Kelly Deutsch, Adam Bucko, Tessa Bielecki, David Denny

We find hope and inspiration in a whole new generation of contemplative leaders. Many of them use the language of “new monasticism.” Here’s how the Charis Foundation describes what they mean:

“’Monastic’ traditionally symbolizes a complete commitment to a transformative spiritual journey. By ‘new monastic,’ we refer to the potential of living out this spiritual calling while ‘in the world,’ amongst intimate relationships, friendships, family, and daily hardships. As a ‘new monk,’ one passionately embraces social, political, and spiritual transformation, utilizing tools of traditional contemplative life, and allowing all of one’s life decisions to flow out of this commitment.”

We find the words “monastic” and “monk” misleading and prefer to speak of  “new contemplatives”  and contemplative life “in the world.” Let us introduce you to this younger generation, carrying on the legacy of the contemplative tradition in new and innovative ways.

Adam Bucko (correct Polish pronunciation is “Butch-ko”) is a co-founder of the Center for Spiritual Imagination (spiritualimagination.org) and the Community of the Incarnation, providing rigorous contemplative formation in Benedictine, Carmelite, and Franciscan spiritualities. He is author of Let Your Heartbreak Be Your Guide: Lessons in Engaged Contemplation and with Dr. Rory McEntee The New Monasticism: An Interspiritual Manifesto for Contemplative Living.

Kris Vieira Coleman is a co-founder of the Center for Spiritual Imagination where she serves as Program Director (and designer) and a core member of the Community of the Incarnation. With an MFA in Dramaturgy and a “passion for connecting theory and practice,” she’s also an adult formation teacher in the Episcopal Church. Her reading recommendations have opened new worlds for us.

Kelly Deutsch created Spiritual Wanderlust.org to provide “contemplative formation for the restless heart.”  She gives us deep teachings in her podcasts and online “schools” of Women Mystics, Modern Mystics, Celtic Spirituality and more. Every year she also hosts a free online “Contemplative Summit” with over forty teachers.

Kaira Jewel Lingo (kairajewel.com) is a mindfulness meditation and Buddhist teacher in the Plum Village tradition. She is co-author of Healing Our Way Home: Black Buddhist Teachings on Ancestors, Joy, and Liberation. She’s also married to Adam Bucko, and together they are transforming a monastery in upstate New York into a contemplative sanctuary for healing and spiritual growth.

Mark Longhurst is an ordained minister, Publications Manager for the Center for Action and Contemplation, and an original member of the Community of the Incarnation. He is the author of The Holy Ordinary, which he wrote while navigating “the beautiful and dense thickets of ministry, marriage, and parenting” to explore the sacred dimensions of everyday life.

Netanel Miles-Yépez wears many hats. He is Chair of Religious Studies and Wisdom Traditions at Naropa University, leader of the Inayati-Maimuni Sufi-Hasidic Order he co-founded with Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi in 2004, and co-director with Rory McEntee of the Charis Foundation for New Monasticism and InterSpirituality (charisinterspirituality.org) with its Keating-Schacter Center.  He is also a generous and creative member of the board of directors of our own Desert Foundation.

Christine Valters Paintner is online abbess of Abbey of the Arts (abbeyofthearts.com), a global online monastery dedicated to the integration of contemplative practice and creative expression. Her books and teachings cover a vast array of topics including Celtic and desert spirituality, earth and the elements, lectio divina and monastic wisdom. Her descriptions of what it means to be a monk in the world inspire us, especially her “Monk Manifesto.”

Guesnerth Josué Perea is executive producer of the documentary, “Faith in Blackness,” a member of the Community of the Incarnation and Director of Black Lives and Contemplation, offering an invaluable perspective on AfroLatinidad and spirituality, with workshops both online and in person.

Mike Petrow has served in many capacities at the Center for Action and Contemplation, most notably as Director of Content for its many online and in-person events. With degrees in religious studies, mythology, and psychology, Dr. Petrow is also a spiritual director and grief and trauma counselor. He recently began his own podcast, “Healer with a Thousand Faces” which he describes as “conversations with friends and teachers about how our wounds lead us to our wandering, our weird, our wisdom, and our work in the world.”

Paul Swanson is a charter member of the Community of the Incarnation and wears many hats at the Center for Action and Contemplation. In his “spare time,” he has created the vibrant Contemplify.com with a variety of offerings: podcasts, a monthly “NonRequired Reading List,” and weekly “LoFi and Hushed Contemplative Practice Sessions.” Humbly describing himself as a “contemplative shoveler,” Paul is a husband, father, and friend.

 Dave and Tessa with Paul Swanson