Help Us Rebuild a Beloved Spiritual Sanctuary

Be Part of this Opportunity to Renew a Place of Contemplation and Healing

In 2024, we—Rev. Kaira Jewel Lingo and Father Adam Bucko—were offered a small monastery on 21 acres of forested land in upstate New York, just 1.5 hours from New York City. This opportunity came as an answer to prayer. We had discerned that the calling of our relationship was to live more contemplatively and ecologically, and to share the gifts of this life with others by creating a spiritual sanctuary where people can experience silence, deep connection with the Earth, and transformative spiritual practice.

This land has held sacred presence for over four decades, and we are now continuing that legacy—welcoming all to deepen their spiritual roots, support healing, and engage with the world from a place of grounded presence.

We are raising funds to renovate and build this center.

The monastery buildings are in disrepair and uninhabitable, and we are working with architects to assess renovation and construction costs. Our initial fundraising goal is $100,000. We will share more details as we receive them.

We invite your support in any way you feel called—through donations, spreading the word, or joining our team on GiveButter: https://givebutter.com/JqUSN5. All donations are tax-deductible. You can also give through Every.org which supports donations via credit card, bank, Paypal, Venmo, Apple, Google pay, crypto, stock, DAF, ACH, and more. You can also give via Zelle (OLRmonastery@gmail.com) or by check—email us for details.

Also do you have a Donor Advised Fund? If you make a grant to us and commit to spend down half the money in your DAF by June 27, 2025 (and second round by September 26, 2025), we will be eligible to receive matching funds. Details at www.halfmydaf.com.

Consider Leaving a Legacy of Healing and Contemplation

One deeply meaningful way to support this vision is by including Our Lady of the Resurrection Monastery in your estate planning. Legacy gifts—whether through a bequest in your will or by naming the monastery as a beneficiary of your retirement plan, life insurance policy, or other assets—help ensure that this sanctuary of silence, Earth-rooted practice, and engaged spirituality can flourish for generations to come. You don’t have to wait until the end of life to make this kind of offering; planned giving can begin now, rooted in your present values and longings for a more compassionate, awakened future. If you’d like to explore this possibility, please reach out to us at OLRmonastery@gmail.com—we would be honored to walk with you.

If you’re not in a position to give financially, you can still support us by signing up for our mailing list and/or volunteering. We will have many opportunities to get involved in the months ahead.

Contact us anytime at OLRmonastery@gmail.com with questions, ideas, or offerings.

Our Vision

We’re building on the beautiful legacy of Brother Victor-Antoine d’Avila-Latourrette, the French monk who founded Our Lady of the Resurrection Monastery and lived there as a hermit for over 40 years. Read more about our interspiritual journey here: Lion’s Roar article.

Our hope is to restore the main house and chapel, a guest house, and the barn using ecological design and renewable energy—guided by the principles of interbeing. The monastery will be home to:

A sanctuary for deep contemplative retreat, with hermitages and forest trails for prayer and meditation;
The Beloved Community for Engaged Spirituality Center, hosting retreats, internships, and programs in eco-dharma, sacred activism, and new monasticism;
Seasonal Monastery experiences for young people to live in rhythm with the land and serve local communities through compassionate action;
A renovated chapel and meditation barn for Contemplative Eucharist, meditation, prayer, and sacred silence;
An inclusive welcome to all—especially those who have been marginalized—offering refuge, belonging, and spiritual nourishment.

About Brother Victor

Brother Victor entered monastic life at 17 and later studied at Columbia University, where he met Dorothy Day. Influenced by her commitment to nonviolence, he became a solitary monk and established Our Lady of the Resurrection Monastery in 1977. He was known for his bestselling cookbooks and spiritual writings, his monastic vinegar, and his peaceful presence.

Though he lived alone, Brother Victor often wrote as “we,” embodying a kinship with all beings, the saints of the Christian East and West, and the natural world he so lovingly tended.

He passed away in 2023 at the age of 83. We are honored to continue his legacy and carry his spirit forward.

With gratitude,

Adam and Kaira Jewel

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Enjoy photos of the monastery from our trip in February 2024, where we chanted, practiced loving kindness, and prayed the noon office:

Welcome sign at the entrance to the monastery

driveway to the monastery

Driveway through the forest to the monastery

Eastern cross on the main farmhouse building

The barn and fenced in garden

The garage and gift shop/atelier

And here are some old photos from one of Br. Victor's cookbooks:

The main house and chapel from behind

Br. Victor with vegetables form the garden

The sheep Br. Victor cared for

Help Us Rebuild this Spiritual Sanctuary

Be Part of this Opportunity to Renew and Grow this Place of Contemplation

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Team Members