POUSTINIA

Pouistinia, a Russian word for spiritual retreat, also means a sparse, intense place for solitary meditation and prayer. Catherine Doherty was a Russian Orthodox Catholic who survived WWI and then moved to Canada. She started the West's first poustinia in 1962 to create a peaceful location conducive to deepening people's faith. Her dear friend, Father Émile-Marie Brière, reads the program in a conversational manner with a slight Russian accent. Although slightly animated at times, especially later in the program, Father Brière mainly drones. This is important material for Christians, but its delivery would have been improved by two tapes rather than four. A.G.H. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/SEP 02]