Strannik: The call to pilgrimage for western man

by Catherine de Hueck Doherty

Learn how to fulfill the hunger and dream of the pilgrimage that we must all take to unity with God. "Strannik" is Russian 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." Written for all Christians, those who have found and those who seek. This is the pilgrimage of each person's life.

Genres: Nonfiction, Spirituality, Philosophy, Catholic

84 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Ekaterina Fyodorovna Kolyschkine Doherty, better known as Catherine Doherty, CM (1896-1985) was a social activist and foundress of the Madonna House Apostolate. A pioneer of social justice and a renowned national speaker, Catherine was also a prolific writer of hundreds of articles, best-selling author of dozens of books, and a dedicated wife and mother. Her cause for canonization as a saint is under consideration by the Catholic Church.

Reviews

[booklady · Rating 5 out of 5]

Strannik is my third book by Catherine Doherty, AKA “The Baroness” founder of Madonna House. It is the most personal of her books (that I have read) and as such, might make a good introductory read but for her reliance on certain Russian spiritual terms (especially poustinia¹ and sobornost²) which she explains so well in her other books.

Strannik means ‘pilgrimage’ in Russian. In this brief book, Doherty fully exploits the manifold meaning of this experience, acknowledging the spiritual realization of renewal which occurs when we transport our physical bodies, as well as the depth, growth and total transformation of self which can also occur, from a pilgrimage of waiting on God, or resting on the Heart of the Lord, much as the Beloved Disciple did in the Gospel. Catherine writes as a mystic who knows when describing traveling until one's feet are bloody ... figuratively and literally.

Born in pre-Soviet Russia, the Baroness traveled to Canada via Finland, Scotland, England, and America. She traveled innumerable places, over the changing circumstances of war, depression, and poverty. She was on what some might consider a Don Quixote like-crusade, all the more idealistic given she was a divorced mother in the mid-20th century traveling alone and championing unpopular causes*. Her story is woven into her reflections.

Listening to this book makes me want to go back and re-visit previous works, as well as those I've not yet read.

My reviews of her other books:

¹Poustina means ‘desert’.

²Sobornost means ‘unity’.

*She wasn’t a Socialist as she had seen what the Communists had done to her own beloved Russia, but she advocated greater compassion, care and rights for the poor, minorities and underprivileged. She took on issues of race relations even before the Civil Rights era and worked with Dorothy Day on Catholic social issues of the day.

[Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a wild walk through the heart as you pilgrim (strannik) with God into the depths of man. It's a small one, but as I often tell friends, the little ones hit hardest. I hope you pick it up and join the journey!

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

You have to read Poustinia and Sobernost first, but once you do that, this little book has some very powerful ideas for growing in faith and love of Christ.

[Brett Rotz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was delightful to read. I've now read it twice. It offers a great reflection on the interior pilgrimage we must make, especially while on physical pilgrimages.

[LuAnn · Rating 4 out of 5]

An inspiring, short book on the interior pilgrimage we make as followers of Christ. I found new ideas and Catherine's usual intimate style which I enjoy.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reads more like a journal entry (a long one) and sometimes seems too steam-of-consciousness and repetitive. But there's definitely good nuggets to take away from it.