishop of Lyon, advised the purchase of the Dormition, a place traditionally associated with the life of Mary after the Ascension and close to the Cenacle. This option was explored until the founding of New York. Ultimately, the Benedictines built a monastery there.

Acceleration under Pius XI (1922-1928)

Hope was rekindled in the 1920s, supported by Pope Pius XI, who was close to the Congregation, and the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Monsignor Barlassina, who was well known in Turin. The negotiations were so delicate in 1922 that coded language was adopted in correspondence. The Pope was consulted during an audience. After gathering information, the Holy Father wrote: “It is not appropriate to get involved in this matter.”

Code used in correspondence in 1922. Source: MM, 12G10.
“Farm: the Jerusalem Cenacle; Marie: our Society; Damiano: Holy Father; thousand (sacks of grain): million; 500 sacks of grain: 500,000; Ernestine: Earl Lombardo; Joseph: Reverend Mother Buisson [General Treasurer]; Paul: Benedictins; Jean: [congregation of] the Blessed Sacrament; Maurice: Father Maurice Gisler; Raphaël: Father….
I went to see Damiano, and he thinks the farm is in good condition. He agreed that if Marie gives 500 sacks of wheat, Ernestine promises to provide the same amount.”

A new opportunity arose in 1925, but the Sisters’ own indiscretion caused the prospect to fail. Doubting the practicality of the Patriarch – who was proposing the purchase of the land – and despite his request for discretion, the Sisters sought other opinions. Their actions were soon reported to him. Deeply offended, he abruptly ended the negotiations.

On the threshold of the dream. Between caution and Providence (1928)

The most concrete opportunity arose in 1928: a benefactor offered to donate her newly built convent on Mount Zion, in the immediate vicinity of the Cenacle. Pius XI strongly encouraged the project.
However, the new Superior General, Mother Majoux, was more pragmatic than her predecessor. The houses in France had only just been recovered after the exile imposed by government policy, and two houses were under construction (in Rome and Paris). Sisters would have to be provided for all the houses, even though their health was fragile and the foundation in Brazil had only been started a few months earlier.
The length of the discernment process exasperated the benefactor, who, impatient, modified her offer: the donation was transformed into a bequest accompanied by an annuity. Faced with these new conditions—which were similar to a rental arrangement – and doubts about the nature of the possible apostolate—being mere “guardians” of the premises without the ministry proper to the Congregation—Mother Majoux refused definitively, seeing it as a sign of Providence.

The echo of a dream

The disappointment was immense for the Sisters who had ardently hoped for this foundation. However, the idea never completely died. Ten years later, a project was launched to build a replica of the Cenacle in the garden of the house in Rome (in Priscilla). But once again, fate intervened: World War II put an end to this last echo of the great dream of Jerusalem.

Appeal for donations for the “facsimile” of the Upper Room to be built in Rome [1935-1936].

Source : Provincial Archives of Italy, folder « Fac simile Cenacolo Gerusalemme ».

Measurements sent by Monsignor Barlassina, Patriarch of Jerusalem [1936].

Source : Provincial Archives of Italy, folder « Fac simile Cenacolo Gerusalemme ».