On June 27, 1949, Merton was allowed, for the first time, to venture outside the Abbey of Gethsemani’s gated enclosure to walk in the woods alone. His writing and his spirituality changed forever as a result. In Thomas Merton's Gethsemani: Landscapes of Paradise, author Monica Weis notes, "Once beyond the monastery walls, Merton's heart soared." Why? Perhaps, after being doused in words for years, suddenly he could share an expansive, silent space with God and just listen. This session will explore what Merton found beneath the branches, on the hills, and in all of nature: a sense of transcendence.
Sophfronia Scott is a novelist, essayist, and leading contemplative thinker whose work has appeared in numerous publications. Her latest book, The Seeker and the Monk: Everyday Conversations with Thomas Merton, received a Louie award in 2021. Sophfronia’s other books include Love's Long Line, and This Child of Faith: Raising a Spiritual Child in a Secular World, co-written with her son Tain. She holds degrees from Harvard and Vermont College of Fine Arts. Sophfronia lives in Sandy Hook, Connecticut and is the founding director of Alma College’s MFA in Creative Writing, a graduate program based in Alma, Michigan.
Bryan N. Massingale - Merton, Malcolm X, and Catholic Engagement with Black Lives Matter
BONUS episode: Anne Pearson - Thomas Merton, Black Lives Matter, and White Passivity
Christine M. Bochen - Created for Joy: Becoming Who We Are, Together
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Jim Finley - Turning to Thomas Merton as a Trustworthy Guide in the Gentle Art of Contemplative Living
Jonathan Montaldo - Thomas Merton’s Contemplative Exercises for Entering the School of Our Lives
Christopher Pramuk - What Does God's Gender Have to Do with It? Merton's Awakening to the Feminine Divine
Bonnie Thurston - "...almost as if I had a sister": Thomas Merton & Etta Gullick
Daniel P. Horan, OFM - Thomas Merton and Black Lives Matter: Spirituality and Racial Justice for Our Time
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