Spiritual Guidance for Dangerous Times
with Fr. Adam Bucko
Friday, November 20, 2026
4-6pm Ireland
11am-1pm Eastern
8-10am Pacific
We are invited to become God’s partners in the transfiguration of the world.
Program Description
This online retreat is shaped around a simple but urgent question: how are we to be in a time like this? When the world feels more like a hospital than a place of easy belonging, and when anxiety, fragmentation, and noise pull us in every direction, this gathering creates space to return to what is essential. Rooted in the Christian contemplative tradition, it draws on the Benedictine way of organizing our lives through a faithful rhythm that helps us listen for God’s presence in ordinary moments, the Carmelite way of entering the desert of the heart and consenting to the quiet, hidden work of transformation within, and the Franciscan way of encountering God in what is rejected and unseen, both in ourselves and in the suffering of the world. As echoed in the witness of Desmond Tutu, the encounter with God never ends in itself but sends us back into the heart of human suffering, where we are invited to become God’s partners in the transfiguration of the world.
Drawing on stories shaped by growing up under totalitarianism in Eastern Europe, discovering a path of resistance and spiritual practice, and later accompanying homeless youth on the streets of New York City, Adam reflects on what it means to remain grounded in God, to live with accountability, and to stay open in a time that tempts us to close down. The retreat includes shared contemplative practice, teachings, space for journaling, and conversation, held in a spirit of honesty and mutual support, helping us cultivate lives rooted in contemplation and attentiveness to the voice of the Spirit, and to discern how we might live as agents of compassion and justice in the world today.
We will turn on closed captioning during the live Zoom session (which you are able to turn off in your settings if you find distracting) as well as provide a video recording with closed captioning available and a text transcript of the session within 24 hours. You will be sent a notification when this is ready to view.
You have lifetime access to all online programs.
Your Guide for the Journey
Fr. Adam Bucko
Adam Bucko is an Episcopal priest, teacher of contemplative spirituality, spiritual director, and an interfaith activist. Born and raised in Poland under a totalitarian regime, his early exposure to spiritual activism deeply shaped his life’s orientation. A committed voice in the renewal of Christian contemplation and new monasticism, he authored Let Your Heartbreak Be Your Guide: Lessons in Engaged Contemplation and co-authored Occupy Spirituality: A Radical Vision for a New Generation and The New Monasticism: An Interspiritual Manifesto for Contemplative Living.
Actively engaged in supporting social and ecological justice movements, he has mentored young activists and co-founded several organizations and communities that integrate contemplative practice with activism. For 15 years, he worked with homeless youth in New York City, providing spiritual care, developing programs to address youth homelessness, and articulating a vision for spiritual mentoring in a post-religious world.
Currently, he directs The Center for Spiritual Imagination in New York, dedicated to democratizing monastic spirituality and teaching contemplative prayer in response to the cries of the poor and the earth. He also serves as a priest at the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Garden City, New York.
Adam lives in New York with his wife, Kaira Jewel Lingo, a Buddhist teacher and former nun in Thich Nhat Hanh’s community. Together, they lead The Beloved Community for Engaged Spirituality, inspired by the social vision of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Thich Nhat Hanh, and the Buddhist-Christian teachings of Engaged Contemplation. FatherAdamBucko.com
Registration
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$30
reduced fee
- Includes partial scholarship
- Select this only if you require financial assistance
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Terms and Conditions
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