Our Spiritual Guides
Catherine Doherty
(1900-1985) Foundress of Madonna House, who introduced the earthy richness of Russian Orthodox spirituality to North America.
"The word 'poustinia' is Russian meaning 'desert'. The word in Russian means much more than a geographical place. It means a quiet, lonely place that people wish to enter, to find the God who dwells within them."
"Enter into yourself and make a sanctuary there: the secret place is the human heart."
"I often make believe that I say to the Lord, 'Lord, have a cup of coffee with me.' So I imagine God is there and we have a cup of coffee and I chew the fat with him."
"With God you don't have to put on your best bib and tucker. You can just be yourself."
"Have a little chat with him, snooze a little, do a little reading, go out and look at the grass and say, 'Gee, how beautiful you made the grass."
"No matter what happens to me, if I remember that I exist to be united with God, and that I am united with God every minute, all I have to do is think about it. In fact, I don't even have to think. His face is always before me."
All quotes from Poustinia