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Seventh Grade Holy Person...
Thomas Merton (1915-1968) was a prominent American Trappist monk, poet, and author. A prolific writer, he was among the most recognized monastic figures of the twentieth century. His autobiography, The Seven Storey Mountain, was a literary sensation and catapulted him to celebrity status. He remained true to the vows of his order, despite personal struggles which made him a symbol for humanity's search for meaning in the modern world. Merton was a leading voice of interfaith engagement. Drawing from early experiences with Asian art and reverence for nature, Merton recognized commonalities in the contemplative traditions of Christianity and Buddhism and encouraged the cross-fertilization of Eastern and Western spirituality.
An outspoken critic of the Vietnam War and supporter of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, Merton urged the Church to take a more activist stance of social issues. Merton's sometimes strident pronouncements stood in contrast to his writings on faith and inner transformation, for which the Trappist monk is best remembered. "We are not at peace with others because we are not at peace with ourselves," Merton wrote, "and we are not at peace with ourselves because we are not at peace with God."
Today...Thomas Merton is buried at Our Lady of Gethsemani Abbey in Kentucky where he lived as a monk, but his legacy continues to inspire around the world. He is remembered locally for this famous epiphany: "In Louisville, at the corner of Fourth and Walnut, in the center of the shopping district, I was suddenly overwhelmed with the realization that I loved all those people, that they were mine and I theirs, that we could not be alien to one another even though we were total strangers. ... And if only everybody could realize this! But it cannot be explained. There is no way of telling people that they are all walking around shining like the sun.”
Hands-on learning opportunities...The Thomas Merton Center is the home of the largest collection of the works of Thomas Merton. It is located in Louisville at the W.L. Lyons Brown Library at Bellarmine University. The Center is an international resource for scholarship on Merton and his beliefs, including social justice, ecumenism, spirituality and peace. The resources of the Thomas Merton Center has provided source material for numerous academic writings on these topics and Thomas Merton himself, and it regularly hosts and sponsors related events for scholars, students and the general public. To arrange a class field trip or inquire about speakers contact Mark C. Meade, Assistant Director, at (502)-272-8187 or [email protected].
Thomas Merton (1915-1968) was a prominent American Trappist monk, poet, and author. A prolific writer, he was among the most recognized monastic figures of the twentieth century. His autobiography, The Seven Storey Mountain, was a literary sensation and catapulted him to celebrity status. He remained true to the vows of his order, despite personal struggles which made him a symbol for humanity's search for meaning in the modern world. Merton was a leading voice of interfaith engagement. Drawing from early experiences with Asian art and reverence for nature, Merton recognized commonalities in the contemplative traditions of Christianity and Buddhism and encouraged the cross-fertilization of Eastern and Western spirituality.
An outspoken critic of the Vietnam War and supporter of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, Merton urged the Church to take a more activist stance of social issues. Merton's sometimes strident pronouncements stood in contrast to his writings on faith and inner transformation, for which the Trappist monk is best remembered. "We are not at peace with others because we are not at peace with ourselves," Merton wrote, "and we are not at peace with ourselves because we are not at peace with God."
Today...Thomas Merton is buried at Our Lady of Gethsemani Abbey in Kentucky where he lived as a monk, but his legacy continues to inspire around the world. He is remembered locally for this famous epiphany: "In Louisville, at the corner of Fourth and Walnut, in the center of the shopping district, I was suddenly overwhelmed with the realization that I loved all those people, that they were mine and I theirs, that we could not be alien to one another even though we were total strangers. ... And if only everybody could realize this! But it cannot be explained. There is no way of telling people that they are all walking around shining like the sun.”
Hands-on learning opportunities...The Thomas Merton Center is the home of the largest collection of the works of Thomas Merton. It is located in Louisville at the W.L. Lyons Brown Library at Bellarmine University. The Center is an international resource for scholarship on Merton and his beliefs, including social justice, ecumenism, spirituality and peace. The resources of the Thomas Merton Center has provided source material for numerous academic writings on these topics and Thomas Merton himself, and it regularly hosts and sponsors related events for scholars, students and the general public. To arrange a class field trip or inquire about speakers contact Mark C. Meade, Assistant Director, at (502)-272-8187 or [email protected].