With God in Russia: The Inspiring Classic Account of a Catholic Priest's Twenty-three Years in Soviet Prisons and Labor Camps

by Walter J. Ciszek, Daniel L Flaherty, James Martin (afterword)

Genres: Catholic

1 pages, Audio CD

Published November 26, 2024

About the author

Walter 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.

Reviews

[Matthew Kaup · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspirational.

[Will Musselman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terrific. Very basic and bear bones account of all he went through. It is an intense and sometimes difficult to read story, but the author tells it with confidence and leaves the reader wondering how could someone just endure this level of mental and physical torture?
8/10 stars

[Sophia Massey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very inspiring. Fr Walter knew in his core that God is good all the time. After spending 15 years in a hard labor prison camp, he didn’t become bitter.


I finished reading during my 12 hours at the Atlanta airport, and I wasn’t bitter about my delay thanks to Fr Walter. I was grateful for what I had and knew that “hardships” (flight delay on vacation) were part of Gods plan and we can take them with joy.

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

American priest who endured torture, hard labor, imprisonment, and starvation with grace, patience and confidence that God was with him. He held no resentment against his captors. “Forgiveness is a double gift. It is a gift to the one you forgive, but also a gift to yourself, freeing you from the prison of resentment.”

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked the book but it is really close to his other book He Leadeth Me but with out the spiritual direction. I wanted to read this book after I read hi first one to find out his emotional reunion in the US.

[Jenifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspirational, detailed account of his trials and hardships - it’s amazing that he survived and was able to eventually return to the US, all the while still believing in God’s providence. His other book, He Leadeth Me is more about his spiritual journey.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

God gives an American priest the graces to survive forced labor in an Arctic prison camp. This is an excellent first hand account of the horrors of Stalinist Russia, and the police state that continued post-Stalin. Fr Ciszek is imperfect, but that's OK, we all are in some fashion or another.

[Blair Shropshire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing story about a man’s perseverance in relationship with God while serving, and I’m justifying term in prison in Russia. Amazing that he can recount all the stories and names with such detail.

[Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

yeah so this was insane. inspiring and eye opening… makes you want to change your perspective on life