How the Cenacle Prayer Group at St Patrick’s Parramatta Started
My name is Valentina Papagna, and I have been attending the Cenacle Prayer Group since its inception in the early 1990s, and I would like to share with everyone how it all started.
Each Friday after the 12.30pm mass, a small group of the faithful gather in the Chapel for the Cenacle Rosary prayers, and this has been going on for just over thirty years. The prayer group has been growing stronger, with new people coming all the time.
The Cenacle Rosary and Father Gobbi
For those unfamiliar with the Cenacle Rosary, it was originally founded by Italian priest Father Stefano Gobbi, who, after receiving a private revelation at the shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in 1972, founded the worldwide Catholic movement, the Marian Movement of Priests.
He received an inner locution from the Blessed Virgin Mary, who urged him to gather other priests who would be willing to consecrate themselves to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and be strongly united with the Pope and the Catholic Church. Fr. Gobbi started to hold prayer cenacles in Italy for priests and laity and later held prayer cenacles all over the world.
The Cenacle is the room where Jesus and the twelve Disciples met for the Last Supper.
During the Cenacle, Catholics are called to pray to Jesus through Mary since it was through her that the Church, the Body of Christ, was born.
This Rosary is said specifically for our Priests to honour our Blessed Mother’s request, which is to pray for our Shepherds continually and to pray the Rosary faithfully for them, as this is the greatest weapon to man, especially for the times we are living in.
My visit to Medjugorje, where our Lady appears as the Queen of the Most Holy Rosary
It all began in September 1990 when I visited a little village called Medjugorje in Bosnia-Herzegovina, where a group of young children claimed to see the Blessed Virgin Mary.
While I was there, I had a vision of our Blessed Mother. She said, “I come to introduce Myself as the Queen of the Most Holy Rosary. It has been a long time since you have seen Me in this way, yet you don’t understand why.”
Again, she repeated, “I am the Queen of the most Holy Rosary. I wish everyone to pray the most Holy Rosary. That is why I want you to help me, in my name, to spread this message to the whole world, which has fallen so much into sin, offends constantly my Son. Every day, more and more He is offended, tell them to beg Him for forgiveness, His Mercy.”
Holy Mother Mary’s face changed. She began to cry, begging us to convert our lives and to stop offending her Son. On her right side, I saw a Heart, pierced and surrounded with thorns and bleeding; there was also a Crucifix and a Host.
Our Lady explained, “The Lord Jesus sacrifices Himself every day in every Holy Mass, His Blessed Sacrament. He wishes that we receive Him pure and clean and that we ask Him for His forgiveness. The Sacred Heart of Jesus is pierced and bleeding with the thorns of many offences every day.”
She also talked about the Crucifix, “My Son freely accepted death on the Cross for our Salvation. Still, people think little of His Sacrifice and do not honour Him. Daily they crucify Him.”
Blessed Mother was standing in a huge Rosary.
Holy Mother blessed me in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. AMEN. Our Lady wore a royal Blue dress covered with pearls that shone so brightly. On her head was a spectacular crown with a diamond star in the middle and a large M on each side of the crown. It was made with a shining silver material with brilliant diamonds all over it. She was also framed by a large Rosary under which was the word … IMMACULATA.
After Mass at Parramatta, for the first time, meeting parishioner Yvonne Malouf
Getting back to our prayer group here in Parramatta, it was started by our parishioner Yvonne Malouf, and it was the Blessed Virgin Mary who called her in a very unusual but most beautiful way. She was chosen for this mission.
After I came back to Australia, around October 1990, I attended Holy Mass at St Patrick’s Parramatta. After Mass, I was outside the church chatting with some ladies I knew. We sat on a little wall, and they asked me about my trip overseas and whether I had been to Medjugorje. I said that I visited my mother in Slovenia for three months and during that time visited Medjugorje twice, on the 4 August 1990 and 14 September 1990, on the feast of the Elevation of the Holy Cross.
As I was telling the ladies about my beautiful experience overseas, two ladies walked by Joan and Yvonne. I did not know them personally, but I knew who they were. The two ladies passed us by and then came back, and Yvonne Malouf said to me, “Excuse me, did you call my name?”
I replied, “No, I didn’t.” The two ladies then continued on their way. Yvonne came back a second time as well.
After a few minutes, Yvonne came back again and said, “Yes, you did call my name. I heard you clearly.”
“It came from you,” she said.
At that moment, I realised that it was Blessed Mother who called her. I said, “It wasn’t me; it was Blessed Mother who called you.”
As this was happening, I stood up and right above us, I could see Blessed Mother smiling, dressed in blue, with her hands held in prayer. I said to the ladies, “Look here, the Blessed Mother is here.” They all looked up but could not see anything.
The ladies I was chatting with, about three of four of us, stood up, and as we did so, Blessed Mother was still above us. She was smiling and said, “I want you to tell Yvonne that I choose her to start the Rosary here in this church.”
Now I understood why our Blessed Mother appeared to Me in Medjugorje surrounded by the Rosary. She wanted us to spread the Rosary in this Church.
I was telling the ladies how I saw our Blessed Mother in Medjugorje, and now she is asking that we start a Rosary Prayer Group here in this Church in Parramatta.
I said to Yvonne, “Blessed Mother would like that you start the Rosary Prayer Group.”
Yvonne said, “Oh, I don’t know how I am going to start the Rosary Group. I am involved in many things in the church. I am too busy.”
I said, “That is what Blessed Mother is requesting from you, to form a group and start the Rosary.”
Yvonne then asked if I could share with them a little of what I experienced in Medjugorje. I did so, and we ended up speaking for a few hours. Instead of leaving at one o’clock, we left at four o’clock. Anyway, Yvonne said she was involved in many other things and sadly had no time to start a Rosary Prayer Group.
The ‘Blue Book’ appears in Yvonne’s Letterbox
Weeks passed when one day, Yvonne came to me and asked, “Valentina, I can’t believe it, but did you put the Blue Book [by Father Gobbi] in my letterbox?”
I replied, “No, I don’t even know where you live.”
Yvonne then explained to me how she had been to Melbourne, and when she returned, she found the Blue Book in her letterbox. There was no name as to who it was from, nothing, so she just ignored the book since she had no time to look at it.
A few weeks later, more books came into her letterbox. These were thinner than the first book she received. They were the Cenacle Prayer Books, including the Prayer of Consecration. She then realised that she could no longer ignore them. She could not say no to Blessed Mother.
I said to her, “That is Blessed Mother calling you.”
The Rosary Prayer group Begins in 1991
Between 1991 and 1992, we started the Rosary Prayer Group based on the Blue Book by Father Gobbi. We had little books printed with the prayers for the Cenacle Rosary. Quite a few people came, and afterwards, we decided we would have the Cenacle Rosary every Friday. We used to go to the Church Hall to have a cup of coffee or tea later, and everybody would bring some sandwiches, and we would all join in and have an enjoyable time. Many people would come, not from the beginning, but slowly they would find out and come.
Leading the Prayer Group
Yvonne Malouf guided us in the prayers. Later on, Yvonne could not always lead due to other obligations, so Jan took over. Then a few years ago, Jan handed it to Paul Mousley, who currently leads the prayer group. Many graces have been received through the Cenacle prayers.
We kept going and going with the prayers every year to this day. Sometimes there were a lot of people, at other times much less.
The Prayer Group Now
And now it has grown bigger and bigger, with new people always coming. We have now added the Chaplet of Divine Mercy to our prayers. It is always the Blessed Mother who leads us. This is her prayer group.
I would often say, “Lord, we are not many; there are only a few people here praying.”
Our Lord would reply, “Don’t worry, if there are only two of you, I Am among you. If there are three of you, I Am among you. Keep praying, and the people will follow.”
Why We Gather to Pray the Cenacle Rosary
Blessed Mother would like that we pray for Bishops and Priests, for all religious, for Churches, for the conversion of sinners, for the dying, the sick, the oppressed, for the hungry. She wants to bring all souls to her Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. She is the leader, and we thank her for leading us.
We thank you, Blessed Mother and Lord Jesus, for guiding us and for teaching us.
Below are some of the messages I received from Heaven regarding our Cenacle Prayer Group:
Blessed Mother said, “My child, the group prayer you attend in Parramatta is very precious to me and My Son. You are part of the world prayer.”
In the vision, she showed me the globe of the world, holding her arms up wide, she indicated a line on the globe and said, “This is your section.” (In explanation, there are lines all around the world, and they all connect in the Prayer of Her Marian Movement of Priests)
Blessed Mother Mary said, “My child, don’t forget, I am the one who leads you. I am the leader of all the prayer groups, I organise you, and I am among you.” (5 February 2010)
Blessed Mother said, “Be courageous, my children. Nobody can remove you from here. If this Cenacle prayer group is stopped, this Church will be in trouble. My Son chose this place in which you pray. Many graces are given to this Church through the Cenacle Prayers.” (11 April 2014)
“My children pray, pray! I want to tell you to keep the Cenacle Rosary alive. Do not give up, and do not relax. You do not know how essential this Cenacle Rosary is and how powerful it is in this crucial time in which you live. The devil would like you to give up and would like to discourage you so that you will not pray. Be strong and participate in this prayer of the Cenacle Rosary. Pray from your heart. I am among you, and I guide you. Things can change, and you will receive graces. Encourage one another to join in this powerful Rosary, the Cenacle and Consecration to my Immaculate Heart.” (28 November 2017)
Lord Jesus appeared and said, “This Cenacle Rosary is very powerful, and it produces many good fruits that come out of your prayers.” (12 August 2022)
The angel said, “Our Lord has sent me to tell you that you must unite yourself with a group prayer. Do you know that the prayer group in Parramatta, our Lord has consecrated that prayer group to Himself.” (21 August 2022)
Queen of the Most Holy Rosary of the Cenacle Rosary, please pray for us and protect us.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, and thank you, Blessed Mother that the Prayer Group keeps going and for all the beautiful graces that come from the prayers.