Poustinia

Poustinia is the word for “desert” in Russian. In Eastern Christian spirituality, it refers to a place one goes to encounter, in silence, solitude, and prayer, the God who dwells within the human heart. Now, in this best-selling spiritual classic, Catherine Doherty presents the concept of poustinia to Western Christians hungry for the reality of Christ in his Word and in their hearts

Now part of the spiritual vocabulary of the Catholic Church, Poustinia is in its 28th printing and has been translated into 16 foreign languages.

French: le désert au coeur des villes
Spanish: Pustinia

For other languages, contact us

Publisher: Madonna House Publications

Year Published: 2021

Edition: 4th ed.

SKU: 9781773120140

ISBN: 978-1-77312-014-0

Product Size: 5.5″ x 8.25″

Pages: 208 pages

Audiobook Narrated By: Fr. Émile Brière

Audio Length: 5 hrs. 30 mins

“Catherine Doherty has the gift of a great and joyous faith and of making life an adventure, a pilgrimage. Her book shows us a new way of growing in the spiritual life. I’m delighted!” — Dorothy Day.

“I first read Poustinia when I was a 21-year-old guest at Madonna House, trying to find my bearings in life. As it has done for many, it pointed me in a contemplative direction in the spiritual life. It suggested a way of finding balance in a busy life by taking time away to pray and fast, and allow the soul to rejuvenate. While I have not done well at living out that balance, Catherine’s reflections, and the Madonna House Apostolate’s faithful living of her vision, are a constant invitation to step aside for a while, in a lightly structed way, and to be present as much as possible to the living God who desires to reveal his face.” –Archbishop Donald Bolen, Regina, SK

“At no other time in human history are people so distracted and filled with electronic stimuli. At no other time is it more challenging and important to enter a spiritual desert of silence and solitude. In the desert, we ‘refind’ ourselves and ultimately meet our God. I encourage everyone to read Poustinia and to enter into whatever spiritual desert the Lord provides you. Human sanity and sanctity depend on it.” – Msgr. Stephen J. Rossetti, PhD, President, St. Michael Center for Spiritual Renewal

“Poustinia is not a book, it is a stream of life. Catherine 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