The Russian word Poustinia means 'desert¿, a place to meet Christ in silence, solitude and prayer. Catherine Doherty combines her insights into the great spiritual traditions of the Russian Church with her very personal experience of life with Christ.
The friendship between Thomas Merton and Catholic social activist Catherine de Hueck Doherty originated when Merton worked at Friendship House in Harlem. This volume of warm, candid correspondence traces nearly three decades of friendship through 31 surviving letters.
Catherine de Hueck Doherty (1896-1985), a Russian-born aristocrat who has recently been proposed for canonization, emigrated to North America, dedicated her life to promoting "the gospel without compromise." Her vision combined a deep spirituality with a commitment to social justice. One of her early projects was the Harlem-based Friendship House, which attracted a young Thomas Merton. Later, with her second husband, Eddie Doherty, she established Madonna House in Combermere, Ontario. Though Roman Catholic, Catherine drew on her Russian roots and helped popularize the concept of Poustinia (the Russian word for desert)a place where a person meets God through solitude, prayer, and fasting. These writings, drawn from 25 books, highlight her distinctive spirituality, with its emphasis on the presence of God, the practice of prayer, a love for the church, and a deep apprehension of the social dimension of the gospel.
This rich seasonal devotional reads like a sampler of the everyday spirituality of Catherine Doherty--a spiritual giant of the 20th-century who counted Thomas Merton and Dorothy Day among her friends, founded the Madonna House Apostolate, and left extensive writings to her spiritual sons and daughters.
The earth is weeping...How can we heal it? The heavy treads of our modern machinery pound the earth into submission--our society has become expert at efficiently taking from the earth, but what do we give the earth in return? Is this the proper stewardship of the earth that God has entrusted us with? * Concerns are growing about genetically engineered "superfood" and harmful pesticide use. * The current panic over "Mad Cow" and "Foot and Mouth" diseases are a chilling example of the price which we may all pay for our livestock being fed with the cheapest feed instead of what is proper and nutritious. In this remarkably prophetic work, Catherine Doherty helps shed some light on these important issues, with practical, down-to-earth guidance for farmers everywhere--whether you are a backyard gardener or industry professional.
"Compatriot of Dorothy Day, inspired of Thomas Merton, founder of Friendship House in Harlem and of Madonna House, popularized of the worldwide Poustinia phenomenon, pioneer of the lay apostolate movement, Catherine allowed herself to be consumed by the fire of Jesus' love. "This autobiography has a special, divinely-touched richness. It reads like an adventure novel. If this were nothing but a work of pure fiction, it would still be extremely intriguing. But because it's all true, it goes beyond intriguing to become enthralling and inspiring" -- Larry Holley, The Pecos Benedictine "This is no dull, date-filled biography, but a deeply personal sharing of the experiences of her life. The book shines with her vision of uncompromising commitment to the Gospel. If you have time to read no other book, read this one." -- Sign Magazine "According to any standard, the author of Fragments is a most remarkable woman. It requires a great act of trust and love to share a personal, intimate life with millions of people. Fragments is, in a sense, one of he profounder acts of love of a life already so obviously loving. -- Spiritual Book News
Strannik is the Russian word for "pilgrim," one with a vocation-a unique, holy calling. Pilgrimage is more than something you `do.' `Being a pilgrim' consumes all of you. The pilgrim is to "be the Gospel and to preach it with his words and with his being." In Strannik, Catherine shows that pilgrimage is not just something for a few spiritual ascetics with wanderlust. Even less does it resemble the modern tourist-style `pilgrimages' that try to cover as many holy places as possible in the briefest time possible. Rather, the true strannik begins by looking within the self, where God already is. While the author does tell us about external pilgrimages such as she herself experienced as a child in Russia, the pilgrimages she is writing about are principally interior. Pilgrimage comes out of a quest for God. Catherine speaks of the "nostalgia for paradise" which all human beings have experienced since Adam and Eve. Without Christ we cannot complete our journey. "Christ was the pilgrim who pilgrimed from the bosom of the Father to the hearts of men and women."
In Sobornost, the Russian word for "unity," you'll learn how your heart can be softened and opened to the transforming reality of the Holy Trinity dwelling within you. Catherine guides us along the pathway that takes us home, to God's house, into the grace intimacy of eternal belonging; to a place that is hard to get to, yet one that lives within and beyond the ever-present confusion, fear and loneliness of our daily existence. She takes us by the hand, becomes our companion on the ultimate journey--into an experience of the mysterious depths of intimacy in, through, and with God. Here we rediscover the final unity in the wellspring of compassion that flows from divine Persons, one in love, a union of Lover, Beloved, and Love --Father, Son and Spirit. The unselfish life is reclaimed, one that discovers abundant life with God and thus within the soul, within nature, within interpersonal relations, within the cosmos. "Sparks' fly from the pages, igniting a response in the heart of one open to the charism of such a spiritual person as the author. An inspirational spiritual work much needed today." Father George Maloney, "It is a very satisfying experience to read any of Catherine's books, and this is her best." - Our Sunday Visitor