The Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine to welcome third cohort to ecumenical community program
The Community at the Crossing 2025-26 Cohort.
From New York, Texas to Japan, The Community at the Crossing (CATC), which brings together young adults across diverse religious backgrounds for a year of reflection and unity, will welcome the 2025-26 cohort.
The Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine in New York City will receive and vest the third cohort of the Community at the Crossing (CATC) on Sunday, September 21 at 10:30 a.m. Launched in 2022, CATC is a first-of-its-kind program in the United States, combining intentional community living and daily prayer with an emphasis on ecumenism and productive dialogue – across a diverse range of religious backgrounds. The program’s structure includes dedicated study sessions, regular retreats, shared meals, and times of silence that foster personal and spiritual growth.
“As we prepare to welcome the third cohort of the Community at the Crossing, we celebrate the Cathedral as a place where people encounter one another with openness and respect, especially now more than ever. Within the walls of the largest Gothic cathedral in the world, this program gathers young adults from across the country and beyond, inviting them to share daily rhythms of prayer, study, and life together. In that shared journey, differences of background and tradition become sources of learning and growth, offering a living witness to the unity that can emerge through dialogue and hospitality,” said Sr. Hannah Spiers, CCN, Program Coordinator for the Community at the Crossing.
This year’s cohort brings 13 young adults ages 22-33 from across the United States, including Texas, Missouri, Massachusetts, Florida, Wisconsin, North Carolina, New Jersey and New York City, as well as international participants from Japan and India. Representing a wide spectrum of Christian traditions, the cohort spans Episcopalian, Presbyterian, ELCA, Roman Catholic, Protestant and non-denominational backgrounds.
CATC also offers different levels of commitment. This year, full-time participants who reside on the Cathedral’s grounds include recent graduates from around the country who studied Anthropology, Theology, English, Gender Studies, and other concentrations at Fordham University, Trinity University, Wheaton College, Emory University, and University of Virginia. Local members will also join the community part-time alongside their existing work or studies, including professionals in industries like graphic design, education, finance, religion, and more. Together, they embody the program’s vision of uniting diverse academic, professional, and personal paths in a shared rhythm of prayer and open dialogue.
As a part of the program’s commitment to open dialogue and reflection, CATC presents the Dialogues on Divinityspeaker series, which is available to the public and explores vital contemporary issues through a theological lens and offers an accessible space where attendees can engage directly with influential speakers.
Upcoming Dialogues on Divinity events in 2025 to 2026 include:
- Conflict and the Healing of Hatred (Sunday, October 19, 2025) – From 1:00 to 2:30 p.m., the event will feature peacemakers Hana Bendcowsky and John Munayer from the Rossing Center for Education and Dialogue in Jerusalem.
- To Earth You Shall Return: Creatureliness, Christian Identity, and Human Hope (Monday, February 23, 2026) – From 6:30 to 8:00 p.m., the event will feature Fr. John Chryssavgis, Professor of Theology, Holy Cross School of Theology and Theological Advisor to the “Green Patriarch” Bartholomew.
- “In the Beginning was the Word”: Historical and Theological, Jewish and Christian, Perspectives on the Prologue to the Gospel of John (Sunday, March 8, 2026) – From 1:00 to 2:30 p.m., the event will feature Dr. Amy-Jill Levine, world-renowned scholar of biblical studies and Jewish-Christian relations and recipient of the 2023 Hubert Walter Award for Interfaith Cooperation from the Archbishop of Canterbury.
- The role of Faith Communities and Leaders in Shaping Public Discourse (Sunday, May 10, 2026) – From 1:00 to 2:30 p.m., the event will feature Imam Khalid Latif, Executive Director and Chaplain for the Islamic Center at New York University.
This series is open to the public and attendees can RSVP for the next session here. It is pay-as-you-wish with day-of rush tickets available for students.
You can learn more about CATC here and find more information on the application process here. Applications for the 2026-27 cycle will open in November.
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About The Cathedral
As the largest Gothic Cathedral in the world founded in 1892, the trustees of the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine conceived its mission to be a house of prayer for all people, an instrument of church unity, and a center of intellectual light and leading in the spirit of Jesus Christ.
Today, as the mother church of the Episcopal Diocese of New York and the seat of its bishop, the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine serves the many diverse people of our diocese, city, nation and world through the worship of God; pastoral, educational and community outreach activities; cultural and civic events; international ecumenical initiatives; and the preservation of the great architectural and historic site that is its legacy.
For more information, visit www.stjohndivine.org and follow on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok @StJohnDivineNYC.