The Community of the Incarnation, one of the fastest-growing religious communities in the Anglican Communion, celebrated the solemn vows of its first cohort of new monastics, marking a significant milestone in its growth and ministry. Founded at the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Garden City, New York, the Community now serves people across North America and beyond, bringing a fresh expression of monasticism to today’s world.
The Community of the Incarnation is part of the emerging new monastic movement, which integrates ancient spiritual traditions with contemporary life. It is rooted in three rich monastic and mendicant charisms: the Benedictine way, which helps members live in monastic mindfulness, listening for God’s presence in the most ordinary events; the Carmelite way, which invites them to journey into the desert of the heart, experiencing the gift of silence and the transformation it brings; and the Franciscan way, which calls for a life rooted in simplicity, nonviolence, and justice, emphasizing that spirituality must lead to a more loving and compassionate way of engaging with the world. The Community also embraces three core accountabilities: to God and one another through an adapted version of the 12 steps of recovery, to the poor through the lens of liberation theology, and to the earth through earth-centered spirituality, grounded in awe and wonder, where creation is recognized as a place of divine revelation.
The Rt. Rev. Lawrence C. Provenzano, Episcopal Visitor of the Community, presided over the Vespers service on Friday, Sept. 6, where eight members made solemn, lifelong vows to the Community’s Rule of Life. He also installed the Rev. Canon Adam Bucko as the first Abbot of the Community. The founders of the community, Canon Kris Vieira Coleman, the Very Rev. Dr. Michael Sniffen, the Rev. Canon Adam Bucko, and the Rev. Canon Morgan Ladd, were made honorary canons, the cathedral’s highest honor, in recognition of the community’s work and the impact of the center on the life of the church.
Cn.. Kristin Vieira Coleman, co-founder and Director of Programs at the Center for Spiritual Imagination—the community’s public ministry, shared her excitement: “It’s incredible to see how four years of formation have led us here—eight people committing to translate monastic spirituality for today’s world. We aren’t just committing to this way of life, but to each other because this spirituality cannot be practiced alone.”
The Very Rev. Dr. Michael Sniffen, Dean of the Cathedral of the Incarnation, reflected on the occasion: “For centuries, cathedrals have been spiritual and cultural centers, often supported by monastic communities. This new monastic community renews that ancient connection, showing us how spiritual imagination can still shape prayer, art, and communal life.”
The Rev. Cn. Adam Bucko, co-founder and the first Abbot, emphasized the vision: “We are seeing a new kind of monasticism, one that doesn’t withdraw from the world but seeks to transform it. Our community brings the gifts of contemplative prayer and monastic wisdom into a world in need of healing and transformation, trusting in God’s promise.”
About the Community of the Incarnation:
The Community of the Incarnation is a new monastic community that embodies and teaches engaged contemplative spirituality in response to what Father Bede Griffiths called “the universal call to contemplation.” It democratizes the gifts of monastic spirituality, translating them into a form that can be lived in everyday life in the context of hearing and responding to the cry of the poor and the cry of the earth. Founded at the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Garden City, New York, the Community is responsible for running the Center for Spiritual Imagination, its public ministry, which offers programs and resources for contemplative spirituality and socially and ecologically engaged living. Vowed members of the community have four years of formation before taking vows. There are currently 25 people in formation, with an additional 30 people in discernment.
The community hosts contemplative prayer that is open to the public on Mondays at 6:30pm Eastern.
For more information, contact:
Center for Spiritual Imagination
Email: info@spiritualimagination.org
Website: www.spiritualimagination.org