NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Thomas Merton

Thomas Merton (January 31, 1915 – December 10, 1968) was one of the most influential Catholic authors of the 20th century. A Trappist monk of the Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani, in the U.S. state of Kentucky, Merton was an acclaimed Catholic theologian, poet, author and social activist. Merton wrote over 50 books, scores of essays and reviews, and is the ongoing subject of many biographies. Merton was also a proponent of ecumenism, engaging in spiritual dialogues with such icons as His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Thich Nhat Hanh and D.T. Suzuki. His career was suddenly cut short at a relatively young age due to an accident when he was electrocuted stepping out of his bath. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1375x1375, 597 KB) Statue of Thomas Merton located on Bellarmine University campus outside Norton Health Science Center building. ... January 31 is the 31st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar). ... Prades, France is located in the Pyrenees Mountains. ... December 10 is the 344th day (345th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, 21 days before the next year. ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Trappist can refer to: a religious order - see Trappists some of the products, made by the order - see Trappist beer This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... An author is the person who creates a written work, such as a book, story, article or the like. ... January 31 is the 31st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar). ... December 10 is the 344th day (345th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, 21 days before the next year. ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday. ... Trappist can refer to: a religious order - see Trappists some of the products, made by the order - see Trappist beer This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... The Abbey of Gethsemani was founded in 1848 by monks from the Abbey of Melleray in Western France. ... Official language(s) English[1] Capital Frankfort Largest city Louisville Area Ranked 37th - Total 40,444 sq mi (104,749 kmÂ²) - Width 140 miles (225 km) - Length 379 miles (610 km) - % water 1. ... The poor poet A poet is a person who writes poetry. ... An author is the person who creates a written work, such as a book, story, article or the like. ... Social activists are people who act as the conscience and voice of many individuals within a society. ... The word ecumenism (also oecumenism, Å“cumenism) is derived from Greek (oikoumene), which means the inhabited world, and was historically used with specific reference to the Roman Empire. ... Tenzin Gyatso is the fourteenth and current Dalai Lama. ... Thich Nhat Hanh Thích Nhất Hạnh (born 1926) is an expatriate Vietnamese Buddhist monk, peace activist, and prolific author in English. ... Dr. Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki (1870, Kanazawa, Japan - 1966; standard transliteration: Suzuki Daisetsu, 鈴木大拙) was a famous author of books and essays on Buddhism and Zen that were instrumental in spreading interest in Zen to the West. ...

Biography

Early life

Thomas Merton was born on January 31, 1915 in Prades, France to Owen Merton, a New Zealand painter active in Europe and the USA, and Ruth Jenkins, an American Quaker and artist. Merton was baptised in the Church of England, following his father's wishes. Owen, a struggling painter, whose recognition has been mostly posthumous, was often absent during Thomas's upbringing. January 31 is the 31st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar). ... Prades, France is located in the Pyrenees Mountains. ... Owen Heathcote Grierson Merton, RBA (1887 - 1931) was a New Zealand-born British painter. ... The Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as Quakers, or Friends, is a religious community founded in England in the 17th century. ... The Church of England is the officially established Christian church[1] in England, and acts as the mother and senior branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion, as well as a founding member of the Porvoo Communion. ...

In August 1915, the Merton family left Prades because of the difficulties of World War I, settling first with Ruth's parents on Long Island, New York, United States, then Douglaston. In 1917 the family moved into an old house in Flushing, NY, where Merton's brother John Paul was born on November 2, 1918. The family was considering returning to France, when Ruth was diagnosed with stomach cancer, from which she died on October 21, 1921 in Bellevue Hospital in New York. Thomas was 6 years old. This article is becoming very long. ... Map showing Long Island; to the north is Connecticut and to the west are New York City and New Jersey. ... NY redirects here. ... Douglaston, a community of the borough of Queens in New York City with a population of about 6000 (1990 Census) is on the north shore of Long Island, bordered on the east by Little Neck, on the south by West Alley Road, and on the west by Douglaston Parkway. ... Flushing is a section of the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. ... November 2 is the 306th day of the year (307th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 59 days remaining. ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... October 21 is the 294th day of the year (295th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 71 days remaining. ... Year 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for full calendar). ... Bellevue Hospital is a famous hospital located in New York City, New York, United States. ... NY redirects here. ...

In 1922, Owen and Tom traveled to Bermuda, having left John Paul with the Jenkins family in Douglaston, Long Island. While the trip was short, Owen managed to fall in love with the American novelist Evelyn Scott, then married to Cyril Kay-Scott. Still grieving his mother, Tom just never quite hit it off with Evelyn. Evelyn's son, Creighton, later said that his mother was verbally abusive to Thomas during their stay. A novel is an extended work of written, narrative, prose fiction, usually in story form; the writer of a novel is a novelist. ...

Happy to get away from the company of Evelyn, in 1923 Tom returned to Douglaston to live with the Jenkins Family and John Paul. Owen, Evelyn and her husband Cyril set sail for Europe, travelling through France, Italy, England, and Algeria. Thomas later half-jokingly referred to this odd trio as "the Bermuda Triangle". During the winter of 1924, while in Algeria, Owen became ill and was thought to be near death. In retrospect, the illness could have been an early symptom of the brain tumour that eventually took his life. The news of his father's illness weighed heavily on Thomas, and the prospect of losing his sole surviving parent filled him with anxiety. Motto (French) God and my right Anthem God Save the King (Queen) England() â€“ on the European continent() â€“ in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Government Constitutional monarchy - Queen Queen Elizabeth II - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification - by Athelstan 967 Area...

By March 1925, Owen was well enough to organize a show at the Leicester Galleries, London. That summer he returned to New York and then took Tom with him to live in Saint-Antonin, France. Tom returned to France with mixed feelings, as he had lived with his grandparents for the last two years and had become somewhat attached to them. During their travels, Owen and Evelyn had discussed marriage on occasion, but Owen came to realize after the trip to New York that it could not work, as Tom and Evelyn were irreconcilable. Unwilling to sacrifice his son for the romance, he broke off the relationship. This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val is a commune of the Tarn-et-Garonne département, in southwestern France. ...

France 1926

In 1926, at age eleven, Merton and Owen parted ways again. Tom enrolled in a boys boarding school in Montauban, the Lycée Ingres. The stay brought up feelings of loneliness and depression for him, with Merton feeling especially deserted by his father. During his initial months of schooling, Merton begged Owen to remove him. Yet, as time ensued, Merton gradually became more comfortable with his surroundings there. He had made friends with a circle of young and aspiring writers at Lycée and came to write two novels. A boarding school is an educational institution where some or all pupils not only study, but also live, amongst their peers. ... Montauban (Montalban in Occitan) is a town and commune of southwestern France, préfecture (capital) of the Tarn-et-Garonne département, 31 miles north of Toulouse. ...

Sundays at Lycée Ingres offered nearby Catholic mass, but Tom never went. He typically managed to visit home on such days. A Protestant preacher would come to teach on Sundays at Lycée, for those who didn't attend mass, but Tom didn't show any interest. During the Christmas breaks of 1926 and 1927, Merton spent his time with friends of his father in Murat (a small town in Auvergne). He admired the devout Catholic couple whom he saw as good and decent people, though Catholicism never came up as a topic between them. Owen was off painting and attending exhibits and galleries showing his work. Most of the time he spent in London. In the summer of 1928 Owen came and took Tom out of Lycée, informing him that they were headed to England. Christmas is an annual holiday that marks the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. ... Murat is a name of: People Joachim Murat Murat I Murat II Murat III Murat IV Murat V Murat Rais Murat Zyazikov Murat Yakin Murat Bayhan Murat Bernard Young Murat Yuce Places Murat is the name or part of the name of several communes in France: Murat, in the Allier... (Region flag) (Region logo) Location Administration Capital Clermont-Ferrand Regional President RenÃ© Souchon (PS) (since 2006) Departments Allier Cantal Haute-Loire Puy-de-DÃ´me Arrondissements 14 Cantons 158 Communes 1,310 Statistics Land area1 26,013 kmÂ² Population (Ranked 19th) - January 1, 2006 est. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem God Save the King (Queen) England() â€“ on the European continent() â€“ in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Government Constitutional monarchy - Queen Queen Elizabeth II - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification - by Athelstan 967 Area...

England 1928

Merton and his father moved to the home of Owen's aunt and uncle in England, in Ealing then a suburb on the outskirts of London. Merton soon enrolled in another boarding school in Surrey, Ripley Court School. Merton enjoyed his studies here as there was more a sense of community than at the Lycée. On Sundays all students attended services at the local Anglican church. Routinely Merton began praying, but discontinued the practice after leaving the school. Ealing is a town in the London Borough of Ealing. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... For other uses of Ripley, see Ripley Ripley is a village in Surrey, which grew on the main A3 road from London to Portsmouth. ... The term Anglican describes those people and churches following the religious traditions of the Church of England, especially following the Reformation. ...

During his holidays, Merton stayed at his great aunt and uncle's home where occasionally Owen would come. During the Easter vacation, 1929, Merton and Owen went to Canterbury. Merton enjoyed the countryside around Canterbury, taking long walks there. After the holiday ended, Owen returned to France and Merton, to Ripley. Towards the end of that year, he learned the news that his father was ill and living in Ealing. Merton went to see him, and together they left for a friend's house in Scotland who offered a place for Owen to recover. Shortly after, Owen was taken to London to the North Middlesex Hospital. Merton soon learned his father had a brain tumour. He took the news badly, but later, when he visited Owen in the hospital, the latter seemed to be recovering. This helped ease some of Merton's anxiety. 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Canterbury is a cathedral city in east Kent in South East England and is the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Primate of All England, head of the Church of England and of the worldwide Anglican Communion. ... Motto (Latin) No one provokes me with impunity Wha daur meddle wi me?(Scots)1 Anthem (Multiple unofficial anthems) Scotlands location in Europe Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official languages English, Gaelic, Scots3 Government Constitutional monarchy - Queen Queen Elizabeth II - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP - First Minister Jack McConnell... The North Middlesex Hospital, known locally as the North Mid, is a District General Hospital (DGH) in Edmonton, in the London Borough of Enfield. ... A brain tumor is any mass created by an abnormal and uncontrolled growth of cells either found in the brain (neurons, glial cells, epithelial cells, myelin producing cells, etc. ...

In 1930, Merton went to Oakham Public School, a boarding school located in Rutland, England. He was successful there. At the end of the first year, his grandparents and John Paul visited him. His grandfather discussed his finances, telling him he would be provided for if Owen died. Merton and the family spent most of that summer visiting his hospitalized father, who was so ill he could no longer speak. This caused Merton a lot of pain. On January 16, 1931, just as the term at Oakham had restarted, Owen died. Tom Bennett, Owen Merton's physician and former schoolmate in New Zealand, became Merton's legal guardian,and let Merton use his house in London, which was unoccupied, during the Oakham holidays. Merton appreciated this gesture. Year 1930 (MCMXXX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link is to a full 1930 calendar). ... Oakham School is an English public school in the market town of Oakham in Rutland, accepting around 1,000 students, aged from 10 to 18, both male and female, as boarders and day pupils (including about 10-15% from overseas). ... Oakham Castle Rutland is traditionally Englands smallest county and is bounded on the west and north by Leicestershire, northeast by Lincolnshire, and southeast by Northamptonshire. ... January 16 is the 16th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1931 (MCMXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link is to a full 1931 calendar). ...

That same year, Merton visited Rome and Florence, Italy for a week. He also saw his grandparents in New York during the summer. Upon his return to Oakham, Merton became joint editor of the school magazine the Oakhamian. In 1932, he took the college admissions exam for Clare College, Cambridge and passing, left Oakham. On his 18th birthday, tasting new freedom, Merton went off on his own. He stopped off in Paris, Marseilles, then walked to Hyeres, where he ran out of money and wired Bennett for more. Scoldingly Bennett granted his request, which may have shown Merton he cared. Merton then walked to Saint Tropez, where finally he boarded a train to Genoa and travelled to Florence. From Florence he left for Rome, a trip that in some ways changed the future course of his life. Nickname: The Eternal City Motto: SPQR: Senatus PopulusQue Romanus Location of the city of Rome (yellow) within the Province of Rome (red) and region of Lazio (grey) Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Founded 21 April 753 BC - Mayor Walter Veltroni Area - City 1285 kmÂ² (580 sq mi) - Urban... Florence (Italian: ) is the capital city of the region of Tuscany, Italy. ... Full name Clare College Motto _ Named after Elizabeth de Clare Previous names University Hall (1326), Clare Hall (1338), Clare College (1856) Established 1326 Sister College Oriel College St Hughs College Master Prof. ... Geography Status City (1951) Region East of England Admin. ... City flag City coat of arms Motto: Fluctuat nec mergitur (Latin: Floating not submerging) Paris Eiffel tower as seen from the esplanade du TrocadÃ©ro. ... Marseilles redirects here. ... Hyères is a town and commune in the southeast of France, in the Var département, located 1. ... Saint-Tropez promenade Saint-Tropez is a commune of the Var dÃ©partement in southern France, located on the French Riviera. ... Genoa (Genova in Italian - Zena in Genoese) is a city and a seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria. ... Florence (Italian: ) is the capital city of the region of Tuscany, Italy. ... Nickname: The Eternal City Motto: SPQR: Senatus PopulusQue Romanus Location of the city of Rome (yellow) within the Province of Rome (red) and region of Lazio (grey) Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Founded 21 April 753 BC - Mayor Walter Veltroni Area - City 1285 kmÂ² (580 sq mi) - Urban...

Rome 1933

Upon arriving in Rome in February 1933 Merton had a severe toothache. So he went to a dentist who extracted the tooth the next day. He spent the remainder of the day recuperating in his hotel room. By morning he felt much better, and moved to a small pensione with views of the Palazzo Barberini and San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane, two magnificent pieces of architecture rich with history. In The Seven Storey Mountain, his autobiography (much praised by Evelyn Waugh), Merton remarks: Nickname: The Eternal City Motto: SPQR: Senatus PopulusQue Romanus Location of the city of Rome (yellow) within the Province of Rome (red) and region of Lazio (grey) Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Founded 21 April 753 BC - Mayor Walter Veltroni Area - City 1285 kmÂ² (580 sq mi) - Urban... X-rays can reveal if a person has cavities Dentistry is the practical application of knowledge of dental science (the science of placement, arrangement, function of teeth) to human beings. ... A pension is a family-owned guesthouse. ... In Palazzo Barberini, which still dominates Piazza Barberini, Rione Trevi, Rome, three great architects worked to create a harmonious whole: Carlo Maderno, who began it in 1627, his nephew and assistant Francesco Borromini, working on his first important commission, and a young sculptor, Gian Lorenzo Bernini. ... Facade of San Carlo alle quattro fontane. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Cover of the first English edition of 1793 of Benjamin Franklins autobiography. ... Evelyn Waugh, as photographed in 1940 by Carl Van Vechten Arthur Evelyn St. ...

Merton began going to the churches, not quite knowing why he felt so drawn to them. He didn't attend any masses, he was just observing and appreciating them. It began at The Forum, at the foot of Palatine Hill, where Merton happened upon one of the churches nearby. In the apse of the church, he set his eyes upon a mosaic of Jesus Christ that transfixed him. Merton had a hard time leaving the place, though he was unsure why. Merton officially had found the Rome he said he didn't see on his first visit: Byzantine Christian Rome. The Forum of Jerash, in Jordan. ... The Colosseum by night: exterior view of the best-preserved section. ... Entrance to the museum Staircase of the Vatican Museum The Vatican Museums (Musei Vaticani) are the public art and sculpture museums in the Vatican City, which display works from the extensive collection of the Roman Catholic Church. ... The Cathedral of Saint Peter (CathÃ©drale Saint-Pierre), begun in 1162 by Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine on the ruins of a Roman basilica, and well advanced by the end of the 12th century, is the largest medieval monument in the French city of Poitiers. ... 17th century aviaries on the hill, built by Rainaldi for Odoardo Cardinal Farnese: once wirework cages surmounted them. ... This article is about an architectural feature; for the astronomical term see apsis. ... The Byzantine Empire is the term conventionally used to describe the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered at its capital in Constantinople. ...

From this point on in his trip he set about visiting the various churches and basilica sites in Rome, such as Lateran Baptistery, Santa Costanza, Basilica di San Clemente, Santa Prassede and Santa Pudenziana (to name a few). He purchased a Vulgate (Latin Bible), reading the entire New Testament. One night in his pensione, Merton had the sense that Owen was in the room with him for a few moments. This mystical experience led him to see the emptiness he felt in his life, and he said for the first time in his life he really prayed, asking God to deliver him from his darkness. The Seven Storey Mountain also describes a visit to Tre Fontane, a Trappist monastery in Rome. While visiting the church there he was at ease, yet when entering the monastery he was overtaken with anxiety. That afternoon, while alone, he remarked to himself: The domed octagonal Lateran Baptistery stands somewhat apart from the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano, to which it has become joined by later construction. ... View of the mausoleum of Santa Costanza from the Constantinian cemetery basilica. ... The Basilica of San Clemente is a complex of buildings in Rome centered around a 12th century Roman Catholic church dedicated to Pope Clement I. The site is notable as being an archeological record of Roman architectural, political and religious history from the early Christian era to the Middle Ages. ... Inside of Santa Prassede. ... Main entrance of the church. ... The Vulgate Bible is an early 5th century version in Latin, partly revised and partly translated by Jerome on the orders of Pope Damasus I in 382. ... John 21:1 Jesus Appears to His Disciples--Alessandro Mantovani: the Vatican, Rome. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... The Abbey of Saints Vincent and Anastasius (in Latin Abbatia trium fontiuam ad Aquas Salias, or for short Tre Fontane, Three Fountains) is a Roman Catholic abbey located near Rome which passed repeatedly to another order. ... Trappist can refer to: a religious order - see Trappists some of the products, made by the order - see Trappist beer This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

America 1933

Merton took a boat from Italy to America to visit his grandparents in Douglaston for the summer, before entering Clare College in Cambridge. Initially he retained some of the spirit he had in Rome, continuing to read his Latin Bible. He wanted to find a church to attend, but still had not quite quelled his antipathy towards Catholicism. So he went to Zion Episcopal Church in Douglaston. He didn't come to appreciate his experience there, so he went to Flushing, NY and attended a Quaker Meeting. Merton appreciated the silence of the atmosphere but couldn't feel at home with the group. The word episcopal is derived from the Greek ÎµÏ€Î¯ÏƒÎºÎ¿Ï€Î¿Ï‚, transliterated epÃskopos, which literally means overseer; the word, however, is used in religious contexts to refer to a bishop. ... Flushing is a section of the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. ... The Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as Quakers, or Friends, is a religious community founded in England in the 17th century. ...

Quickly he melded in with life in New York City and became swept up in her ways. By mid-summer, Merton had lost nearly all interest in organized religion that he had found in Rome. Before he could regain that interest, he would nearly lose it altogether. He was off for England again, this time to attend Clare College. Full name Clare College Motto _ Named after Elizabeth de Clare Previous names University Hall (1326), Clare Hall (1338), Clare College (1856) Established 1326 Sister College Oriel College St Hughs College Master Prof. ...

College

Clare College

In October 1933 Merton entered Clare College in Cambridge as a freshman, a place where he came very close to losing himself. Merton, now 18, entered the school full of optimism with a streak of independence in his step. Feeling somewhat groundless and free since his father's death, he seems to have viewed Clare College as the end-all answer to his life without meaning. His year there was anything but. In The Seven Storey Mountain, the brief chapter on Cambridge paints a fairly dark, negative picture of his life there. In the autobiography it is as if he is taking great pain to express the darkness he encountered there without divulging any of the details. This could also be due to censorship at the hands of his superiors at Gethsemani. Full name Clare College Motto _ Named after Elizabeth de Clare Previous names University Hall (1326), Clare Hall (1338), Clare College (1856) Established 1326 Sister College Oriel College St Hughs College Master Prof. ... Geography Status City (1951) Region East of England Admin. ...

Some schoolmates of Merton at Oakham, then attending Cambridge with him, remember that Tom drifted away and became isolated at Cambridge. He started drinking excessively, hanging out at the local bars more than he would study. He was also very free with his sexuality at this time, it would appear, some friends going so far as to call him a womanizer. It is rumored that Merton may have fathered a child with a woman during this time, though her name is unknown.

When Bennett first began hearing of the womanizing and drinking, he summoned Merton to London for a few heated lectures on the direction of his life. He told Tom that if he didn't change his ways, he would tell his grandparents in Long Island about the ordeals and advise them to withdraw him from Cambridge. In a meeting with Bennett in April Tom was given this ultimatum again, and in May Merton left Cambridge after completing his exams.

Columbia University

In January 1935 Merton enrolled as a sophomore at Columbia University in Manhattan, NY while living with the Jenkins family in Douglaston and taking a train to the Columbia campus each day. Merton's years at Columbia matured him, and it is here that he discovered Catholicism in a real sense. These years were also a time in his life where he realized others were more accepting of him as an individual. To sum up, at 21 years old, he was a man and an equal among his peers. Columbia University is a private research university in the United States. ... The Borough of Manhattan, highlighted in yellow, lies between the East River and the Hudson River. ...

Tom began an 18th Century English literature course during the spring semester taught by Mark Van Doren, a professor with whom he maintained a friendship until death. Van Doren didn't teach his students, at least not in any traditional sense; he engaged them, sharing his love of literature with all. Merton was also interested in Communism at Columbia, where he briefly joined the Young Communist League; however, the first meeting he attended failed to interest him further and he never went back. Mark Van Doren (June 13, 1894 â€“ December 10, 1972) was a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and critic. ... Communism is an ideology that seeks to establish a classless, stateless social organization based on common ownership of the means of production. ... The Young Communist League was or is the name used by the youth wing of various Communist parties around the world such as the Young Communist League in Britain and the Young Communist League, USA. In the Soviet Union the youth organization under control of the Communist Party of the...

During summer break John Paul returned home from Gettysburg Academy in Pennsylvania. The two brothers spent time bonding with one another for their summer breaks, claiming later to have seen every movie produced between 1934 and 1937. When the fall semester arrived, John Paul left to enroll at Cornell University while Tom returned to Columbia. He began working for two school papers, a humor magazine called the Jester and also the Columbia Review. He also became a member of Alpha Delta Phi that semester and joined the Philolexian Society, the campus literary and debate group . Gettysburg College is a private four-year liberal arts college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, founded in 1832, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, adjacent to the famous battlefield. ... Official language(s) English, Pennsylvania Dutch Capital Harrisburg Largest city Philadelphia Area Ranked 33rd - Total 46,055 sq mi (119,283 kmÂ²) - Width 280 miles (455 km) - Length 160 miles (255 km) - % water 2. ... Cornell University is a private university located in Ithaca, New York, USA. Its two medical campuses are in New York City and in Education City, Qatar. ... Jester of Columbia cover from April, 2006 The Jester of Columbia, or simply the Jester , is a humor magazine at Columbia University in New York City. ... Alpha Delta Phi (Î‘Î”Î¦) is a Greek-letter fraternity in the United States and Canada. ... The Philolexian Society of Columbia University in the City of New York is one of the oldest collegiate literary societies in the United States, and the oldest student group at Columbia. ...

In October 1935, in protest of Italy's invasion of Ethiopia, Merton joined a picket of the Casa Italiana. The Casa Italiana was conceived of by Columbia and the Italian government as a "university within a university", established in 1926. Merton also joined the local peace movement, having taken "the Oxford Pledge" to not support any government in any war they might undertake. Combatants Italy Abyssinia Commanders Emilio De Bono Pietro Badoglio Rodolfo Graziani Haile Selassie Strength 130,000 Italian and Eritrean soldiers 350,000 (some ill-equipped) Casualties 8,000 250,000 (mostly civilians) The Second Italoâ€“Abyssinian War lasted five years from 1935-1941. ...

In 1936 Merton's grandfather, Samuel Jenkins, died. Merton and his grandfather had grown rather close through the years, and Merton immediately left school for home upon receiving the news. He states that, without thinking, he went to the room where his grandfather's body was and knelt down to pray over him.

In February 1937, Merton read a book that opened his mind to Catholicism. It was titled The Spirit of Medieval Philosophy by Etienne Gilson, and inside he encountered an explanation of God that he found both logical and pragmatic. Tom purchased this book because he was taking a class on medieval French literature, not seeing the nihil obstat in the book denoting its Catholic origin. This work was pivotal, paving the way for more encounters with Catholicism. Another author Merton began reading at this time was Aldous Huxley, whose book Ends and Means introduced Merton to mysticism. In August of the same year, Tom's grandmother, Bonnemaman, died. As with his grandfather, Merton prayed for her. Etienne Gilson (1884-1978) was a French philosopher and historian, born in Paris. ... Medieval French literature is, for the purpose of this article, literature written in OÃ¯l languages (including Old French and early Middle French) during the period from the eleventh century to the end of the fifteenth century. ... Nihil obstat is an LOOK AT ME!!!! official approval by a delegated censor of the Roman Catholic Church to publish a work dealing with faith or morals. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Mysticism from the Greek Î¼Ï…ÏƒÏ„Î¹ÎºÏŒÏ‚ (mystikos) an initiate (of the Eleusinian Mysteries, Î¼Ï…ÏƒÏ„Î®ÏÎ¹Î± (mysteria) meaning initiation[1]) is the pursuit of achieving communion or identity with, or conscious awareness of, ultimate reality, the divine, spiritual truth, or God through direct experience, intuition, or insight; and the belief that such experience is an...

In January 1938 Merton graduated from Columbia with a B.A. in English. After graduation he continued at Columbia, doing graduate work in English. In June, a friend, Seymour Freedgood, arranged a meeting with Mahanambrata Brahmachari, a Hindu monk in New York visiting from the University of Chicago. Merton was very impressed by the man, seeing that he was profoundly centered in God. Merton, curious, expected Brahmachari to espouse his beliefs and religion to them in some manner. Instead, Brahmachari recommended that they reconnect with their own spiritual roots and traditions. He suggested Merton read The Confessions of Augustine and The Imitation of Christ. Although Merton was surprised to hear the monk recommending Catholic books, he read them both. He also started to pray again regularly. A Bachelor of Arts (B.A. or A.B.) is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course or program in the arts and/or sciences. ... This article discusses the adherents of Hinduism. ... The University of Chicago is a private university located principally in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago. ... The word Confessions has several meanings: Confessions is a series of books composed by St. ... â€œAugustinusâ€ redirects here. ... The Imitation of Christ (or De imitatione Christi), by Thomas Ã Kempis is one of the most widely read Christian spiritual books in existence. ...

For the next few months Merton began to consider Catholicism as something to explore again. Finally, in August 1938, he decided he wanted to attend Mass and went to Corpus Christi Church near Harlem. Mass was foreign to him, he knew nothing of the rituals that make the service, so all he could do that first visit is try his best and listen attentively. Following this experience Merton's reading list became more and more geared toward Catholicism. While doing his graduate work, he was writing his thesis on William Blake, whose spiritual symbolism he was coming to appreciate in new ways. For other uses, see Harlem (disambiguation). ... The Roman Catholic Church or Catholic Church (see terminology below) is the Christian Church in full communion with the Bishop of Rome, currently Pope Benedict XVI. It traces its origins to the original Christian community founded by Jesus Christ and led by the Twelve Apostles, in particular Saint Peter. ... William Blake in an 1807 portrait by Thomas Phillips. ...

One evening in September, Merton was reading a book about Gerard Manley Hopkins' conversion to Catholicism and how he became a priest. Suddenly he could not shake this sense that he, too, should follow such a path. He grabbed his coat and headed quickly over to the Corpus Christi Church rectory, where he met with a Fr. Ford, expressing his desire to become Catholic. The next few weeks Merton started catechism, learning the basics of his new faith. On November 16, 1938, Thomas Merton was baptized at Corpus Christi Church and received Holy Communion. On February 22, 1939 Merton received his M.A. in English from Columbia University. Merton decided he would pursue his Ph.D. at Columbia and moved from Douglaston to Greenwich Village. The Best ideal is the true/ And other truth is none. ... Codex Manesse, fol. ... November 16 is the 320th day of the year (321st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 45 days remaining. ... Year 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Eucharist is either the Christian sacrament of consecrated bread and wine or the ritual surrounding it. ... February 22 is the 53rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full year calendar). ... A Master of Arts is a postgraduate academic masters degree awarded by universities in North America and the United Kingdom (excluding the ancient universities of Scotland and Oxbridge. ... Doctor of Philosophy (Ph. ... The Washington Square Arch Greenwich Village (IPA pronunciation: ), also called simply the Village, is a largely residential area on the west side of downtown (southern) Manhattan in New York City named after Greenwich, London. ...

In January 1939 Merton had heard good things from friends of his about a part-time teacher on campus named Daniel Walsh, so he decided to take a course on Thomas Aquinas with Walsh. Through Walsh, Merton was introduced to Jacques Maritain at a lecture on Catholic Action, which took place at a Catholic Book Club meeting the following March. Merton and Walsh developed a lifelong friendship, and it was Walsh who convinced Merton that Thomism was not for him. On May 25, 1939, Merton received Confirmation at Corpus Christi, and took the confirmation name James. Saint Thomas Aquinas [Thomas of Aquin, or Aquino] (c. ... Jacques Maritain Jacques Maritain (November 18, 1882 â€“ April 28, 1973) was a French Catholic philosopher. ... This page meets Wikipedias criteria for speedy deletion. ... Thomism is the philosophical school that followed in the legacy of Thomas Aquinas. ... May 25 is the 145th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (146th in leap years). ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full year calendar). ... Confirmation can refer to: Confirmation (sacrament) Confirmation (epistemology) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

The Franciscans

Vocation

In October 1939, Merton invited friends back to sleep over at his place following a long night out at a jazz club. Over breakfast, Merton told them of his desire to become a priest. Soon after this epiphany, Merton visited Fr. Ford at Corpus Christi to share his feeling. Ford agreed with Merton, but added that he felt Merton was suited for the secular priesthood and advised Merton decide against joining an order. Jazz is a style of music which originated in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States at around the start of the 20th century. ...

Soon after, Merton met with his teacher Dan Walsh, whom he trusted to advise him on the matter. Walsh disagreed with Ford's assessment that Merton was suited to a secular calling. Instead, he felt Merton was spiritually and intellectually more suited for a priestly vocation in a specific order. So they discussed the Jesuits, Cistercians and Franciscans. Since Merton had appreciated what he had read of Saint Francis of Assisi, he felt that might be the direction he was being called to. The Society of Jesus (Latin: Societas Iesu), commonly known as the Jesuits, is a Roman Catholic religious order. ... Cistercians coat of arms The Order of Cistercians (OCist) (Latin: ), otherwise White Monks (from the colour of the habit, over which a black scapular or apron is sometimes worn) is a Roman Catholic order of enclosed monks. ... Franciscans is the common name used to designate a variety of mendicant religious orders of men or women tracing their origin to Francis of Assisi and following the Rule of St. ... Saint Francis of Assisi (born in Assisi, Italy, ca. ...

Walsh set up a meeting with a Fr. Edmund Murphy, a friend at the monastery of St. Francis of Assisi on 31st street. The interview went well and Merton was given an application, as well as Fr. Murphy's personal invitation to become a Franciscan friar. However, he noted that Merton would not be able to enter the novitiate until August of 1940 because that was the only month in which they accepted new postulants. Merton was very excited, yet disappointed that it would be another year before he would fulfill his calling. A friar is a member of a religious mendicant order of men. ... A novitiate (also called a novice) is a member of a religious order who has not yet taken his/her vows. ...

By 1940 Merton began to have doubts about whether he was fit to be a Franciscan. He felt he had never truly been upfront about his past with Fr. Murphy or Dan Walsh. It is possible some of this may have concerned his time at Cambridge, though he is never specific in The Seven Storey Mountain about precisely what he felt he was hiding. Merton arranged to see Fr. Murphy and tell him of his past troubles. Fr. Murphy was understanding during the meeting, but told Tom he ought to return the next day once he had time to consider this new information. That next day Fr. Murphy delivered Merton devastating news. He no longer felt Merton was suitable material for a Franciscan vocation as a friar, and even said that the August novitiate was now full. Fr. Murphy seemed uninterested in helping Merton's cause any further, and Merton believed at once that his calling was finished.

St. Bonaventure University

In early August 1940, the month he would have entered the Franciscan novitiate, Merton went to Olean, New York to stay with friends at a cottage he had visited previously. This was a tough time for Merton, and he wanted to be in the company of friends. Merton now needed a job. Nearby the cottage was St. Bonaventure University, a Franciscan university he had learned about through Fr. Edmund. The day after arriving in Olean, Merton went to St. Bonaventure for an interview with then president Fr. Thomas Plassman. As luck would have it there was opening for Merton in the English department and he was hired on the spot. Merton chose St. Bonaventure because he still harbored a desire to be a friar, and felt that he could at least live among them if not be one of them. Olean is a city in Cattaraugus County, New York, United States. ... St. ...

In September 1940, Merton moved into a dormitory on campus. While Merton's stay at Bonaventure would prove brief, the time was pivotal for him. While teaching there, Merton's spiritual life blossomed as he went deeper and deeper into his prayer life. He all but gave up drinking, quit smoking, stopped going to movies and became more selective in his reading materials. In his own way he was undergoing a kind of lay renunciation of worldly pleasures. In April 1940, Merton went to a retreat he had booked for Holy Week at the Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani for near Bardstown, KY. At once Merton felt a pull to the place, and could feel his spirits rise during his stay. A typical American college dorm room Another typical not-so-clean college dorm room Watterson Towers, Illinois State University Potomac Hall, second-largest dormitory at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. ... Holy Week (Latin: Hebdomada Sancta) in Christianity is the last week of Lent. ... The Abbey of Gethsemani was founded in 1848 by monks from the Abbey of Melleray in Western France. ... Bardstown is a city located in Nelson County, Kentucky. ...

Returning to St. Bonaventure with Gethsemani on his mind, Merton returned to teaching. In May 1941 he had an occasion where he used his old Vulgate, purchased in Italy back in 1933, as a kind of oracle. The idea was that he would randomly select a page and blindly point his finger somewhere, seeing if it would render him some sort of sign. On his second try Merton laid his finger on a section of The Gospel of Luke which stated, "Behold, thou shalt be silent". Immediately Merton thought of the Cistercians. While he was still unsure of his qualifications to join a vocation, Merton felt he was being drawn more and more to a specific calling. The Vulgate Bible is an early 5th century version in Latin, partly revised and partly translated by Jerome on the orders of Pope Damasus I in 382. ... The Gospel of Luke is the third and longest of the four canonical Gospels of the New Testament, which tell the story of Jesus life, death, and resurrection. ... Cistercians coat of arms The Order of Cistercians (OCist) (Latin: ), otherwise White Monks (from the colour of the habit, over which a black scapular or apron is sometimes worn) is a Roman Catholic order of enclosed monks. ...

In August 1941 Merton attended a talk at the school given by Catherine de Hueck. Hueck had founded the Friendship House in Toronto and its sister house in Harlem. Merton appreciated the mission of Hueck and Friendship House, which was racial harmony and charity, and decided to volunteer there for two weeks. Merton was amazed at how little he had learned of New York during his studies at Columbia. Harlem was such a different place, full of poverty and prostitution. Merton felt especially troubled by the situation of children being raised in the environment there. Friendship House had a profound impact on Merton, and he would speak of it often in his later writing. Catherine Doherty, 1970 Servant of God Catherine Doherty (August 15, 1896â€“December 14, 1985) was a social activist and foundress of the Madonna House Apostolate. ... An early Friendship House storefront entrance Friendship House is a missionary movement founded in Toronto in the early 1930s by Catholic social justice activist Catherine de Hueck Doherty, one of the leading proponents of interracial justice in pre-Martin Luther King, Jr. ... For other uses, see Harlem (disambiguation). ...

In November 1941 Hueck asked if Merton would consider becoming a full time member of Friendship House, to which Merton responded cordially yet noncommittally. He still felt unfit to serve Christ, and even hinted at such in a letter to Hueck that same month in which he implies he is not good enough for her organization. Merton soon let Hueck know in early December that he would definitely not be joining Friendship House, explaining his recent unshakable calling to the priesthood.

Monastic life

On December 10, 1941 Thomas Merton arrived at the Abbey of Gethsemani and spent three days at the monastery guest house, waiting for acceptance into the Order. The novice master would come to interview Merton, gauging his sincerity and qualifications. In the interim, Merton was put to work polishing floors and scrubbing dishes. On December 13 he was accepted into the monastery as a postulant by Dom Frederic Dunne, Gethsemani's Father Abbot since 1935. Merton's first few days did not go smoothly. He had a severe cold from his stay in the guest house, where he sat in front of an open window to prove his sincerity. But Merton devoted himself entirely to adjusting to the austerity, enjoying the change of lifestyle. During his initial weeks at Gethsemani, Merton studied the complicated Cistercian sign language and daily work and worship routine. Image File history File links Merton_Trappist. ... Image File history File links Merton_Trappist. ... December 10 is the 344th day (345th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, 21 days before the next year. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film). ... The Abbey of Gethsemani was founded in 1848 by monks from the Abbey of Melleray in Western France. ... December 13 is the 347th day of the year (348th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

In March 1942, during the first Sunday of Lent, Merton was accepted as a novice monk at the monastery. In June, Merton received a letter from his brother John Paul stating he was soon to leave for war, that he would be coming to Gethsemani to visit Merton before leaving. On July 17 John Paul arrived in Gethsemani and the two brothers did some catching up. John Paul expressed his desire to become Catholic, and by July 26 was baptized at a church in nearby New Haven, KY, leaving the following day. This would be last time the two would see each other. John Paul died on April 17, 1943 while flying over the English Channel when his plane engines died. Those interested can find a poem by Merton to John Paul at the end of The Seven Storey Mountain. In Western Christianity, Lent is the forty-day period (or season) lasting from Ash Wednesday to Easter[1] or Holy Saturday. ... July 17 is the 198th day (199th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 167 days remaining. ... July 26 is the 207th day (208th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 158 days remaining. ... New Haven is a city located in Nelson County, Kentucky. ... April 17 is the 107th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (108th in leap years). ... 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1943 calendar). ... Satellite view of the English Channel The English Channel (French: (IPA: ), the sleeve) is the part of the Atlantic Ocean that separates the island of Great Britain from northern France and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. ...

Writer

Merton kept journals throughout his stay at Gethsemani. Initially he had felt writing to be at odds with his vocation, worried it would embolden notions of individuality. Fortunately his superior, Father Abbot Dom Frederic, saw that Merton had a gifted intellect and talent for writing. In 1943 Merton was tasked to translate religious texts and write biographies on the saints for the monastery. Merton approached his new writing assignment with the same fervor and zeal he would have variously displayed in the farmyard.

On March 19, 1944 Merton made his temporary profession vows and was given the white cowl, black scapular and leather belt. In November 1944 a manuscript Merton had given to friend Robert Lax the previous year was published by James Laughlin at New Directions, a book of poetry titled Thirty Poems. Merton had mixed feelings about the publishing of this work, but Dom Frederic remained resolute that Merton continue writing. New Directions published another poetry collection in 1946 for Merton titled A Man in the Divided Sea, which combined with Thirty Poems attracted some recognition for him. The same year Merton had his manuscript for The Seven Storey Mountain accepted by Harcourt Brace & Company for publishing. The Seven Storey Mountain, Merton’s autobiography, was written during two-hour intervals in the monastery scriptorium as a personal project. March 19 is the 78th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (79th in leap years). ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... Robert Lax (1915â€“2000) was an American poet, known in particular for his association with famed 20th century Trappist monk and writer Thomas Merton. ... James Laughlin (October 30, 1914 - November 12, 1997) was an American poet, publisher, and man of letters. ... New Directions Publishing Corp. ... The Chinese poem Quatrain on Heavenly Mountain by Emperor Gaozong (Song Dynasty) Poetry (from the Greek , poiesis, making or creating) is a form of art in which language is used for its aesthetic qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its ostensible meaning. ... Harcourt Trade Publishers is a U.S. publishing firm, and one of the worlds largest publishers of textbooks. ... Cover of the first English edition of 1793 of Benjamin Franklins autobiography. ... A Scriptorium was a room or building, usually within a Christian monastery where, during medieval times, manuscripts were written. ...

By 1947 Merton was more comfortable with his role as writer. On March 19 Merton took his solemn vows, a commitment to live out his life at the monastery. He also began corresponding with a Carthusian at St. Hugh's Charterhouse in Parkminster, England. Merton harbored an appreciation for the Carthusian order since coming to Gethsemani in 1941, and would later come to consider leaving the Cistercians for the Order. On July 4 the Catholic journal Commonweal published an essay by Merton titled Poetry and the Contemplative Life. A Carthusian Monastery in Jerez, Spain The Carthusian Order, also called the Order of St. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem God Save the King (Queen) England() â€“ on the European continent() â€“ in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Government Constitutional monarchy - Queen Queen Elizabeth II - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification - by Athelstan 967 Area... For the United States holiday, the Fourth of July, see Independence Day (United States). ... Commonweal is a New York based American journal of opinion edited and managed by lay Catholics. ...

In 1948 The Seven Storey Mountain was finally published to critical acclaim, with fan mail to Merton reaching new heights. Merton also published several works for the monastery that year, which were: Guide to Cistercian Life, Cistercian Contemplatives, Figures for an Apocalypse, and The Spirit of Simplicity. Saint Mary's College (Indiana) published a booklet by Merton that year also, titled What Is Contemplation?. Merton also published a wonderful biography that year titled Exile Ends in Glory: The Life of a Trappistine, Mother M. Berchmans, O.C.S.O. Merton’s Father Abbot, Dom Frederic Dunne, died on August 3, 1948 on a trainride to Georgia. Dunne’s passing was painful for Merton, who came to look at the Abbot as a father figure and spiritual mentor. Dunne was replaced by Dom James Fox on August 15, a former U.S. Navy officer. In October Merton discussed with his new Abbot his ongoing attraction to the Carthusian Order, to which Fox assures Merton he is at home at Gethsemani. Fox permitted Merton to continue his writing, Merton now having gained substantial recognition outside the monastery walls. On December 21 Merton was ordained as a subdeacon. Saint Marys College is a private Catholic womens college founded in 1844 by the Sisters of the Holy Cross. ... August 3 is the 215th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (216th in leap years), with 150 days remaining. ... 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1948 calendar). ... August 15 is the 227th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (228th in leap years), with 138 days remaining. ... The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. ... December 21 is the 355th day of the year (356th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Subdeacon is a title used in various branches of Christianity. ...

On January 5, 1949 Merton took a train to Louisville and applied for U.S. citizenship. Published that year were Seeds of Contemplation, The Tears of Blind Lions, The Waters of Siloe, and the British edition of The Seven Storey Mountain under the title Elected Silence. On March 19 Merton became ordained as a deacon in the Order, and on May 26 (Ascension Thursday) Merton became ordained as a priest, saying his first mass that following day. In June the monastery celebrated its centenary, for which Merton authored the book Gethsemani Magnificat in commemoration. By November Merton started teaching novices at Gethsemani in mystical theology, a duty he greatly enjoyed. Through subsequent years Merton would author many other books and amassed himself a wide readership. He would come to revise ‘’Seeds of Contemplation’’ several times, viewing his early edition as error prone and immature. One's place in society, views on social activism, and various approaches toward contemplative prayer and living became constant themes in his writings. January 5 is the 5th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ... â€œLouisvilleâ€ redirects here. ... March 19 is the 78th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (79th in leap years). ... May 26 is the 146th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (147th in leap years). ... For other meanings see Ascension (disambiguation) The Ascension is one of the great feasts in the Christian liturgical calendar, and commemorates the bodily Ascension of Jesus into Heaven forty days after his resurrection from the dead. ... A centenary is an event to celebrate the 100th anniversary of an event. ... Mystical theology is the science which treats of acts and experiences or states of the soul which cannot be produced by human effort or industry even with the ordinary aid of Divine grace. ...

By the 1960s, he had arrived at a frankly human viewpoint, one deeply concerned about the world and issues like peace, racial tolerance, and social equity. He had developed a sort of "radicalism" that had political implications but was not based on ideology and was certainly non-violent, philosophically. He regarded his viewpoint as based on "simplicity" and expressed it as a Christian sensibility. In a letter to a Latin-American Catholic writer, Ernesto Cardenal, Merton wrote: "The world is full of great criminals with enormous power, and they are in a death struggle with each other. It is a huge gang battle, using well-meaning lawyers and policemen and clergymen as their front, controlling papers, means of communication, and enrolling everybody in their armies." (Letter, November 17, 1962, quoted in Monica Furlong's Merton: a Biography, p. 263) Ernesto Cardenal MartÃnez (born January 20, 1925) is a Catholic priest and was one of the most famous liberation theologians of the Nicaraguan Revolution. ...

Through Merton's royalties Gethsemani financially thrived, and his writings were attracting interest in Catholicism and the Cistercian vocation. Merton’s influence is immeasurable and continues to fascinate readers in modern times.

Priest

On May 26, 1949 (on Ascension Thursday) Thomas Merton was ordained as a priest, saying his first mass that following day in honor of Our Lady of Cobre. In November, Merton began teaching the novices in mystical theology. By this time Merton was a huge success outside the monastery, The Seven Storey Mountain having sold over 150,000 copies. As a humorous side note, in December a fellow priest at the monastery allowed Merton to take the monastery jeep out on the property for a drive. Merton, having never learned to drive, wound up hitting some trees and running through ditches, flipping it halfway over in the middle of the road. Needless to say, he never used the jeep again. May 26 is the 146th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (147th in leap years). ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ... For other meanings see Ascension (disambiguation) The Ascension is one of the great feasts in the Christian liturgical calendar, and commemorates the bodily Ascension of Jesus into Heaven forty days after his resurrection from the dead. ... Mystical theology is the science which treats of acts and experiences or states of the soul which cannot be produced by human effort or industry even with the ordinary aid of Divine grace. ...

During his long years at Gethsemani Merton changed from the passionately inward-looking young monk of The Seven Storey Mountain, to a more contemplative writer and poet. Merton became well known for his dialogues with other faiths and his stances on non-violence during the race riots and Vietnam War of the 1960s. Merton finally achieved the solitude he had long desired while living in a hermitage on the monastery grounds in 1965. Over the years he had some battles with some of his abbots about not being allowed out of the monastery, balanced by his international reputation and voluminous correspondence with many well-known figures of the day. A race riot or racial riot is an outbreak of violent civil unrest in which race is a key factor. ... Combatants Republic of Vietnam United States Republic of Korea Thailand Australia New Zealand The Philippines National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam Democratic Republic of Vietnam Peopleâ€™s Republic of China Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea Strength US 1,000,000 South Korea 300,000 Australia 48,000... A hermitage is the retreat of a hermit. ... Abbots coat of arms The word abbot, meaning father, has been used as a Christian clerical title in various, mainly monastic, meanings. ...

A new abbot allowed him the freedom to undertake a tour of Asia at the end of 1968, during which he met the Dalai Lama in India. He also made a visit to Polonnaruwa (in what was then Ceylon), where he had a religious experience while viewing enormous statues of the Buddha. There is speculation that Merton wished to remain in Asia as a hermit. Tenzin Gyatso is the fourteenth and current Dalai Lama. ... The second most ancient of Sri Lankas kingdoms, Polonnaruwa was first declared the capital city by King Vijayabahu I, who defeated the Chola invaders in 1070 CE to reunite the country once more under a local leader. ... Media:Example. ...

Accidental death

He died in Bangkok on 10 December 1968, having touched a poorly grounded electric fan while stepping out of his bath. His body was flown back to Gethsemani where he is buried. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... December 10 is the 344th day (345th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, 21 days before the next year. ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday. ... Ground or earth in a mains (AC power) electrical wiring system is a conductor that exists primarily to help protect against faults and which in normal operation does not carry current. ... Household Electric Fan A fan has two purposes. ...

Since his death, Merton's influence has continued to grow, and he is considered by many to be an important 20th century Catholic mystic and thinker. Merton's letters and diaries (and, to a lesser extent, the books published during his lifetime) reveal the intensity with which their author focused on social justice issues, including the civil rights movement and proliferation of nuclear arms. Incidentally, Merton blocked publication of his letters and diaries until 25 years after his death. Mysticism from the Greek Î¼Ï…ÏƒÏ„Î¹ÎºÏŒÏ‚ (mystikos) an initiate (of the Eleusinian Mysteries, Î¼Ï…ÏƒÏ„Î®ÏÎ¹Î± (mysteria) meaning initiation[1]) is the pursuit of achieving communion or identity with, or conscious awareness of, ultimate reality, the divine, spiritual truth, or God through direct experience, intuition, or insight; and the belief that such experience is an...

In recognition of his close association with Bellarmine University, the official repository for Merton's archives is the Thomas Merton Center on the Bellarmine campus in Louisville, Kentucky. The Thomas Merton Award, a peace prize, has been awarded since 1972 by the Thomas Merton Center for Peace and Social Justice in Pittsburgh. Bellarmine University is a Roman Catholic liberal arts university located in Louisville, Kentucky. ... The Thomas Merton Center is the home of a large collection of the works of Thomas Merton, a Trappist monk of the Abbey of Gethsemani. ... â€œLouisvilleâ€ redirects here. ... The Thomas Merton Award has been awarded since 1972 by the Thomas Merton Center for Peace and Social Justice in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. It is named after Thomas Merton and is given annually to national and international individuals struggling for justice. ... Nickname: Steel City, Iron City, Steel Town, City of Champions, City of Bridges, City of Colleges, The Burgh Motto: Benigno Numine (With the Benevolent Deity) Location in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Coordinates: Country United States State Pennsylvania County Allegheny County Founded November 25, 1758 Incorporated April 22, 1794 (borough) March 18...

Trivia

According to The Seven Storey Mountain, the youthful Merton loved jazz, but by the time he began his first teaching job, he had foresaken all but peaceful music. Later in life, whenever he was permitted to leave Gethsemani for medical or monastic reasons, he would catch what live jazz he could, mainly in Louisville or New York. Jazz is a style of music which originated in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States at around the start of the 20th century. ...

Selected bibliography

By Merton

This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Thich Nhat Hanh Thích Nhất Hạnh (born 1926) is an expatriate Vietnamese Buddhist monk, peace activist, and prolific author in English. ... ZhuÄngzÇ (pinyin), Chuang TzÅ (Wade-Giles), Chuang Tsu, Zhuang Tze, or Chuang Tse (Traditional Chinese characters: èŽŠå; Simplified Chinese characters: åº„å, literally meaning Master Zhuang) was a famous philosopher in ancient China who lived around the 4th century BCE during the Warring States Period, corresponding to the Hundred Schools of Thought...

About Merton

Notes

References

Contents

Biography

Early life

France 1926

England 1928

Rome 1933

America 1933

College

Clare College

Columbia University

The Franciscans

Vocation

St. Bonaventure University

Monastic life

Writer

Priest

Accidental death

Trivia

Selected bibliography

By Merton

About Merton

Notes

References

See also

External links

Contents

Biography GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

Early life

France 1926

England 1928

Rome 1933

America 1933

College

Clare College

Columbia University

The Franciscans

Vocation

St. Bonaventure University

Monastic life

Writer

Priest

Accidental death

Trivia

Selected bibliography

By Merton

About Merton

Notes

References

See also

External links

Biography