On the very first day of 2025, we sat down with our longtime friend and Brave Cities team member, Joel Repic, who live and works in Aliquippa, PA. Joel shares stories and reflections from life alongside the Community of Celebration, a Benedictine-inspired order that’s been living, praying, and practicing radical discipleship together since the 1980s.

We explore the core values that shape intentional Christian community—prayer, shared life, commitment to place, and the challenge of navigating conflict without losing hope. From common purses to shotgun rhythms on New Year’s Eve, this episode weaves together the sacred and the mundane.

As we reflect on our own journeys of community in places like Alton, Birmingham, and Tampa, we talk about what sustains us when life together gets hard. What does faithfulness look like when it doesn’t feel fruitful? How do we grow into shared rhythms without copying someone else's rule of life? And what does it mean to experiment with kingdom living in the long shadow of empire?

🌿 Key Themes:

Intentional community & the cost of staying together
Benedictine spirituality and monastic influence
Developing covenant life over time
The difference between expectation and agreement
Navigating conflict and staying rooted in grace
The spiritual disciplines that sustain radical life
The interplay of place, prayer, and prophetic witness
Generational legacy and what we hope remains when we’re 70+

📚 Mentions & Resources:

The Community of Celebration (Aliquippa, PA)
The Rule of St. Benedict
The Book of Common Prayer
Catholic Worker Movement
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together
Dorothy Day & Houses of Hospitality
Festivus (“airing of grievances” 😂)
The Matrix & the seduction of comfort

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