The Spirit in the Desert: Pilgrimages to Sacred Sites in the Owens Valley

Father Brad Karelius’s vocational path did not protect him from the trials and tragedies inherent in human life. When his teenaged son began suffering from seizures, the Episcopal parish priest sought strength and solace in the wilderness of the Sierra Nevada’s Owens Valley. The primitive, ancient beauty of the desert provided Father Karelius with a sense of connection to God that his work in an Orange County Latino barrio could not. Over the years, he has made regular pilgrimages to the area, and in The Spirit in the Desert he invites readers to follow suit. While he acknowledges that different people may seek peace and serenity in different places—by the ocean, during a walk in the rain—Karelius’s deeply personal guidance through his beloved desert makes for an earnest spiritual travelogue.