Poustinia: Encountering God in Silence, Solitude and Prayer (Madonna House Classics) (Paperback)

~ Catherine De Hueck Doherty (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"'Poustinia' is not a book, it is a stream of life. Catherine de Hueck Doherty's words are tried by fire -- a vision that has survived forty years -- a movement now become a community. She speaks of the inner journey, but she carries it into the Trinity. She speaks of silence, but a silence that is the speech and silence of God. This book will speak richly to all... But perhaps it will touch most deeply the hidden poor and hungry who have no words for the gift that sustains them -- 'the poustinia of the heart', His presence." -- Fr. Edward J. Farrell

"Catherine Doherty's book is a remarkable attempt at translating Easter Christian insights into the context of Western life. The author's background is itself her qualification for this: arriving as a Russian refugee in Canada over half a century ago, she has used her heritage as a Russian Christian as a matrix for responding to the needs of Christian life and work in the western world. Her own personal pilgrimage -- for pilgrimage it has been -- has led her to be 'poor with the poor Christ' in the slums of Toronto and in Harlem; and, in 1947, to the establishing of a spiritual centre in Ontario, the Madonna House Apostolate. 'Poustinia' is the keynote of this apostolate." -- Elizabeth R. Moberly

Product Description

The New Revised Third Edition of Catherine Doherty's renowned modern spiritual classic!

Catherine Doherty brings readers the profound traditions of Christian spirituality surrounding the Russian word poustinia, which means "desert."

Men and women who desire communion with God can discover how the poustinia powerfully fulfills their yearning. Readaers are invited to leave the noise and harried pace of daily life to enter a place of silence and solitude. The author writes from her own experience with refreshing and startling Christian authenticity and a strong personal sence of spiritual authority.

Learn how to create a hermitage in which you can taste the joy of Christian solitude, and meet God face to face in the midst of a godless world.

Catherine emphasizes 'poustinia of the heart,' an interiorized poustinia, a silent chamber carried always and everywhere in which to contemplate God within. Learn how our desert can be in the marketplace, in the midst of countless conferences, traffic jams, bus trips -- or a hospital ward. Written by one who knows by experience, Poustinia brings consolation with its vision of a personal desert that can bloom in simple, profound prayer.

An essential guide to Eastern Christian spirituality for westerners.

"Of the many books on prayer that have been published in recent years, this is simply the best." -- Richard K. Weber, O.P.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 213 pages
• Publisher: Madonna House Pubns; 3rd edition (January 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0921440545
• ISBN-13: 978-0921440543
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #342,480 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Once in a lifetime..., February 17, 2000

By A Customer

Catherine Doherty's book, 'Poustinia', is one of those one-in-a-million books which will change the way you look at life. This book has had a profound influnce on me -- my life as a Catholic Christian has blossomed, and my relationship with God has been profoundly deepened. I heartily recommend this book to all who seek peace.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Find the quiet of the hermitage in the modern marketplace, August 15, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Poustinia: Christian Spirituality of the East for Western Man (Paperback)

This wonderful guide to the spirituality of the East has new meaning since the reopening of Russia and the rebirth of religious expression there. I bought this book several years ago and found the message both practical and uplifting. I just read the book again and have been amazed at the new level of meaning that has surfaced, a result of my life experience since the first read in the mid-1970's. If you seek peace and a method to share peace with those around you, this text will become a reference and guide.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Meditation, June 3, 2009

By	J. C. Muller "JCM" (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This was my introduction to Catherine Dougherty - a real, joyful and sober saint of our times. Poustinia is an excellent reflection on prayer from the Eastern, Catholic tradition. There are many spiritual treasures and insights found within these pages, the Church is so rich! Anyone thirsting for contemplation and intimacy with the Lord would most certainly like this book. In Poustinia lies a pearl of great price.