A Staff to the Pilgrim: Meditations on the Way with Nine Celtic Saints

by Gabriel Cooper Rochelle

Are you seeking simplicity, quiet, peace? The Celtic saints knew where to find it, and they will lead you on your pilgrimage. A Staff to the Pilgrim is a treasure trove of Celtic Christian spirituality. In it, we meet nine Celtic saints (five women, four men) who embody the spiritual themes of simplicity, silence, solitude, a sense of place and of mission, spirit, supplication, spiritual friendship, and sanctity. Each chapter includes an introduction to the saint, devotional essays on the theme, and a beautiful illustration. Come wander with these heroes of Celtic spirituality. They will be shade in the heat, shelter in the cold, and a staff to the pilgrim. From the Foreword by poet Wally "A Staff to the Pilgrim is an auspicious and true gift that combines the material and the physical with the spiritual and the transcendent. Fr Gabriel introduces the saints to us, then graciously hands us our own staff to be pilgrims on our way."

236 pages, Paperback

Published September 19, 2016

Reviews

[Jacob O'connor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a gift from a friend, and I was only going to skim it as a courtesy. Joke's on me. It was terrific. Dr. Rochelle succeeded in something few others have attained: he got me to slow down. I'm ever so slightly a quieter, more serene and discerning person for having read Staff. I enjoyed his sketches of the Celtic saints, but I especially appreciated his wisdom.

Notes

(1) When we fill our lives with noise, the emptiness inside is increases (33)

(2) Personal note: the effect of these sorts of books is short lived. Almost gone as soon as I've finished reading. The hope is that the dial is moved even a degree each time

(3) Tradition is the form the spirit takes in the church. (97)

(4) Ideas need time to prove themselves right (97)

(5) Personal note: Dr. Rochelle has credibility beyond his credentials. There is wisdom here. We can tell he has spent some time meditating on it.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really insightful book and well written. For each chapter, Fr. Gabriel introduces a saint, then follows with broader insights based on a theme related to that saint, such as sanctity or solitude. There were lots of great insights and drawing on many writers and wisdom traditions. Well worth the read.

[w gall]

There being very few if any Orthodox Christian resources on Celtic Saints and Spirituality, Fr. Gabriel, who obviously has extensively studied and contemplated Celtic Christianity and her Saints, mines many sources from numerous traditions in order to illustrate basic Christian virtues, how they have been lived out, and how we can begin and continue living them out in the grace of God. By judiciously interpreting these sources, he has given us a variety of fresh perspectives for living out a dynamic form of the orthopraxy of Orthodox Christian Tradition (where the rubber hits the road, so to speak).

[A.R. Gaspard · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author gave a refreshing look at Celtic Christianity, and managed to express the information to us, an audience of people who is bogged down by distraction and procrastination. This book is also I pray one of the first but not the last to look at Celtic Christianity from an Orthodox perspective. Truly both spiritualities are the same, you see the same characteristics and the same phronema and ethos.

[Larisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

fantastic book, only downside for me is that the first two stories are extremely polished and spiritual and the rest didn't stick with me as much. but a great way to learn more about the celtic Saints and the illustrations are unique and mesmerising.