Wipf and Stock Pilgrimage of Awakening: The Extraordinary Lives of Murray and Mary Rogers

Pilgrimage of Awakening is the first biography of the Rogers. Arriving in India after World War II afire with religious zeal, the Reverend Murray Rogers and his wife, Mary, are rocked by the collision of Eastern and Western values. The handsome young couple from England's upper crust, raised with nannies and educated at finishing schools and Cambridge, uproot their children to live a life in solidarity with India's poorest. They seize the challenge of life in Gandhi's Sevagram, then found their own small Christian ashram. Interacting with spiritual leaders on the religious world stage, Murray, the magnetic young Anglican priest, becomes a pioneer in interfaith dialogue. The couple embraces strands of Hinduism and Buddhism in their life pilgrimage across boundaries of culture and faith in India, Jerusalem, Hong Kong, and Canada. As they ""rock the boat"" institutionally, their spiritual pilgrimage and awakening sparks both controversy and awakening in countless others. Pilgrimage of Awakening is the intimate unfolding of their joyful and painful spiritual transformation within their small community as they raise their three children. Tensions of their dual callings to marriage and family and to dedicated religious life interweave to create a movingly human and sacred story. ""Two wonderful people have been blessed by a wonderful biography. Wise, loving, and full of insight, Mary Cattan's book will ensure these two brave and inspiring people are never forgotten."" --Shirley du Boulay, Author, The Cave of the Heart: The Life of Swami Abhishiktananda and Beyond the Darkness: A Biography of Bede Griffiths ""This elegantly written book is a riveting read, both intellectually stimulating and spiritually nourishing. It will appeal to those interested in a great modern Christian interfaith adventure, told from the perspective of a married couple living a life of heroic poverty and solidarity with Hindus and Muslims. As such, it fills an important gap in the literature usually dominated by monks and celibates. Murray and Mary Rogers were ahead of their time, true pioneers of the Spirit and of interfaith relations."" --Bradley Malkovsky, University of Notre Dame; Editor of the Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies ""Awakening is the right title and word for this book. It tells the amazing story of people who lived a life and walked a journey of awakening to God and the Spirit of compassion, justice, and spiritual insight. Mary Cattan tells the story with reverence, honesty, and zest in a way that awakens the reader's heart to God's presence and possibility in our living. This book is a spiritual and biographical gift."" --James B. Lemler, Author; Rector, Christ Church Greenwich ""Every now and then in human history someone comes along with such a force of authenticity, fierce compassion, and stark simplicity that they unnerve institutions while awakening individuals. Murray and Mary Rogers were these radicals and Pilgrimage of Awakening brings their amazing story to life. Mary Cattan's beautiful and compelling book introduces these spiritual mavericks to a whole new generation. A deeply honest and personal spiritual adventure played out on a global stage."" --Will Duncan, Founder of Sofia Monastic Community; Meditation Coach and Lecturer Mary V. T. Cattan is a marriage and family therapist and spiritual director. She holds a DMin in Psychology and Pastoral Theology from Andover Newton Theological School. Formerly faculty at the Blanton Peale Institute where she taught and supervised residents, she serves at Christ Church, Greenwich, Connecticut, as a pastoral psychotherapist. Her passion for interreligious understanding and spiritual healing has led her around the world, including multiple working trips to Sri Lanka.