The Crossway
by guy stagg, picador, 400pp, £16.99/$20
Guy Stagg’s book is about a long walk he made from Canterbury to Jerusalem in 2013 when he was 25. As a cure for the severe depression from which he was suffering, it proved effective. The act of walking eight hours a day, six days a week, and “sleeping wherever a room was offered”, gave a purpose and structure to his days. It was not exactly a conventional pilgrimage but it did provide a goal and a radical way of overcoming inner demons.
Stagg spent nights in convents, monasteries, church halls, in his tent, or with kind-hearted strangers. His encounters with the random types he met on his way, including religious-minded nomads, hippies and oddballs, give colour to his narrative and bring it alive. His recounting the history of the places he passes through is tedious though, an attempt to stitch together a story that could have stood on its own: a young man’s struggles with identity and belief, and his conviction that “if I made it to Jerusalem, then I would be well”.
Stagg is honest about his attitude towards religious belief, writing “I do not believe in God, do not believe in miracles and do not believe that a sacrament can cure a sickness.” Yet despite the fact that, as he confesses, “the inner lives of [saints] remained a mystery to me”, his natural curiosity and reflectiveness often impels him into serious conversations with those offering him hospitality, notably an Italian novice called Giulia in a convent south of Rome. She shares her own faith journey, moving the author to comment: “It sounded hopeful and full of humility.”
More than in Rome or Jerusalem, a stay at Mount Athos provides valuable insights. “How little we need to be happy. How little we need to survive,” Stagg muses after a conversation with Fr Constantine, a Greek Orthodox monk. At the end, looking back over his formidable 10-month trek, what remains is “the charity of so many strangers”. Time, physical endurance and openness to new experiences have brought about a kind of healing.
Having been unable to sell in churches for well over a year due to the pandemic, we are now inviting readers to support the Herald by investing in our future. We have been a bold and influential voice in the church since 1888, standing up for traditional Catholic culture and values.
Please join us on our 130 year mission by supporting us. We are raising £250,000 to safeguard the Herald as a world-leading voice in Catholic journalism and teaching. For more information from our chairman on contributing to the Herald Patron's Fund, click here
Make a Donation
Processing ...
Donors giving £500 or more will automatically become sponsor patrons of the Herald. This includes two complimentary print/digital gift subscriptions, invitations to Patron events, pilgrimages and dinners, and 6 gift subscriptions sent to priests, seminaries, Catholic schools, religious care homes and prison and university chaplaincies. Click here for more information on becoming a Patron Sponsor. Click here for more information about contributing to the Herald Patron's Fund