A porous ceramic material is disclosed having a principal cordierite phase, the porous ceramic material exhibiting a normalized strength greater than 20 MPa. The cordierite phase has a reticular microstructure. A method for forming a porous ceramic body having a predominant phase of cordierite is provided which includes forming a body from a plasticized mixture of inorganic ceramic-forming ingredients that include a magnesia source, a silica source, and an alumina source, the alumina source including alumina-containing elongated particles, wherein at least 90 wt% of the alumina-containing elongated particles have a length of 50 to 150 ?m, and then firing the body.