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He Leadeth Me(Paperback) - 2014 Edition
He Leadeth Me is a deeply personal story of one man’s spiritual odyssey and the unflagging faith which enabled him to survive the ordeal that wrenched his body and spirit to near collapse. Captured by a Russian army during World War II and convicted of being a “Vatican spy,” Jesuit Father Walter J. Ciszek spent some 23 agonizing years in Soviet prisons and the labor camps of Siberia. He here recalls how it was only through an utter reliance on God’s will that he managed to endure. He tells of the courage he found in prayer—a courage that eased the loneliness, the pain, the frustration, the anguish, the fears, the despair. For, as Ciszek relates, the solace of spiritual contemplation gave him an inner serenity upon which he was able to draw amidst the “arrogance of evil” that surrounded him. Learning to accept even the inhuman work of toiling in the infamous Siberian salt mines as a labor pleasing to God, he was able to turn the adverse forces of circumstance into a source of positive value and a means of drawing closer to the compassionate and never-forsaking Divine Spirit. He Leadeth Me is a book to inspire all Christians to greater faith and trust in God—even in their darkest hour. For, as the author asks, “What can ultimately trouble the soul that accepts every moment of every day as a gift from the hands of God and strives always to do his will?”
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First published January 1, 1973
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About the author
Walter J. Ciszek
11 books104 followersWalter Joseph Ciszek, S.J. was a Polish-American Jesuit priest who conducted clandestine missionary work in the Soviet Union between 1939 and 1963.
Fifteen of these years were spent in confinement and hard labor in the Gulag, plus five preceding them in Moscow's infamous Lubyanka prison. He was released and returned to the United States in 1963, after which he wrote two books, including the memoir With God in Russia , and served as a spiritual director.
Since 1990, Ciszek's life has been under consideration by the Roman Catholic Church for possible beatification or canonization. His current title is Servant of God.
Fifteen of these years were spent in confinement and hard labor in the Gulag, plus five preceding them in Moscow's infamous Lubyanka prison. He was released and returned to the United States in 1963, after which he wrote two books, including the memoir With God in Russia , and served as a spiritual director.
Since 1990, Ciszek's life has been under consideration by the Roman Catholic Church for possible beatification or canonization. His current title is Servant of God.
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February 2, 2023
Rereading again for a class I'm giving our school's teachers on this amazing man...
I can scarcely recommend a better read for this Year of Faith than Fr. Walter Ciszek’s follow-on to his autobiographical With God in Russia. He Leadeth Me is the book Fr. Ciszek wanted to write the first time, that is, it’s his spiritual journey as opposed to the factual story of his years spent behind the Iron Curtain, much of it in Siberia in labor camps, prisons and poor villages usually not serving openly as a priest—his faith constantly tested. If your faith has ever been – or is currently being – challenged this book will inspire you beyond anything you can imagine.
The first eight chapters—approximately eighty pages—outline Fr. Ciszek’s initial assignment in Poland, trek into Russia, ordeal with the Soviet authorities, and deportation to Siberia. After that, although the book continues to follow Father’s almost unbelievable escape from one hostile situation after another, it is arranged in chapters with titles like: The Body, Faith, The Priesthood, Work, Humility, Freedom, The Kingdom of God, Humanity and The Fear of Death. This arrangement allows the book to be read either as a piece or selectively according to a chapter heading which you might want to refer to or reference for talk, research paper or your own spiritual benefit.
Easily one of the 100 best books I’ve read in my life and one which I will return to often! READ IT!
I can scarcely recommend a better read for this Year of Faith than Fr. Walter Ciszek’s follow-on to his autobiographical With God in Russia. He Leadeth Me is the book Fr. Ciszek wanted to write the first time, that is, it’s his spiritual journey as opposed to the factual story of his years spent behind the Iron Curtain, much of it in Siberia in labor camps, prisons and poor villages usually not serving openly as a priest—his faith constantly tested. If your faith has ever been – or is currently being – challenged this book will inspire you beyond anything you can imagine.
The first eight chapters—approximately eighty pages—outline Fr. Ciszek’s initial assignment in Poland, trek into Russia, ordeal with the Soviet authorities, and deportation to Siberia. After that, although the book continues to follow Father’s almost unbelievable escape from one hostile situation after another, it is arranged in chapters with titles like: The Body, Faith, The Priesthood, Work, Humility, Freedom, The Kingdom of God, Humanity and The Fear of Death. This arrangement allows the book to be read either as a piece or selectively according to a chapter heading which you might want to refer to or reference for talk, research paper or your own spiritual benefit.
Easily one of the 100 best books I’ve read in my life and one which I will return to often! READ IT!
January 2, 2014
I met Fr. Ciszek when I was a novice. As he told us about the tortures he endured during five years of solitary confinement in Lubyanka, he sat bolt upright on the front six inches of his chair--just as he had been forced to do during endless interrogations. I don't know whether it was an unconscious force of habit, the best way to treat back pain, or a deliberate sacrifice on behalf of his captors and his audience, but it was very impressive.
Describing the moment he was taken prisoner:
"It is impossible to describe the feeling that comes over you at such a time. The feeling that somehow, in an instant of time, everything is changed and nothing will ever again be quite the same. That tomorrow will never again be like yesterday. That the very trees, the grass, the air, the daylight are no longer the same, for the world has changed. It is a feeling impossible to describe, and yet one that every wife who has lost a husband knows well, one that every child who has tasted evil for the first time or faced a sudden crisis has experienced. It is that feeling that leaves the heart saying, 'Oh, if only I could turn back the clock to before it happened, if only it had never happened, if only I had it to do over again.'
"This whole Russian venture seemed now to have been a mistake, an ill-conceived missionary effort based on hopes and dreams rather than hard facts, a plan born of insufficient information and misinformation.
"That was the temptation that Father Nestrov and I faced at Teplaya-Gora. And though our situation may have been somewhat unique, the temptation itself was not. It is the same temptation faced by everyone who has followed a call and found that the realities of life were nothing like the expectations he had in the first flush of his vision and his enthusiasm. It is the temptation that comes to anyone, for example, who has entered religious life with a burning desire to serve God and him alone, only to find that the day-to-day life in religion is humdrum and pedestrian, equally as filled with moments of human misunderstanding, daily routines, and distractions as the secular life he left behind in the world. It is the same temptation faced by young couples in marriage, when the honeymoon is over, and they must face a seemingly endless future of living together and scratching out an existence in the same old place and the same old way. It is the temptation to say: 'This life is not what I thought it would be. This is not what I bargained for. It is not at all what I wanted, either. If I had known it would be like this, I would never have made this choice, I would never have made this promise. You must forgive me, God, but I want to go back. You cannot hold me to a promise made in ignorance; you cannot expect me to keep a covenant based on faith without any previous knowledge of the true facts of life. It is not fair. I never thought it would be like this. I simply cannot stand it, and I will not stay. I will not serve.'
"It is a temptation that comes to every man and woman, sometimes daily."
The last words of the book:
"Nothing can touch us that does not come from his hand, nothing can trouble us because all things come from his hand. ... That is the only secret I have come to know. It is not mine alone; Christ himself spoke of it, the saints have practiced it, others have written about it far better than I. I can only hope that what I have written will strike a responsive chord in some, will prove a help to others, however few. And I pray that you may be one of them."
What a man!
Describing the moment he was taken prisoner:
"It is impossible to describe the feeling that comes over you at such a time. The feeling that somehow, in an instant of time, everything is changed and nothing will ever again be quite the same. That tomorrow will never again be like yesterday. That the very trees, the grass, the air, the daylight are no longer the same, for the world has changed. It is a feeling impossible to describe, and yet one that every wife who has lost a husband knows well, one that every child who has tasted evil for the first time or faced a sudden crisis has experienced. It is that feeling that leaves the heart saying, 'Oh, if only I could turn back the clock to before it happened, if only it had never happened, if only I had it to do over again.'
"This whole Russian venture seemed now to have been a mistake, an ill-conceived missionary effort based on hopes and dreams rather than hard facts, a plan born of insufficient information and misinformation.
"That was the temptation that Father Nestrov and I faced at Teplaya-Gora. And though our situation may have been somewhat unique, the temptation itself was not. It is the same temptation faced by everyone who has followed a call and found that the realities of life were nothing like the expectations he had in the first flush of his vision and his enthusiasm. It is the temptation that comes to anyone, for example, who has entered religious life with a burning desire to serve God and him alone, only to find that the day-to-day life in religion is humdrum and pedestrian, equally as filled with moments of human misunderstanding, daily routines, and distractions as the secular life he left behind in the world. It is the same temptation faced by young couples in marriage, when the honeymoon is over, and they must face a seemingly endless future of living together and scratching out an existence in the same old place and the same old way. It is the temptation to say: 'This life is not what I thought it would be. This is not what I bargained for. It is not at all what I wanted, either. If I had known it would be like this, I would never have made this choice, I would never have made this promise. You must forgive me, God, but I want to go back. You cannot hold me to a promise made in ignorance; you cannot expect me to keep a covenant based on faith without any previous knowledge of the true facts of life. It is not fair. I never thought it would be like this. I simply cannot stand it, and I will not stay. I will not serve.'
"It is a temptation that comes to every man and woman, sometimes daily."
The last words of the book:
"Nothing can touch us that does not come from his hand, nothing can trouble us because all things come from his hand. ... That is the only secret I have come to know. It is not mine alone; Christ himself spoke of it, the saints have practiced it, others have written about it far better than I. I can only hope that what I have written will strike a responsive chord in some, will prove a help to others, however few. And I pray that you may be one of them."
What a man!
February 25, 2012
One might think that the advice of a Jesuit missionary priest who served over 20 years in Soviet prisons to laypeople dealing with their own struggles might run something like, "You don't have it quite so bad." On the contrary, Fr. Ciszek's book presents the reader with incredibly practical reflections born out of the insights and God's graces that bore him through unspeakable suffering. Rather than dwelling on how much he suffered (though he does not shy away from describing the cruelty to which he was subjected), every reflection comes back to a deeply spiritual principle that most of us in ordinary lay life can apply to help us through the struggles in our own lives.
This is a wonderful book to read on retreat as it is fairly short. The book is unmistakably Catholic in perspective but I would not hesitate to recommend it to Christians of other traditions. For non-Catholic readers I would offer the comment that his comments about the mass and the eucharistic fast reflect Catholic practice prior to the Second Vatican Council and do differ in some respects from current practice.
This is a wonderful book to read on retreat as it is fairly short. The book is unmistakably Catholic in perspective but I would not hesitate to recommend it to Christians of other traditions. For non-Catholic readers I would offer the comment that his comments about the mass and the eucharistic fast reflect Catholic practice prior to the Second Vatican Council and do differ in some respects from current practice.
February 20, 2019
My best religious book after the bible. I LOVE it and I keep reading it over and over. Highly recommended
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October 17, 2024Wow! What a story. I cannot recommend this book more highly. There is gold within those pages.
May 22, 2019
Father Ciszek's memoir of his imprisonment in the Soviet Union makes for compelling reading. His recounting of the continuing faith of Christians in the face of daunting persecution was inspiring. Especially impactful was the willingness of the men in hard labor camps, already grossly underfed, to fast when they had a chance to have communion.
July 5, 2022
10/10 (or 5/5 i guess ha) would recommend. I love his style and how seamlessly he combines narrative and spiritual insight. It's a simple, but incredibly rich, spiritual read (I had to stop annotating because I was underlining every other sentence). Seriously life-changing.
May 10, 2019
Fr. Ciszek's account of his imprisonment in Russia, how he managed to survive, and what he learned about God is astonishing. In his own words: "I felt that I had learned much during those years of hardship and suffering that could be of help to others in their lives. For every man's life contains its share of suffering, each of us is occasionally driven almost to despair. I had learned in those darkest of hours to turn to God for consolation and to trust in him alone. Through the long years of isolation and suffering, God had led me to an understanding of life and his love that only those who have experience it can fathom."
This is what the book explains, chapter by chapter, and it is worth reading and rereading.
This is what the book explains, chapter by chapter, and it is worth reading and rereading.
March 23, 2024
I was participating in the Hallow app's "Pray 40" daily prayers and meditations for Lent. This book was a central part of the theme of surrendering to God's Will. I decided to buy the kindle version because I wanted to re-read and highlight different sections. I'm glad that I made that decision because this is a wonderful book to have and read over and over.
Father Walter Ciszek was arrested in Russia during WWII, on the trumped up charge of spying for the Vatican. He spent the next 23 years first in Lubianka Prison then the enforced labor camps of Siberia. When he was finally returned to America at the end of 1963, he was continually asked how he survived. Having read this book, I can see how he did.
He wrote With God in Russia, which gave a detailed account of his ordeal. In this book, he doesn't delve into specifics but rather focuses on his spiritual growth during those 23 years. Specifically, he wrote of his gradual dependence upon God's Providence, and his learning to surrender to His Will. He layed out his successes and failures in this regard; he was brutally honest and didn't try to make himself out to be saintly. He also threw in examples of ordinary events that the reader of his words might experience, and would give his hard-won advice to us. He had such a clear, simple and direct way of putting things into perspective, and his words on following God's Will have aided me on more than one occasion these past several weeks. I had always wondered if I was following His Will or my own because it can be difficult at times to discern the difference. Fr. Ciszek gave me a whole new way to see things.
As he says at the end:
"I can only hope that what I have written will strike a responsive chord in some, will prove a help to others, however few. And I pray that you may be one of them."
I believe that I am one of them. He really helped me a lot, and I highly recommend this book to those trying to abandon themselves to God's Will.
Father Walter Ciszek was arrested in Russia during WWII, on the trumped up charge of spying for the Vatican. He spent the next 23 years first in Lubianka Prison then the enforced labor camps of Siberia. When he was finally returned to America at the end of 1963, he was continually asked how he survived. Having read this book, I can see how he did.
He wrote With God in Russia, which gave a detailed account of his ordeal. In this book, he doesn't delve into specifics but rather focuses on his spiritual growth during those 23 years. Specifically, he wrote of his gradual dependence upon God's Providence, and his learning to surrender to His Will. He layed out his successes and failures in this regard; he was brutally honest and didn't try to make himself out to be saintly. He also threw in examples of ordinary events that the reader of his words might experience, and would give his hard-won advice to us. He had such a clear, simple and direct way of putting things into perspective, and his words on following God's Will have aided me on more than one occasion these past several weeks. I had always wondered if I was following His Will or my own because it can be difficult at times to discern the difference. Fr. Ciszek gave me a whole new way to see things.
As he says at the end:
"I can only hope that what I have written will strike a responsive chord in some, will prove a help to others, however few. And I pray that you may be one of them."
I believe that I am one of them. He really helped me a lot, and I highly recommend this book to those trying to abandon themselves to God's Will.
June 27, 2025
This could be a dramatic story of unimaginable suffering and finding God in the midst of all of it. But, it is not. Instead it is a simple story of humbly submitting to the Lord’s Divine Providence each day.
This book and Interior Freedom by Jacques Philippe are the only two spiritual books anyone ever needs to read.
This book and Interior Freedom by Jacques Philippe are the only two spiritual books anyone ever needs to read.
May 8, 2019
ENGLISH: Impressive account of the imprisonment of a Jesuit priest in the Soviet Union, where he travelled to impart spiritual help to displaced Polish workers. Accused of being a Vatican spy, he spent four years in Lubyanka, eleven in labor camps in Siberia, and a few more, already free, but pushed from town to town, in Siberia. Finally he was exchanged for several Soviet spies and was able to return to his native country (the United States).
This man managed to accept his sufferings, which he always interpreted as God's will for his life. Back in the USA, he has written his books to give testimony of his faith.
The account of his captivity reminds me a lot of Solzhenitsyn's novel "The First Circle," and the methods used against him in Lubyanka are similar to those in "Nineteen Eighty Four" by George Orwell.
This is a quote from the epilogue, which summarizes the entire book: Man was created to praise, revere, and serve God in this world and to be happy with him forever in the next. That is the fact of the matter; you believe it or you don’t—and that is the end of it. Philosophers may argue about it, and they have; some have managed to convince themselves and others of its truth, while others have not. But it is the first truth of the faith, and those who have faith accept it; those who do not, do not. I cannot myself convince anyone of it, but I believe it. I do not apologize for my faith; nor am I ashamed of it.
ESPAÑOL: Impresionante relato de la prisión de un sacerdote jesuita en la Unión Soviética, a donde fue para impartir ayuda espiritual a obreros polacos desplazados. Acusado de ser espía del Vaticano, pasó cuatro años en Lubianka, once en campos de trabajo en Siberia, y algunos más, ya libre, pero empujado de ciudad en ciudad en Siberia. Finalmente fue canjeado por varios espías soviéticos y pudo regresar a su país natal (Estados Unidos).
Este hombre consiguió aceptar sus padecimientos, que siempre interpretó como la voluntad de Dios para su vida. De vuelta a USA, ha escrito estos libros para dar testimonio de su fe.
El relato de su cautiverio me recuerda mucho la novela de Solyenitsin "El primer círculo", y los métodos que emplearon contra él en Lubianka son semejantes a los de "1984" de George Orwell.
Esta es una cita del epílogo, que viene a resumir todo el libro: El hombre fue creado para alabar, reverenciar y servir a Dios en este mundo y para ser feliz con él para siempre en el otro. Esa es la cuestión fundamental. Se cree o no se cree, y ahí se acaba la cosa. Los filósofos pueden discutir sobre ello, y lo han hecho. Algunos han conseguido convencerse a sí mismos y a otros de que es verdad, mientras que otros no lo han logrado. Pero esta es la primera verdad de la fe, y los que tienen fe la aceptan; los que no la tienen, no la aceptan. Yo no puedo convencer de esto a nadie, pero lo creo. No me disculpo por mi fe, ni me avergüenzo de ella.
This man managed to accept his sufferings, which he always interpreted as God's will for his life. Back in the USA, he has written his books to give testimony of his faith.
The account of his captivity reminds me a lot of Solzhenitsyn's novel "The First Circle," and the methods used against him in Lubyanka are similar to those in "Nineteen Eighty Four" by George Orwell.
This is a quote from the epilogue, which summarizes the entire book: Man was created to praise, revere, and serve God in this world and to be happy with him forever in the next. That is the fact of the matter; you believe it or you don’t—and that is the end of it. Philosophers may argue about it, and they have; some have managed to convince themselves and others of its truth, while others have not. But it is the first truth of the faith, and those who have faith accept it; those who do not, do not. I cannot myself convince anyone of it, but I believe it. I do not apologize for my faith; nor am I ashamed of it.
ESPAÑOL: Impresionante relato de la prisión de un sacerdote jesuita en la Unión Soviética, a donde fue para impartir ayuda espiritual a obreros polacos desplazados. Acusado de ser espía del Vaticano, pasó cuatro años en Lubianka, once en campos de trabajo en Siberia, y algunos más, ya libre, pero empujado de ciudad en ciudad en Siberia. Finalmente fue canjeado por varios espías soviéticos y pudo regresar a su país natal (Estados Unidos).
Este hombre consiguió aceptar sus padecimientos, que siempre interpretó como la voluntad de Dios para su vida. De vuelta a USA, ha escrito estos libros para dar testimonio de su fe.
El relato de su cautiverio me recuerda mucho la novela de Solyenitsin "El primer círculo", y los métodos que emplearon contra él en Lubianka son semejantes a los de "1984" de George Orwell.
Esta es una cita del epílogo, que viene a resumir todo el libro: El hombre fue creado para alabar, reverenciar y servir a Dios en este mundo y para ser feliz con él para siempre en el otro. Esa es la cuestión fundamental. Se cree o no se cree, y ahí se acaba la cosa. Los filósofos pueden discutir sobre ello, y lo han hecho. Algunos han conseguido convencerse a sí mismos y a otros de que es verdad, mientras que otros no lo han logrado. Pero esta es la primera verdad de la fe, y los que tienen fe la aceptan; los que no la tienen, no la aceptan. Yo no puedo convencer de esto a nadie, pero lo creo. No me disculpo por mi fe, ni me avergüenzo de ella.
October 7, 2012
THis book is AMAZING and I have to be honest: I will need to read this again to take it all in. It's the spiritual memoir of a priest who ended up behind the Iron Curtain at a time when it was extremely dangerous to be a priest in the Soviet Union. He ended up getting arrested, spending five years in solitary confinement enduring interrogations, was forced to sign a fraudulent confession, and then spent fifteen years in the Siberian labor camps. This book documents not the "what" of his survival as much as the "how" of his faith life and the things he learned during those years.
And there are parts so intense that I will have to read this book again in order to feel I really "get" it all. His insights into participating with God's will are incredible.
And there are parts so intense that I will have to read this book again in order to feel I really "get" it all. His insights into participating with God's will are incredible.
July 26, 2024
This book was a beautiful testimony of Fr. Walter Ciszek’s spiritual journey during his 23 years of suffering and survival in the Soviet Union. Throughout the book, I was amazed by the simplicity of his faith, and I was shown how I have so much more to learn and grow in my own relationship with Christ. This is a very impactful book and I highly recommend it to any Christian. It covers a wide variety of topics and experiences in the spiritual life that people of all backgrounds and vocations can learn from.
#CanonizeFr.Walter
#CanonizeFr.Walter
February 26, 2025
This book was awesome. I could ramble on about all the beautiful wisdom in this book, but honestly you should just read it yourself. I pray to have the simple and beautiful faith of Fr. Cizek and all those he ministered.
April 21, 2025
Great book!! Good mix of the day to day of his life in Russia and spiritual lessons. Enjoyed his writings on God’s Providence and doing His Will through the little things of each day that are put in front of us
December 24, 2023
I typically don’t enjoy reading autobiographies or writing based on historical events but He Leadeth Me was an incredibly rich book that provided beautiful insights on the spiritual life—it was especially fruitful reading this in a book club as there were many great quotes to discuss.
Fr. Walter, almost to a repetitive extent, emphasizes the importance of complete abandonment to Divine Providence, especially focusing on conforming one’s own desires to God’s will. However, he clarifies that we cannot think of God’s will in the abstract, future-tense, rather, His will for us as seen in each and every moment, interaction, and opportunity provided by the circumstances of our daily lives.
Fr. Walter’s experiences and his reflections thereof gave me considerable ideas to ponder regarding humanity, suffering, faith, discernment, and prayer. Chapter Nine, “The Body,” was particularly piercing. This book has helped me recognize practical ways in which I can try to shift my mindset, actions, and approach to my relationship with God and others.
Some of my favorite quotes:
- “His will for us was the 24 hours of each day: the people, the places, the circumstances he set before us in that time. Those were the things God knew were important to Him and to us at that moment, and those were the things upon which He wanted us to act, not out of any abstract principle or out of any subjective desire to “do the will of God.”
- “By redeeming us, He did not thereby free us from our suffering or our pain or our sorrows. Just as His resurrection is our victory and our triumph over death but does not mean we do not have to die, so His passion has redeemed our suffering but does not mean we do not have to suffer or feel pain.”
Shoutout to Fr. Mike for the great recommendation!
Thanks Reeve, for leading the book club with me!
Thanks Paul, for being our most dependable (and pretty much only) member!
Fr. Walter, almost to a repetitive extent, emphasizes the importance of complete abandonment to Divine Providence, especially focusing on conforming one’s own desires to God’s will. However, he clarifies that we cannot think of God’s will in the abstract, future-tense, rather, His will for us as seen in each and every moment, interaction, and opportunity provided by the circumstances of our daily lives.
Fr. Walter’s experiences and his reflections thereof gave me considerable ideas to ponder regarding humanity, suffering, faith, discernment, and prayer. Chapter Nine, “The Body,” was particularly piercing. This book has helped me recognize practical ways in which I can try to shift my mindset, actions, and approach to my relationship with God and others.
Some of my favorite quotes:
- “His will for us was the 24 hours of each day: the people, the places, the circumstances he set before us in that time. Those were the things God knew were important to Him and to us at that moment, and those were the things upon which He wanted us to act, not out of any abstract principle or out of any subjective desire to “do the will of God.”
- “By redeeming us, He did not thereby free us from our suffering or our pain or our sorrows. Just as His resurrection is our victory and our triumph over death but does not mean we do not have to die, so His passion has redeemed our suffering but does not mean we do not have to suffer or feel pain.”
Shoutout to Fr. Mike for the great recommendation!
Thanks Reeve, for leading the book club with me!
Thanks Paul, for being our most dependable (and pretty much only) member!
May 16, 2025
I read this during the season of Lent and it was a wonderful spiritual accompaniment during that great time of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Father Walter Ciszek offers an incredible testimony and witness through his spiritual memoir detailing his imprisonment in Soviet Russia. Father Ciszek writes of the simplicity of his faith and trust in God during this difficult time, learning to abandon himself to God’s will in all circumstances and unite even the smallest sufferings and actions to Him. He also writes on various topics related to his time in Russia such as the priesthood, the dignity of the body, hope, and the Mass. Ultimately, what Father Ciszek showed me through his writings was the cross and our utter dependence on God for everything. Through the compelling narrative of his life, mixed with the profound and practical spiritual advice he learned from his time as a prisoner, this book was both very readable and spiritually edifying. Though his experience is rooted in his time spent in Soviet Russia, much of what he writes about is applicable to any reader, regardless of circumstances. There were portions of the book that were somewhat repetitive, but overall the content is a goldmine of rich spiritual insights, not just in spite of its simplicity, but often due to its simplicity. Servant of God Walter Ciszek…pray for us!
(4.5/5)
(4.5/5)
March 26, 2025
Even better the second time around!!! 5/5 ⭐️
July 7, 2025
My way of thinking about life is CHANGED! EVERYTHING is in the will of God!
March 14, 2024
Fantastic spiritual work. This a book that is best when the reader prays their way through the book.
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March 25, 2023The Jesuit priest Walter J. Ciszek spent 23 years in the Soviet Gulag, during a time of religious persecution. Yet his faith emerged not only intact, but strengthened. I've read a number of such stories; Ciszek's is one of the very best.
February 18, 2024
Incredible story of learning to embrace God's Providence and eschew self-reliance.
July 11, 2012
I finally visited the Visitation gift shop, which I always wanted to do, but it just seemed like too far out of my way. I decided I needed to buy at least something, and I ended up with this book - "He Leadeth Me" by Walter Czizek. And that was wonderful. More expensive than it would be on Amazon, but you gotta support the only Catholic shop in town, hehe. The book is great; shorter than I expected, but it's very good in content. I was very touched by the chapter about the Mass; about the sacrifices made by these men every day to participate in Mass or receive Communion. It did make me think about how accessible Mass is here, and how I don't appreciate it as much as I should.
It also sort of gave me a bit of insight on dealing with a situation troubling me. Honestly, I need to set this all aside for the next almost two months, and just trust that nothing will happen that God doesn't want to happen. If the worst happens, then that's God's will and I need to accept it and be glad since that's His will for me.
"Whatever you want, Lord, I will do" is so easy to say and think you mean it. But "He Leadeth Me" revealed to me that whatever happens to me, that's what He wants. My part in it is just trusting him, looking for what He wants me to do, and cooperating.
It also sort of gave me a bit of insight on dealing with a situation troubling me. Honestly, I need to set this all aside for the next almost two months, and just trust that nothing will happen that God doesn't want to happen. If the worst happens, then that's God's will and I need to accept it and be glad since that's His will for me.
"Whatever you want, Lord, I will do" is so easy to say and think you mean it. But "He Leadeth Me" revealed to me that whatever happens to me, that's what He wants. My part in it is just trusting him, looking for what He wants me to do, and cooperating.
September 8, 2025
This story was really good! This man’s faith is extraordinary. Very convicting about how much freedom and privilege we have in America to practice our faith.
April 18, 2011
A weak man and priest's journey to discovering God through arrest and imprisonment by the Soviet Union.. he discovers a real God and what He truly desires for us. It was easy to slip inside this man's perspective because of my own weakened character and phenomenal stubborness. I relate to the dunce in this story, but his reflection and articulation is spirit tingling and speaks of truth. If one ever felt confused or perplexed about discerning the will of God..look no further than the experiences written by Father Ciszek, the only thing holding you back is a tight grasp on the world and on your own desires. People who think they can figure things out by retreating without God only increase their confusion and feed their weaknesses...only by retreating to God alone can one shed the doubts, the insecurities, the ability to shred other people to pieces through selfishness, justification,excuses..all here, all addressed. It takes courage to see how truly ugly we are, and here's a mirror. I had no idea how descended I became because worldly widom can really somehow mask as "common sense." Most difficult part is the lesson on the virture of humility..here I thought I was humble and I've learned I most certainly am not. Father Ciszek doesn't just show one their weakness he addresses how it makes you feel and what to do about it! All through his own experience through daily life, in solitary confinement (three years), to gulag, to freedom. Amazing, most amazing read.
September 29, 2025
Father Ciszek truly helped me understand the struggle of giving up your own will to God. I am no where close to letting God lead me completely in life; I want Him to be. This book gave me hope that the struggles I am facing to let God's will be done in my life are something everyone struggles with, even in the most dire situations it is something that you cannot just switch on and off.
There were some parts that I found repetitious at first but reading further into his book, I started understanding it as focal points; messages he wanted to make sure to get across. I am grateful that Father Ciszek shared his story with us in this manor. He inspired me to read more books focused on faith to better understand what I am going through in my struggles to put God first.
Even if you are not Catholic, the first 100 pages are focused around a way of life that is inspirational. The next 100 pages focus more on the ideas of the Church. I will personally be recommending this book to fellow Christians who are not Catholic since we have so many conversations about how we struggle with deciphering our will from God's will.
There were some parts that I found repetitious at first but reading further into his book, I started understanding it as focal points; messages he wanted to make sure to get across. I am grateful that Father Ciszek shared his story with us in this manor. He inspired me to read more books focused on faith to better understand what I am going through in my struggles to put God first.
Even if you are not Catholic, the first 100 pages are focused around a way of life that is inspirational. The next 100 pages focus more on the ideas of the Church. I will personally be recommending this book to fellow Christians who are not Catholic since we have so many conversations about how we struggle with deciphering our will from God's will.
July 17, 2010
I needed to read a book for encouragement and this book gave me plenty of it. The author spent a grueling 23 years in the Soviet prisons and labor camps of Siberia, accused of being a "Vatican spy". In the book he tells how he and other prisoner priests had to sneak in prayers and masses and even communion to other prisoners. It is almost beyond imagination the conditions the prisoners suffered, freezing cold, back-breaking labor, little food, cruelty and deprivation. This is the story of a man who put his trust entirely into God's hands. If you feel discouraged in life, if you feel scared and hopeless, then please read this book.
March 5, 2024
Can I give this more than 5 stars??? This definitely just jumped into my top spiritual books I’ve ever read. Just utterly amazing and something everyone should read at least once.
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November 22, 2024Everyone should read this book
#2 - Just as good as the first time
#2 - Just as good as the first time
March 8, 2024
This book has been on my shelf for quite a while. I can’t quite remember how I came to purchase it; I believe I read a review of it here on GR.
I have been using the Hallow prayer app for 3+ years now and it’s not an exaggeration to say it has transformed my life. Let me say right upfront that I’m not Catholic, but I don’t believe that’s important. The Pray40 Challenge for this Lenten season is based on this book, so I decided to read the book as a companion to the prayers. Fr. Ciszek describes his own faith as simple and childlike, but it is revolutionary all the same.
Walter Ciszek was born in Pennsylvania to parents of Polish origin, as his name indicates. He grew up speaking both Polish and English at home which came in handy later. He rather unexpectedly decided to become a priest. He also decided he wanted to be a missionary to the Soviet Union, but the political realities in the 1930s caused him to be sent to Poland instead. Thanks to WWII, however, the part of Poland he was in was annexed into the USSR. And soon afterward he and thousands of other men in the area were arrested and sent into Russia proper.
He spent 5 years at Lubyanka prison, varying between interrogations and solitary confinement. Eventually he was convicted of being a “Vatican spy” and sentenced to 15 years hard labor in prison camps snd mining camps in Siberia. As difficult as life was there, he was glad to be among other human beings again, and even in the camps, he and other priests found ways to minister to the other prisoners, even to celebrating Mass with them.
After he served his sentence, he was sent out of the camp, not exactly a free man, and was told to go to Norilsk. Norilsk has a current internet reputation for being one of the worst cities in the world. After his train reaches Norilsk he hunts up Father Viktor, a Ukrainian priest he had known in one of the camps. He finds Fr. Viktor and another former inmate of the mining camp at Kayerkhan, Fr. Neron. The priests live in a makeshift hut that also serves as a parish church. The faithful in the area, whether Catholic or Orthodox, are so thrilled at the opportunity to attend Mass that the 3 priests are constantly busy with preaching, celebrating Mass, hearing confessions, baptizing, performing marriages and funerals. Eventually the Communist authorities shut it down and force Fr. Walter to leave Norilsk.
Immediately, Fr. Walter struggles with the decision to send him away when they were doing so much good work. He goes to Krasnoyarsk and finds there a church in need of a priest. He is impressed by the simple yet fearless faith of the Christians there and agrees to serve as their priest. Again the KGB puts an end to it and he is given a choice between Yeniseisk and Abakan, and he chooses Abakan. There his mission is less overt, more subtle. Unable to openly practice as priest, instead he has the opportunity to simply talk to the people, discussing philosophy and religion.
He finally returns to the US in 1963 after 23 years in the USSR. The nuts and bolts of his time there is not the point of this book; Fr. Walter focuses on the spiritual aspects, primarily how his experiences taught him to accept every circumstance as God’s will for his life. He learns humility, a virtue that is all but abandoned by American Christians today. Fr. Walter defines humility as “learning and acknowledging our position before God and accepting His sovereign will in every act of every day and offering up all the situations of our often humdrum everyday lives.
Highly recommend for all Christians of whatever denomination and for anyone of any or no faith who wants to learn what true Christianity should look like.
I have been using the Hallow prayer app for 3+ years now and it’s not an exaggeration to say it has transformed my life. Let me say right upfront that I’m not Catholic, but I don’t believe that’s important. The Pray40 Challenge for this Lenten season is based on this book, so I decided to read the book as a companion to the prayers. Fr. Ciszek describes his own faith as simple and childlike, but it is revolutionary all the same.
Walter Ciszek was born in Pennsylvania to parents of Polish origin, as his name indicates. He grew up speaking both Polish and English at home which came in handy later. He rather unexpectedly decided to become a priest. He also decided he wanted to be a missionary to the Soviet Union, but the political realities in the 1930s caused him to be sent to Poland instead. Thanks to WWII, however, the part of Poland he was in was annexed into the USSR. And soon afterward he and thousands of other men in the area were arrested and sent into Russia proper.
He spent 5 years at Lubyanka prison, varying between interrogations and solitary confinement. Eventually he was convicted of being a “Vatican spy” and sentenced to 15 years hard labor in prison camps snd mining camps in Siberia. As difficult as life was there, he was glad to be among other human beings again, and even in the camps, he and other priests found ways to minister to the other prisoners, even to celebrating Mass with them.
After he served his sentence, he was sent out of the camp, not exactly a free man, and was told to go to Norilsk. Norilsk has a current internet reputation for being one of the worst cities in the world. After his train reaches Norilsk he hunts up Father Viktor, a Ukrainian priest he had known in one of the camps. He finds Fr. Viktor and another former inmate of the mining camp at Kayerkhan, Fr. Neron. The priests live in a makeshift hut that also serves as a parish church. The faithful in the area, whether Catholic or Orthodox, are so thrilled at the opportunity to attend Mass that the 3 priests are constantly busy with preaching, celebrating Mass, hearing confessions, baptizing, performing marriages and funerals. Eventually the Communist authorities shut it down and force Fr. Walter to leave Norilsk.
Immediately, Fr. Walter struggles with the decision to send him away when they were doing so much good work. He goes to Krasnoyarsk and finds there a church in need of a priest. He is impressed by the simple yet fearless faith of the Christians there and agrees to serve as their priest. Again the KGB puts an end to it and he is given a choice between Yeniseisk and Abakan, and he chooses Abakan. There his mission is less overt, more subtle. Unable to openly practice as priest, instead he has the opportunity to simply talk to the people, discussing philosophy and religion.
He finally returns to the US in 1963 after 23 years in the USSR. The nuts and bolts of his time there is not the point of this book; Fr. Walter focuses on the spiritual aspects, primarily how his experiences taught him to accept every circumstance as God’s will for his life. He learns humility, a virtue that is all but abandoned by American Christians today. Fr. Walter defines humility as “learning and acknowledging our position before God and accepting His sovereign will in every act of every day and offering up all the situations of our often humdrum everyday lives.
Highly recommend for all Christians of whatever denomination and for anyone of any or no faith who wants to learn what true Christianity should look like.
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