8 walks following the Pilgrims Routes of Britain. Giving history and extra information about some of our best known ancient routeways. A wonderful companion to these historical and spiritual walkways. Take a person, a time and a place: say Canterbury in 597, St Augustine has just arrived and sets off walking. What is he thinking? How does he find his way across the country? What would he find when he arrived at the various places along the route? Using historical stories and vignettes Cecilia Baker has gathered together to follow his, and other, footsteps we can know him and his world a little better. We can follow his route today but thankfully not have to worry about wild boars, nor highway robbery (hopefully!), nor indeed of falling foul of the monarch or his henchmen as was very much a possibility in the past. England is criss-crossed by a myriad of ancient routes that are being way-marked and walked for the first time in, often, hundreds of years, named after people who have gently faded into history. Through this book you can explore the rich heritage of England while enjoying these ancient paths. You will learn about these routes both from a geographical and historical, but also from a spiritual point of view. Walking has never been more popular both to make us healthier and to enjoy the quality of life that we now crave. We are able to enjoy this pastime today in a way that was never possible in more ancient times. So put on comfortable shoes and take a raincoat, this is Britain after all, and start walking in the footsteps of our ancient ancestors.

Do you long to establish a relationship with the saints, but find them--or the volumes written about them--a little intimidating? The saints started out as ordinary Christians, just like us, and they are waiting to accompany us on our journey to heaven if we will only reach out our hands. Traveling Companions is a manageable volume that briefly introduces saints from a variety of times, places, and walks of life, all in language that brings them close to contemporary readers' lives. You're sure to find companions here that you will be happy to walk with all the way to the Kingdom. "The saints are inexhaustibly varied, each of them expressing the gifts of the Holy Spirit in his or her unique and unrepeatable way. Christopher Moorey has presented us with an admirable selection of examples from the 'great cloud of witnesses' by whom we are surrounded. He writes in a vivid and lively style: I am convinced that his book will help many to rediscover the saints and to choose among them some whom in a distinctive way they will make their personal friends."--Metropolitan Kallistos Waredescribing the original Greek edition of Traveling Companions

“Martin’s final word is as Jungian as it is Catholic: God does not want us to be Mother Teresa or Dorothy Day. God wants us to be most fully ourselves.” —Washington Post Book World WITTY, WRYLY HONEST, AND ALWAYS ORIGINAL, My Life with the Saints is James Martin’s story of how his life has been shaped by some surprising friends—the saints of the Catholic Church. In his modern classic memoir, Martin introduces us to saints throughout history—from St. Peter to Dorothy Day, St. Francis of Assisi to Mother Teresa—and chronicles his lifelong friendships with them. Filled with fascinating tales, Martin’s funny, vibrant, and stirring book invites readers to discover how saints guide us throughout our earthly journeys and how they help each of us find holiness in our own lives. Featuring a new chapter from Martin, this tenth-anniversary edition of the best-selling memoir updates readers about his life over the past ten years. In that time, he has been a New York Times best-selling author, official chaplain of The Colbert Report, and a welcome presence in the media whenever there’s a breaking Catholic news story. But he has always remained recognizably himself. John L. Allen, Jr., the acclaimed Catholic journalist, contributes a foreword that shows how Martin has become one of the wisest and most insightful voices of this era. “An outstanding and often hilarious memoir.” —Publishers Weekly “One of the best spiritual memoirs in years.” —Robert Ellsberg “Remarkably engaging.” —U.S. Catholic One of Publishers Weekly’s Best Books of the Year Winner of the Christopher Award Winner of the Catholic Press Association Book Award

"Steve Saint, author of the best selling autobiography End of the Spear (which sold over 100,000 copies and was made into a feature film), returns with a series of adventurous, inspiring stories of how God makes himself known through both the dramatic and the seemingly mundane events of life. While walking God's trail all over the world, Steve has spotted the Creator's hand at work in many significant life moments?from finding the love of his life to befriending the tribe that murdered his missionary father; from living in the Ecuadorian jungle to creating a major motion picture and presenting it before the United Nations. Sometimes triumphant, sometimes tragic, Steve's invariably thrilling tales are those of a born storyteller."--Publisher's website.

The Anastenaria are Orthodox Christians in Northern Greece who observe a unique annual ritual cycle focused on two festivals, dedicated to Saint Constantine and Saint Helen. The festivals involve processions, music, dancing, animal sacrifices, and culminate in an electrifying fire-walking ritual. Carrying the sacred icons of the saints, participants dance over hot coals as the saint moves them. 'The Burning Saints' presents an analysis of these rituals and the psychology behind them. Based on long-term fieldwork, 'The Burning Saints' traces the historical development and sociocultural context of the Greek fire-walking rituals. As a cognitive ethnography, the book aims to identify the social, psychological and neurobiological factors which may be involved and to explore the role of emotional and physiological arousal in the performance of such ritual. A study of participation, experience and meaning, 'The Burning Saints' presents a highly original analysis of how mental processes can shape social and religious behaviour.

Mary appears only a few times in the Bible, but those few passages come at crucial moments. Catholics believe that Mary is the ever-virgin Mother of God, the Queen of Heaven and Earth. But she also was a human being--a woman who made a journey of faith through various trials and uncertainties and endured her share of suffering. Even with her unique graces and vocation, Mary remains a woman we can relate to and from whom we have much to learn. In Walking with Mary, Edward Sri looks at the crucial passages in the Bible concerning Mary and offers insight about the Blessed Mother's faith and devotion that we can apply in our daily lives. We follow her step-by-step through the New Testament account of her life, reflecting on what the Scriptures tell us about how she responded to the dramatic events unfolding around her. “This book is the fruit of my personal journey of studying Mary through the Scriptures, from her initial calling in Nazareth to her painful experience at the cross,” writes Edward Sri “It is intended to be a highly readable, accessible work that draws on wisdom from the Catholic tradition, recent popes, and biblical scholars of a variety of perspectives and traditions. With the riches of these insights, we will ponder what her journey of faith may have been like in order to draw out spiritual lessons for our own walk with God.” He add, “It is my hope, therefore, that whether you are of a Catholic, Protestant, or other faith background, this book may help you to know, understand, and love Mary more, and that it may inspire you to walk in her footsteps as a faithful disciple of the Lord in your own pilgrimage of faith.”