"An astounding story..." "Few return from the dead, even among those only presumed to be dead by the living. This autobiography is the astounding story of an American-born Jesuit priest who, in the service of God, survived for twenty-three years, unknown to family or friends, in the controlled society that exists in the Soviet Union. "In 1939, he sought admission to Soviet Russia incognito, so as to serve the Poles, who were his own folk and now were being absorbed into Russia under the Hitler-Stalin pact. Father Ciszek promptly became suspect to the KGB and was required to endure fifteen years of inquisition and imprisonment as a 'spy of the Vatican.' Thereafter he was permitted to live in the Soviet Union as a socially undesirable nonperson, who made a meager living as a common laborer, hospital attendant, garage mechanic, etc. "The extraordinary dimension of this documentary tale is that Father Ciszek for twenty-three years not only retained his sanity but also remained true to his priestly vows and dedication...He said Mass under cover, in constant danger of discovery by priest-catchers. He heard the confessions of hundreds who could have betrayed him; he aided spiritually many who could have gained by exposing his devotion to the Lord. "This is a remarkable recital of personal experience, simply but well told. It would be most difficult to write fiction that could honestly portray the patience, endurance and fortitude lived by Father Ciszek..." - James B. Donovan, America

With God in Russia

Biographies & Memoirs

Ciszek S.J., Walter J.

Leaders & Notable People

Galilee Trade

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 23 agonizing years in Soviet prisons and the labor camps of Siberia. Only through an utter reliance on God's will did he manage to endure the extreme hardship. 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. Ciszek learns to accept the inhuman work in the infamous Siberian salt mines as a labor pleasing to God. And through that experice, 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. 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?"

He Leadeth Me: An Extraordinary Testament of Faith

Flaherty S.J., Daniel L.

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2017 Independent Press Awards, Winner: Biography (General) 2017 Catholic Press Association Book Awards, Third Place: Spirituality (Soft Cover) In 1963, following twenty-three years of hard labor and abuse in Russian prison camps, Walter J. Ciszek, S.J., finally returned to America. Had he come back a bitter man, or a man of diminished faith, it would have been hard to fault him. But he didn’t. For the remainder of his years, until his death in 1984, Fr. Ciszek’s grace, faith, and wisdom touched—often in profound and lasting ways—everyone who came into contact with him. With God in America is a collection of previously unpublished writings on Ciszek’s post-imprisonment life and thoughts. The contents—which include articles he wrote, speeches he delivered at retreats, letters he sent to people he was counseling, and interviews with individuals who knew him personally—present a man unbroken by all that he had endured and eager to share God’s love with others. From Ciszek’s first days back home in the States to his final words before his death, With God in America demonstrates that saintliness isn’t primarily about acting heroically in dramatic or devastating circumstances, but about honoring the ordinary, everyday aspects of life as treasured gifts from God.

With God in America: The Spiritual Legacy of an Unlikely Jesuit

Religion & Spirituality

Loyola Press

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