Gabriel Cooper Rochelle

Fr Gabriel Rochelle, MA, MDiv, ThM, PhD, is a man of consistent, long-term interests. For decades he has been a birder, a baker, a calligrapher, a bicyclist, and, of course, a pastor.

Because of his family background combined with a love for the tradition, Fr Gabriel is deeply interested in Celtic Christian Spirituality and has written extensively in that area. His MA in Celtic Studies from University of Wales Trinity Saint David focused on the Welsh tradition, but he also explores other areas, especially the richness of the Irish traditions. His interest spills over beyond Christianity into areas of mythology and folklore, causing him to feel as at home with the Mabinogion, the treasury of Welsh folklore, and Arthurian traditions as he is with St Melangell, St David, and St Patrick.

For over half a century, Fr Gabriel has served in parish and university ministry and seminary teaching. He currently serves as pastor of St Anthony of the Desert Orthodox Mission, Las Cruces, NM, and teaches biblical studies at St Sophia Orthodox Theological Seminary, South Bound Brook, NJ, and in the Honors College of New Mexico State University. He frequently leads workshops on Celtic spirituality and Celtic calligraphy. Fr Gabriel and his wife have adult children and grandchildren who live all over the world.

In Fr Gabriel’s latest work, A Staff to the Pilgrim, he combines his pastor’s heart for people with his love for Celtic Christian spirituality. In this devotional treasure, he introduces us to nine Celtic saints (five women and four men) who embody nine spiritual themes: simplicity, silence, solitude, a sense of place, spirit, supplication, spiritual friendship, a sense of mission, and sanctity. Each chapter includes an introduction to the saint, heart-felt devotional essays that support each theme, the saint’s tropar (prayer), and an original pen-and-ink drawing.