New Cenacle director envisions casting a wider net

Aline Harbison vividly remembers the spot at the Archdiocese of New Orleans Retreat Center in Metairie where she encountered Jesus’ presence while on retreat. She was sitting on one of two rocking chairs on the porch and imagining Jesus as her friend by her side on the other.

“Having a powerful experience like that draws you back to a place, and that is exactly what I’m hoping will happen for other people – that they will keep wanting to come back.”


As the new director of the retreat center, dedicated to Our Lady of the Cenacle – honoring the Cenacle Sisters who founded it in 1958 – Harbison’s vision is to open doors for encounters that span a person’s lifetime.

“We are looking at how we can facilitate encounters for people from an early age through elders,” she said, in order to help individuals develop a relationship with the retreat center. 

She knows the difficulty of maintaining a retreatant’s experiences once they leave the beautiful lakefront acreage and return to their daily routine. So, she aims to help people channel whatever “encounter or inspiration they had here” and build communities.

“There’s just a feeling of peace when you get here,” she said. “You feel the presence of God both in the people, in the chapel” and in whatever Scriptures are explored.

Something old, new
Harbison is extremely grateful for the strong teams that plan and facilitate women’s retreats and has definite ideas on the center’s ability to be that same respite for youth, young adults and men of all ethnicities. She plans to invite more diverse lay speakers, including priests and personalities that welcome Hispanic, Vietnamese and Black Catholics.

“It’s important that we appeal to different spiritualities, different backgrounds,” Harbison said. “We want to make sure those communities feel welcomed here, and we’ll work to build a community that is truly integrated and more diverse so we can all benefit from each other’s experiences.”

Already, Harbison has a grant in hand to facilitate a young adult retreat in the near future and is collaborating with successful young adult leaders to create more dynamic youth programming. Future plans include building a new structure that can accommodate several hundred youth at a time and updating the facility.

“If the programs are vibrant, I would hope our facility felt that way, too,” she said.

Harbison is planning monthly evenings that will involve Scripture, wine tasting and a meal “to try to have a social aspect as well as spiritual formation” for a variety of age groups.

Another goal is to survey parishes and schools asking how the retreat center can accommodate them “so they have an opportunity to get out of their daily life, even if it’s just for one day” – whether on retreat for teachers or First Communion or confirmation.

“As a former DRE (director of religious education), I know that can be challenging, so if we have a model, it may be helpful to parish catechetical leaders and DREs,” she said. “It makes such a difference to get off-campus. There’s something about getting away.”
Coaching others

Equipped with a master’s degree in theological studies from the University of Dallas, a bachelor of arts in English/Communication from the University of the lncarnate Word and more than 30 years working in Catholic schools, parishes, dioceses and institutions – including retreat work and catechetical leadership for the Archdiocese of New Orleans – Harbison brings much to the retreat center. She counts her strengths as having a vision for the big picture, being a strategic planner and also a refiner who can take an existing program or idea and take it to the next level.

“I’ve never been artistic, but I’m very creative,” she said. “It seems like God has used me to come up with creative ideas. I know they are inspired by the Holy Spirit because they come to me at weird moments, and they are things I have never done before.”

Having been a retreatant and facilitator at the center gives her a jumpstart on the job since she already knows the staff. She also has diverse speaker connections as coordinator of the annual Gulf Coast Faith Formation Conference (GO! Conference) which is coming up Jan. 7-8, 2022, at the Pontchartrain Center in Kenner.

While the retreat center has successfully conducted retreats, days of prayer and hosted groups that use the facility for independent faith programming, Harbison sees an untapped resource – using the knowledgeable staff (herself included) as consultants to plan and facilitate retreats at the center with no extra charge other than the facility rental.

In line with the welcoming aspect of the center, Harbison will harness volunteer talent and train them for specific, practical roles – such as manning a reception desk in the lobby, answering phones – and to be center ambassadors.

Harbison can be contacted about the retreat center or the GO! Conference at aharbison@arch-no.org or call her (504) 231-0826.

cbordelon@clarionherald.org