Find out more about the central pillars, the two modalities of community membership, and program highlights
Vision
The Community at the Crossing is an ecumenical program for spiritual formation in the heart of New York City. It is for any Christian between 21-33 years old, from all church backgrounds, and anywhere in the US. Members spend a year in prayer and discernment, biblical and theological formation, intentional community, service, and mission, and choose as their sisters and brothers people who are radically different from themselves.
We believe that being ‘interrupted by God’ is the best thing that can happen to anyone. We believe as Christians that there is far more that unites us than divides us and that our world is in desperate need of people who can model true unity, which is born from reconciliation, truth, and the humility of shared life.
“If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus." Philippians 2:1-5
Central Pillars
We are called to love God and others in all moments and all contexts (Matthew 22:37-39). Our Rule of Life aims to give us a common framework in how we do this, as each Member undertakes to shape their life around the Community’s Rule of Life. Residential and Local members share the same Rule, but its incarnation may differ.
The Rule expresses our core values and explores some disciplines that help us grow spiritually in our daily lives. We can speak about a Rule as a ‘handrail’ rather than a list of things to obey.
We will interpret and incarnate the Rule as a community and individuals – relying on personal and communal discernment guided by the Holy Spirit.
Our Rule of Life has 3 parts, with 12 chapters. The first two parts focus on the 'how' and 'why' of our community, which the third part on the 'what'. The 5 chapters of part 3 contains our 'Pillars and Rhythms'.
Our Rule of Life has 3 parts, with 12 chapters.
Part 1: Discipleship 1. Learning from Jesus 2. Interruption and Sanctification 3. Called by Grace
Part 2: Joy and Conversion in Community Life 4. Trust 5. Simplicity and Sacrifice 6. Reconciliation 7. Celebration
Part 3: Pillars and Rhythms 8. Study and Scripture 9. Prayer, Worship, and Silence 10. Service and Mission 11. Humility of a Shared Life 12. Unity of Christians
Ignatius of Loyola said, “it is not an abundance of knowledge that fills and satisfies the soul but rather an interior understanding and savoring of things.” We seek not acquisition but application, to cultivate an intelligent and rooted faith which is capable of reading and responding to the signs of the times. We need to understand the complexities and history of what makes up our differences and our similarities. Scripture is the common ground of all our Christian traditions. Through its study and integration, we experience how both our spiritual life and missiona activity are linked and find their source in the Word of God. Each needs the other. Proverbs 9:9-10
Members receive teaching from speakers from across the world and across church traditions, speaking on a range of topics covering the themes of Bible & Theology, Spirituality & Personal Growth, and Social Engagement.
Key to the year, and linked with the pillar of Prayer is regular teaching about and practices of prayer from a variety of traditions.
Prayer is the source of all intelligent action. We listen to and invite the Holy Spirit to act through us. Through the intimacy of prayer, we are transformed to become more agile instruments of grace in the world.
Worship brings us into the rhythm of the whole Body of Christ. We are reorientated to the infinite and reminded of our belovedness and finiteness. Worshiping with others strengthens and informs our personal worship, whilst our personal worship builds up and edifies the Church.
Silence is the gate to listening. It is a vital rhythm for creating space for God to intervene. Silence is not just absence of sound but entering into the very presence of God, here and now.
Prayer structures the day, with a mixture of personal and liturgical prayer, as well as a weekly half-day of silence and meditation.
Jesus calls us and sends us into the world. We are sent as individuals and as part of Christ’s Body to proclaim the kingdom of God in both words and acts. We desire to imitate Jesus in serving the poor as he did. Through our sending and our service, we discover that there is more joy in giving than in receiving. We are called to be stewards, not spectators; to co-create and to inhabit the earth. Through our grounded, imperfect, holy lives we encounter Jesus who is present in everything – our actions, our relationships, our living spaces. Acts 20:35
Members serve in different charities across New York City, ranging from homeless shelters to addiction centers to hospital chaplaincies to disability groups.
It is small, daily acts of love that bring real change to the world. We use our freedom to restrict our choices, in the shared rhythm of a body of sisters and brothers. The humble path of a common life must be intentional. It is not about compromise, but rather about mutual obedience and community discernment. Through shared life, we experience the mystery of unity that is more than the sum of its parts. John 13:1-15
Jesus lived in community. By choosing to share life with other people profoundly different from ourselves, we encounter Jesus through life’s big adventures, as well as the small triumphs and trials of our everyday. Members share daily community life: - Shared spaces, meals, times of prayer - Shared responsibility for house tasks and life of the Community - Evenings and outings together, space for sharing and reconciliation
When we realize that we have as much to receive as we have to give, that we need one another, we discover that diversity is a source of riches rather than a threat. We are Christians, and we belong to different denominations and traditions. Unity in diversity is not about seeking neutral territory, but rather better understanding each one of our traditions, which may mean accepting discomfort and pain as well as joy and delight. Unity is a mystery, which belongs to Christ and is in Christ. Our divisions are part of the mystery - whilst we may not find unity between us, we remain his Body, and he the Head.
True unity comes only through conversion led by the Holy Spirit, who grants us to share in the suffering caused by division and convicts us of our sin. Disunity is scandalous, affecting much more than our expressions of faith. To strive for Christian unity is to work for peace in the world across all spheres and divisions. We desire to be disarmed, to truly listen to one another, to learn to disagree well. We lay down our own judgments in favor of God’s means and vision. We are called to be bold and creative, and to hope beyond all hope. John 17:20-23
Unity is the overflow of community life. Jesus prayed for unity of Christians (John 17) – this starts with participating in what we can already do together, which in turn gives us hope and opens doors to navigating our differences.
We seek and build unity through our shared daily life, and by allowing our different church heritages to inform how we worship together, visiting one another’s churches, as well as pioneering and praying new ideas to reignite dialogue between different Christian confessions.
The Community at the Crossing is open to any Christian from any denomination.
It is an initiative of the Episcopal Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine, in partnership with the Chemin Neuf Community (a Roman Catholic community with an ecumenical vocation).
Belonging
There are two ways of belonging to the Community at the Crossing.
Local members integrate the community rhythms of study, prayer, and service into their current professional activity or study. It is part-time program, open to 21-33 year olds.
Residential members study, prayer, service and reside onsite at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine. It is full-time program, open to 21-30 year olds.
Local and Residential members make up one community, and meet together regularly.
These two types of membership reflect the vision of the community: to equip each member to serve Christ in their chosen path by providing the space and formation necessary to establish rhythms of life and to discern God’s call.
Daily - Personal prayer - Bible reading program - Current employment or course of study
Weekly - Personal spiritual accompaniment Space for personal flourishing and discernment - Meal and time in sharing groups - Community gatherings with all food and content covered - Regular times of sharing with Community members - Common worship and teaching with the whole community- Remain embedded in the worshipping life of your local church
Annually - Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius - Experience the 7 day silent retreat of the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius at Val de Paix (near Montreal, Canada) - Life in the Holy Spirit retreat - Monthly Community Days - Retreat weekend in sharing groups - Community celebrations Integral part of Cathedral celebrations
Time commitment - a summary - Weekly Monday evening gatherings - 1 Saturday per month for a whole Community gathering - 4 retreats spread across the year (amounting to around 8 weekdays). Bi-weekly spiritual accompaniment (roughly 1 hour)
For more precise dates or information, contact us.
Daily - Personal prayer - Eucharist - Bible reading program - Daily office - Community meals - Full bed and board accommodation in the heart of Manhattan's Upper West Side - Teaching program or serving with charities Over 25 weeks of teaching from national and international speakers
Weekly - Desert day (prayer and silence) - Personal spiritual accompaniment Space for personal flourishing and discernment - Worship evening - Group singing practice - Meals in sharing groups - Time in sharing groups - Social evening E.g. Visits and outings in and around NYC - Personal/group work - Worship in local churches Opportunity to explore local churches and become part of their worshipping family
Annually - Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius (7 or 30 Days) - Experience the 7 day silent retreat of the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius at Val de Paix (near Montreal, Canada) - 30 Days Ignatian silent retreat - in the heart of Switzerland, a short hike away from the home of the patron saint of Switzerland, Nicholas of Flüe. Bethanian guest house welcomes the 30 Day retreat, organised by Chemin Neuf, every year.
- Experiment/Mission (7 or 30 Days) Possibilities: - Experience in Europe - Visit different places in Europe, from a Carmelite monastary in Cornwall, England, to an abbey in France, to a guesthouse and pilgrimage in Assisi, Italy. - Other experiences - Providence Pilgrimage, Experiment in religious communities, individual discernement experiences
- Life in the Holy Spirit retreat
- Liturgical celebrations at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine Including St Francis Day and Holy Week
- Retreat in sharing groups
- Ecumenical session During the week of prayer for Christian unity (January 18-25)
- Community celebrations
A typical day (Monday-Friday)
Réveil (Bible reading, exercise, breakfast) Morning Prayer Personal prayer
[ Study (Monday & Tuesday) [ Desert (Wednesday) [ Service (Thursday & Friday)
Eucharist Lunch Community household tasks
[ Study (Monday & Tuesday) [ Desert (Wednesday) [ Service (Thursday & Friday)
