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82-596: The name was taken from Thomas Merton 's description of contemplative prayer , from which Centering Prayer draws, as prayer that is "centered entirely on the presence of God". In his book Contemplative Prayer , Merton writes "Monastic prayer begins not so much with 'considerations' as with a 'return to the heart,' finding one's deepest center, awakening the profound depths of our being in the presence of God". The 20th-century Trappist monk and writer Thomas Merton renewed Christian interest in contemplative practices. In addition to traditional Trappist practices, late in his life he

164-755: A Carthusian at St. Hugh's Charterhouse in England. Merton had harbored an appreciation for the Carthusian order since coming to Gethsemani in 1941, and would later come to consider leaving the Cistercians for that order. In 1948 The Seven Storey Mountain was 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 . That year Saint Mary's College (Indiana) also published

246-583: A Catholic, and by July 26 was baptized at a church in nearby New Haven, Kentucky , leaving the following day. This would be the last time the two saw each other. John Paul died on April 17, 1943, when his plane failed over the English Channel . A poem by Merton to John Paul appears in The Seven Storey Mountain . Merton kept journals throughout his stay at Gethsemani. Initially, he felt writing to be at odds with his vocation, worried it would foster

328-490: A booklet by Merton, What Is Contemplation? Merton published as well that year a biography, Exile Ends in Glory: The Life of a Trappistine, Mother M. Berchmans, O.C.S.O . Merton's abbot, Dunne, died on August 3, 1948, while riding on a train to Georgia . Dunne's passing was painful for Merton, who had come to look on the abbot as a father figure and spiritual mentor. On August 15 the monastic community elected Dom James Fox,

410-579: A call to religious 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. On December 13 he was accepted into the monastery as a postulant by Frederic Dunne, Gethsemani's abbot since 1935, and given the religious name Mary Louis . Merton had a severe cold from his stay in the guest house, where he sat in front of an open window to prove his sincerity. During his initial weeks at Gethsemani, Merton studied

492-411: A deacon in the order, and on May 26 ( Ascension Thursday ) he was ordained a priest, saying his first Mass the following day. In June, the monastery celebrated its centenary , for which Merton authored the book Gethsemani Magnificat in commemoration. In November, Merton started teaching mystical theology to novices at Gethsemani, a duty he greatly enjoyed. By this time Merton was a huge success outside

574-400: A former US Navy officer, as their new abbot. In October Merton discussed with him his ongoing attraction to the Carthusian and Camaldolese orders and their eremitical way of life, to which Fox responded by assuring Merton that he belonged at Gethsemani. Fox permitted Merton to continue his writing, Merton now having gained substantial recognition outside the monastery. On December 21 Merton

656-589: A head-on collision. In 1953 he published a journal of monastery life titled The Sign of Jonas . Merton became well known for his dialogues with other faiths and his non-violent stand during the race riots and Vietnam War of the 1960s. By this time, he had adopted a broadly human viewpoint, concerned about issues like peace, racial tolerance, and social equality. In a letter to Nicaraguan liberation theologian Ernesto Cardenal (who had entered Gethsemani but left in 1959 to study theology in Mexico), Merton wrote: "The world

738-640: A peace prize, has been awarded since 1972 by the Thomas Merton Center for Peace and Social Justice in Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania. The 2015, in tribute to the centennial year of Merton's birth, The Festival of Faiths in Louisville Kentucky honored his life and work with Sacred Journey’s the Legacy of Thomas Merton . An annual lecture in his name is given at his alma mater, Columbia University in which

820-426: A period of 27 years, mostly on spirituality , social justice , and pacifism , as well as scores of essays and reviews. Among Merton's most widely-read works is his bestselling autobiography The Seven Storey Mountain (1948). Merton became a keen proponent of interfaith understanding, exploring Eastern religions through study and practice. He pioneered dialogue with prominent Asian spiritual figures including

902-763: A prayer for the intentions of the Pope. In many cases, the Litany of Loreto is recited before the end. In the practice of the Dominican Order , the beginning prayers of the rosary correspond to the preces that begin the Divine Office : When a group recites the Rosary, it is customary that the prayers that constitute the decades are divided into two parts. The second part of the Our Father begins with "Give us this day our daily bread";

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984-563: A professor with whom he maintained a lifetime friendship. In January 1938, Merton graduated from Columbia with a B.A. in English. In June, his friend Seymour Freedgood arranged a meeting with Mahanambrata Brahmachari , a Hindu monk visiting New York from the University of Chicago . Merton was impressed by him. While Merton expected Brahmachari to recommend Hinduism, instead he advised Merton to reconnect with Christianity. He suggested Merton read

1066-518: A prominent member of the Tibetan community. Then, in what was to be his final letter, he noted, "In my contacts with these new friends, I also feel a consolation in my own faith in Christ and in his dwelling presence. I hope and believe he may be present in the hearts of all of us." Merton's role as a writer is explored in novelist Mary Gordon 's On Merton (2019). According to The Seven Storey Mountain ,

1148-452: A province near Bangkok , Thailand, attending a monastic conference. After giving a talk at the morning session, he was found dead later in the afternoon in the room of his cottage, wearing only shorts, lying on his back with a short-circuited Hitachi floor fan lying across his body. His associate, Jean Leclercq, stated: "In all probability the death of Thomas Merton was due in part to heart failure, in part to an electric shock." Since there

1230-455: A sophomore at Columbia University in New York City. There he established close and long-lasting friendships with the painter Ad Reinhardt , poet Robert Lax , commentator Ralph de Toledano , and the law student John Slate . He also befriended the publisher Robert Giroux . Merton attended an 18th-century English literature course during the spring semester taught by Mark Van Doren ,

1312-789: A speech before the U.S. Congress in September 2015 and encouraged sowing dialogue and peace in his contemplative style. In 1989, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith , led by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI) issued Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on Some Aspects of Christian Meditation. The letter addresses problematic elements found in some modern prayer methods, many of which have been influenced by Eastern religions and

1394-646: A standard 15 Mysteries of the Rosary, based on long-standing custom. This groups the mysteries in three sets: the Joyful Mysteries, the Sorrowful Mysteries, and the Glorious Mysteries. In 2002, Pope John Paul II said it is fitting that a new set of five be added, termed the Luminous Mysteries, bringing the total number of mysteries to 20. The mysteries are prayed on specific days of the week; with

1476-481: A student nurse assigned to his care. (He referred to her in his diary as "M.") He wrote poems to her and reflected on the relationship in "A Midsummer Diary for M." Merton struggled to maintain his vows while being deeply in love. It is not known if he ever consummated the relationship. On December 10, 1968, Merton was at a Red Cross retreat facility named Sawang Khaniwat ( Thai : สวางคนิวาส ) in Samut Prakan ,

1558-520: A tendency to individuality. But his superior, Dunne, tasked Merton beginning in 1943 to translate religious texts and write biographies of saints. On March 19, 1944, Merton made his temporary vows and was given the 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 . In 1946 New Directions published another poetry collection by Merton, A Man in

1640-686: Is a way of perceiving the substantial reality of all things—their goodness, their beauty, and their oneness (ichinyo). Zhong interpreted this as Merton aligning Zen Buddhism with an enlightment of the Aristotelean-Thomistic transcendentals common to everything that has or is or will exist. In keeping with his idea that non-Christian faiths had much to offer Christianity in experience and perspective and little or nothing in terms of doctrine, Merton distinguished between Zen Buddhism, an expression of history and culture, and Zen. By Zen, Merton meant something not bound by culture, religion or belief. Merton

1722-588: Is contradicted by the teachings of Teresa of Ávila . She further states that Centering Prayer is in contradiction to Lectio Divina , arguing that traditional prayers such as the Holy Rosary and Lectio Divina engage the heart and mind with Sacred Scripture, while Centering Prayer is "devoid of content". John D. Dreher argues that Centering Prayer is a distortion of the teachings of the Desert Fathers and The Cloud of Unknowing . Research has been conducted on

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1804-484: 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." He developed a personal radicalism which was political but not overtly sympathetic to Marxism, even though his Cisterican critic Louis Lekai identified Merton's "adherence to Marxian slogans." Merton

1886-566: Is influenced by Merton's work. Thomas Merton is portrayed briefly by Adam Kilgour as a character in the 1994 movie Quiz Show . Rosary The Rosary ( / ˈ r oʊ z ər i / ; Latin : rosarium , in the sense of "crown of roses" or "garland of roses"), formally known as the Psalter of Jesus and Mary (Latin: Psalterium Jesu et Mariae), also known as the Dominican Rosary (as distinct from other forms of rosary such as

1968-422: Is quoted as saying, for example, "The Rosary is a powerful weapon to put the demons to flight." Saints and popes have emphasized the meditative and contemplative elements of the rosary and provided specific teachings for how the rosary should be prayed, for instance the need for "focus", "respect", "reverence" and "purity of intention" during rosary recitations and contemplations. Scriptural meditations concerning

2050-649: Is widely recognized as an important 20th-century Catholic mystic and thinker. Interest in his work contributed to a rise in spiritual exploration beginning in the 1960s and 1970s in the United States. Merton's letters and diaries reveal the intensity with which their author focused on social justice issues, including the civil rights movement and proliferation of nuclear arms . He had prohibited their publication for 25 years after his death. Publication raised new interest in Merton's life. The Abbey of Gethsemani benefits from

2132-728: The Confessions of Augustine and The Imitation of Christ . Merton read them both. In August 1938, he attended Mass at Corpus Christi Church , located near the Columbia campus. He began to read more extensively in Catholicism. On November 16, 1938, Thomas Merton underwent the rite of baptism 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 PhD at Columbia and moved from Douglaston to Greenwich Village . He then discerned

2214-503: The Catholic emphasis on "participation in the life of Mary, whose focus was Christ", and the Mariological theme "to Christ through Mary". The structure of the Rosary prayer, recited using the rosary beads, is as follows: The Rosary is begun on the short strand: The praying of the decades then follows, repeating this cycle for each mystery : To conclude: Common pious additions to

2296-489: The Catholic Church and Merton's political foes. The Spring 2024 issue of The Catholic Historical Review published "The Official Thai Reports on Thomas Merton's Death". The official cause of death was a natural cause, "sudden heart failure" and not "accidental electrocution." The police report states that Merton was already dead before he came into contact with a faulty fan that was found lying across his body. Merton

2378-622: The Dalai Lama , Japanese writer D. T. Suzuki , Thai Buddhist monk Buddhadasa , and Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh . Thomas Merton was born in Prades, Pyrénées-Orientales , France, on January 31, 1915, to parents of Welsh origin: Owen Merton , a New Zealand painter active in Europe and the United States, and Ruth Jenkins Merton, an American Quaker and artist. They had met at a painting school in Paris. He

2460-468: The Desert Fathers ( specifically from Isaac ). Cassian's writings remained influential until the medieval era when monastic practice shifted from a mystical orientation to Scholasticism . During the 16th century, Carmelite saints Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross wrote and taught about advanced Christian prayer , which was given the name infused contemplation. In Centering Prayer, the participant seeks

2542-457: The Desert Fathers of early Christian monasticism , to the Lectio Divina tradition of Benedictine monasticism , and to works like The Cloud of Unknowing and the writings of St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross . The earliest Christian writings that clearly speak of contemplative prayer come from the 4th-century monk St. John Cassian , who wrote of a practice he learned from

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2624-791: The Eucharistic prayer "O Sacrament Most Holy, O Sacrament Divine, All praise and all thanksgiving be every moment Thine" in honour of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament . In the practice of the Brothers of the Christian Schools , there is a sixth decade for the intentions of the students, or the Virgin Mary. Other popular additions include the shorter form of the Prayer to Saint Michael ; the Memorare , and

2706-632: The Franciscan Crown, Bridgettine Rosary, Rosary of the Holy Wounds, etc. ), refers to a set of prayers used primarily in the Catholic Church , and to the physical string of knots or beads used to count the component prayers. When referring to the prayer, the word is usually capitalized ("the Rosary", as is customary for other names of prayers, such as "the Lord's Prayer ", and "the Hail Mary "); when referring to

2788-519: The Luminous Mysteries (or the "Mysteries of Light") in his apostolic letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae (October 2002). Typically, a spiritual goal known as a "fruit" is also assigned to each mystery. Below are listed from the appendix of Louis Marie de Montfort 's book Secret of the Rosary for the original 15 mysteries, with other possible fruits being listed in other pamphlets bracketed: Joyful Mysteries 1. The Annunciation . Fruit of

2870-464: The Prayer to Saint Joseph at the end of the Holy Rosary. Praying the Rosary may be prescribed by priests as a type of penance after the Sacrament of Penance . Penance is not generally intended as a "punishment"; rather, it is meant to encourage meditation upon and spiritual growth from past sins. Knotted prayer ropes were used in early Christianity ; the Desert Fathers are said to have created

2952-456: The prayer beads as an object, it is written with a lower-case initial letter (e.g. "a rosary bead"). The prayers that compose the Rosary are arranged in sets of ten Hail Marys, called "decades". Each decade is preceded by one Lord's Prayer (" Our Father "), and traditionally followed by one Glory Be . Some Catholics also recite the " O my Jesus " prayer after the Glory Be; it is the best-known of

3034-686: The Birds of Appetite as "Wisdom in Emptiness". Merton wrote then that "any attempt to handle Zen in theological language is bound to miss the point," calling his final statements "an example of how not to approach Zen." Merton struggled to reconcile the Western and Christian impulse to catalog and put into words with the ideas of Christian apophatic theology and the unspeakable nature of the Zen experience. Zhong Fushi mentions having met Merton, who allegedly said to him “ Zen,

3116-610: The Centering Prayer program, indicating that it may be helpful for women receiving chemotherapy, and that it may help congregants experience a more collaborative relationship with God, as well as reduced stress. Andrew B. Newberg explained one study that examined the brains of nuns who engaged in Centering Prayer, which is meant to create a feeling of oneness with God. The nuns' brain scans showed similarities to people who use drugs like psilocybin mushrooms, Newberg said, and both experiences "tend to result in very permanent changes in

3198-547: The Columbia chaplaincy invites a prominent Catholic to speak. The campus ministry building at St. Bonaventure University , the school where Merton taught English briefly between graduating from Columbia University with his M.A. in English and entering the Trappist order, is named after him. St. Bonaventure University also holds an important repository of Merton materials worldwide. Bishop Marrocco/Thomas Merton Catholic Secondary School in downtown Toronto, Ontario , Canada, which

3280-767: The Cross . Fruit of the Mystery: Patience. 5. The Crucifixion and Death of our Lord . Fruit of the Mystery: Perseverance in Faith, Grace for a Holy Death, Forgiveness. Glorious Mysteries 1. The Resurrection . Fruit of the Mystery: Faith. 2. The Ascension . Fruit of the Mystery: Hope, Desire to Ascend to Heaven. 3. The Descent of the Holy Spirit . Fruit of the Mystery: Love of God, Holy Wisdom to know

3362-502: The Divided Sea , which, combined with Thirty Poems , attracted some recognition for him. The same year Merton's manuscript for The Seven Storey Mountain was accepted by Harcourt Brace & Company . The Seven Storey Mountain , Merton's autobiography , was written during two-hour intervals in the monastery scriptorium as a personal project. On March 19, 1947 he took his solemn vows, binding for life. He also began corresponding with

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3444-599: The Gethsemani Abbey. In 2018, Hugh Turley and David Martin published The Martyrdom of Thomas Merton: An Investigation , presenting the evidentiary record's refutation of claims of accidental electrocution , and suggesting Merton was assassinated for his political opposition to the Vietnam War . A subsequent book by Turley, Thomas Merton's Betrayers: The Case Against Abbot James Fox and Author John Howard Griffin , presents documentary evidence of manipulation and coverup by

3526-472: The Mysteries of the rosary. References to the Rosary have been part of various reported Marian Apparitions spanning two centuries. The reported messages from these apparitions have influenced the spread of Rosary devotion worldwide. In Quamquam pluries , Pope Leo XIII related Rosary devotions to Saint Joseph and granted indulgences in favour of Christians who, in the month of October, would have added

3608-980: The Mystery: Desire for Holiness. 5. The Institution of the Eucharist . Fruit of the Mystery: Adoration. Sorrowful Mysteries 1. The Agony in the Garden . Fruit of the Mystery: Sorrow for Sin, Uniformity with the Will of God. 2. The Scourging at the Pillar . Fruit of the Mystery: Mortification (Purity). 3. The Crowning with Thorns . Fruit of the Mystery: Contempt of the World (Moral Courage). 4. The Carrying of

3690-671: The Mystery: Humility. 2. The Visitation . Fruit of the Mystery: Love of Neighbor. 3. The Birth of Jesus . Fruit of the Mystery: Poverty, Detachment from the things of the world, Contempt of Riches, Love of the Poor. 4. The Presentation of Jesus at the Temple . Fruit of the Mystery: Gift of Wisdom and Purity of mind and body (Obedience). 5. The Finding of Jesus in the Temple . Fruit of

3772-907: The Mystery: True Conversion (Piety, Joy of Finding Jesus). Luminous Mysteries 1. The Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan . Fruit of the Mystery: Openness to the Holy Spirit, the Healer. 2. The Wedding at Cana . Fruit of the Mystery: To Jesus through Mary, Understanding of the ability to manifest-through faith. 3. Jesus' Proclamation of the Kingdom of God . Fruit of the Mystery: Trust in God (Call of Conversion to God). 4. The Transfiguration . Fruit of

3854-412: The New Age movement. Keating notes that this letter does not apply to Centering Prayer, and states that "the gift of contemplative prayer can only be granted through the Holy Spirit." Connie Rossini and Dan Burke, however, argue that there are similarities between the teaching of Keating and his colleagues and specific criticisms made by the CDF, while Dan DeCelles considers Centering Prayer to fall afoul of

3936-465: The Rosary are sometimes inserted after each decade and after recitation of the Salve Regina . Instead of ending each decade with the Gloria Patri , Pope Pius IX would add: "May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace ." Some Catholics piously add the Fatima Prayer after the Gloria Patri , still on the large bead. Some add the Miraculous Medal prayer which begins "O Mary, conceived without sin…", while others add

4018-502: The Thomas Merton Institute for Catholic Life at the Church of Notre Dame . Merton's life was the subject of The Glory of the World , a play by Charles L. Mee . Roy Cockrum, a former monk who won the Powerball lottery in 2014, helped finance the production of the play in New York. Prior to New York the play was being shown in Louisville, Kentucky. In the 2017 movie First Reformed , written and directed by Paul Schrader , Ethan Hawke 's character (a middle-aged Protestant reverend)

4100-408: The Trappist sign language and daily work and worship routine. In March 1942, during the first Sunday of Lent , Merton was accepted as a novice at the convent. In June, he received a letter from his brother John Paul stating he was soon to leave for the war and would be coming to Gethsemani to visit before leaving. On July 17 John Paul arrived in Gethsemani. John Paul expressed his desire to become

4182-407: The addition of the Luminous Mysteries on Thursday, the others are the Glorious on Sunday and Wednesday, the Joyful on Monday and Saturday, and the Sorrowful on Tuesday and Friday. Over more than four centuries, several popes have promoted the Rosary as part of the veneration of Mary in the Catholic Church , and consisting essentially in meditation on the life of Christ. The rosary also represents

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4264-585: The caution against similar prayer forms in this letter. In 2003, the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and the Pontifical Council for Culture published Jesus Christ, the Bearer of the Water of Life: a Christian Reflection on the "New Age" . Susan Brinkmann writes that her concerns were addressed in this document. Centering Prayer practitioners respond that Bearer of the Water of Life does not have doctrinal authority, and neither Vatican document mentions Centering Prayer, contemplative outreach, or Keating by name. According to Rossini, Centering Prayer

4346-419: The contemplative traditions within Christianity and set out to present those practices in a more accessible way. The result was the practice now called Centering Prayer. Seeds of what would become known as contemplation, for which the Greek term θεωρία theoria is also used, were sown early in the Christian era. The creators of the Centering Prayer movement trace their roots to the contemplative prayer of

4428-401: The family was moving to England. In October 1933, Merton, age 18, entered Clare College, Cambridge , as an undergraduate to study French and Italian. He was unhappy at Clare College, preferring loafing over studying, and fathered a child that he never met, although he later signed at least two official court documents stating that he had "no children". In January 1935, Merton enrolled as

4510-402: The first such, using knots to keep track of the number of times they said the Jesus prayer or the 150 psalms . According to pious tradition, the concept of the Rosary was given to Dominic of Osma in an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary during the year 1214 in the church of Prouille , though in fact it was known from the ninth century in various forms. This Marian apparition received

4592-472: The monastery despite his international reputation and voluminous correspondence with many well-known figures of the day. At the end of 1968, the new abbot, Flavian Burns, allowed him the freedom to undertake a tour of Asia, during which he met the Dalai Lama in India on three occasions, and also the Tibetan Buddhist Dzogchen master Chatral Rinpoche , followed by a solitary retreat near Darjeeling , India. In Darjeeling, he befriended Tsewang Yishey Pemba ,

4674-441: The monastery, The Seven Storey Mountain having sold over 150,000 copies. It is on National Review ' s list of the 100 best nonfiction books of the twentieth century. In this particularly prolific period of his life, Merton is believed to have been suffering from loneliness and stress . One incident indicative of this is his drive with the monastery's jeep, acting in a possibly manic state, during which he almost caused

4756-450: The most about— Zen . Having studied the Desert Fathers and other Christian mystics as part of his monastic vocation, Merton had a deep understanding of what it was those men sought and experienced in their seeking. He found many parallels between the language of these Christian mystics and the language of Zen philosophy. In 1959, Merton began a dialogue with D. T. Suzuki which was published nearly ten years later in Merton's Zen and

4838-420: The most devout thoughts". The "sacred word" can integrate with breathing in and out. Rather than being a tool to quiet the mind, it is a consent to the presence and action of God within and "just be" with God, helping people to be more present and open to God. Advocates of Centering Prayer also say it does not replace other prayer but encourages silence and deeper connection to God. Centering Prayer advocates link

4920-441: The pope. Traditionally the full Rosary consisted of praying all 15 traditional mysteries (Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious) together. Alternatively, a single set of five mysteries can be prayed each day, according to the following convention: Pope John Paul II placed the Rosary at the very center of Christian spirituality and called it "among the finest and most praiseworthy traditions of Christian contemplation." Pope Pius XI

5002-435: The practice to traditional forms of Christian meditation, such as on the Rosary , or Lectio Divina , and Keating has promoted both Lectio Divina and Centering Prayer. Pope Francis has not commented on Centering Prayer directly, but has spoken very highly of Thomas Merton , who described contemplative prayer as prayer "centered entirely on the presence of God." Pope Francis listed Merton as one of four great Americans in

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5084-443: The presence of God directly (aided by the Jesus Prayer , perhaps) and explicitly rejects discursive thoughts and imagined scenes. The participant's aim is to be present to the Lord, to "consent to God's presence and action during the time of prayer." Fr. M. Basil Pennington describes four steps for practicing Centering Prayer: In addition, Keating writes, "The method consists in letting go of every kind of thought during prayer, even

5166-458: The rosary are based on the Christian tradition of Lectio Divina (literally "divine reading") as a way of using the Gospel to start a conversation between the person and Christ. Padre Pio , a rosary devotee, said: "Through the study of books one seeks God; by meditation one finds him." From the sixteenth century onwards, Rosary recitations often involved "picture texts" that further assisted meditation. Such imagery continues to be used to depict

5248-412: The royalties of Merton's writing. In addition, his writings attracted much interest in Catholic practice and thought, and in the Trappist vocation. In recognition of Merton's close association with Bellarmine University , the university established an official repository for Merton's archives at the Thomas Merton Center on the Bellarmine campus in Louisville, Kentucky . The Thomas Merton Award ,

5330-423: The second part of the Hail Mary begins with "Holy Mary, Mother of God "; and the second part of the Glory Be with "As it was in the beginning". This lends itself to antiphonal prayer . Sometimes, a chosen leader will recite the first half of the prayer while other participants recite the second. In another style, recitation of the first part of the prayers is rotated among different persons while still maintaining

5412-412: The seven Fátima prayers that appeared in the early 20th century. Rosary prayer beads are an aid for saying these prayers in their proper sequence. Usually, five decades are recited in a session. Each decade provides an opportunity to meditate on one of the Mysteries of the Rosary , which recall events in the lives of Jesus Christ and his mother Mary . In the 16th century Pope Pius V established

5494-410: The traditional Leader-Congregation alternation. The Mysteries of the Rosary are meditations on episodes in the life and death of Jesus from the Annunciation to the Ascension and beyond. These are traditionally grouped by fives into themed sets known as the Joyful (or Joyous ) Mysteries , the Sorrowful Mysteries , and the Glorious Mysteries . Pope John Paul II recommended an additional set called

5576-442: The truth and share it with everyone, Divine Charity, Worship of the Holy Spirit. 4. The Assumption of Mary . Fruit of the Mystery: Union with Mary and True Devotion to Mary. 5. The Coronation of the Virgin . Fruit of the Mystery: Perseverance and an Increase in Virtue (Trust in Mary's Intercession). The original Mysteries of Light were written by George Preca , the only Maltese official Catholic saint, and later reformed by

5658-463: The way in which the brain works." Thomas Merton Thomas Merton OCSO (January 31, 1915 – December 10, 1968), religious name M. Louis, was an American Trappist monk , writer, theologian, mystic , poet, social activist and scholar of comparative religion . He was a monk in the Trappist Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani , near Bardstown, Kentucky , living there from 1941 to his death. Merton wrote more than 50 books in

5740-444: The youthful Merton loved jazz , but by the time he began his first teaching job he had forsaken 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. In April 1966, Merton underwent surgery to treat debilitating back pain. While recuperating in a Louisville hospital, he fell in love with Margie Smith,

5822-443: Was baptized in the Church of England , in accordance with his father's wishes. Merton's father was often absent during his son's childhood. During World War I , in August 1915, the Merton family left France for the United States. They lived first with Ruth's parents in Queens , New York, and then settled near them in Douglaston . In 1917, the family moved into an old house in Flushing , Queens, where Merton's brother, John Paul,

5904-411: Was above all devoted to non-violence. He regarded his viewpoint as based on "simplicity" and expressed it as a Christian sensibility. His New Seeds of Contemplation was published in 1961. 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 occasional battles with some of his abbots about not being allowed out of

5986-728: Was an advocate of the non-discursive style of contemplative prayer, which he saw as a direct confrontation of finite and irrational man with his ground of being. Cistercian monk Thomas Keating , a founder of Centering Prayer, was abbot all through the 1960s and 1970s at St. Joseph's Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts. This area is thick with religious retreat centres, including the well-known Theravada Buddhist centre, Insight Meditation Society . Keating tells of meeting many young people, some who stumbled on St. Joseph's by accident, many of them born Catholic, who had turned to Eastern practices for contemplative work. He found many of them had no knowledge of

6068-598: Was born on November 2, 1918. The family was considering returning to France when Ruth was diagnosed with stomach cancer . She died from it on October 21, 1921, in Bellevue Hospital . Merton was six years old and his brother not yet three. In 1926, when Merton was eleven, his father enrolled him in a boys' boarding school in Montauban , the Lycée Ingres. In the summer of 1928, he withdrew Merton from Lycée Ingres, saying

6150-473: Was deeply interested in what each said of the depth of human experience. He believed that for the most part, Christianity had forsaken its mystical tradition in favor of Cartesian emphasis on "the reification of concepts, idolization of the reflexive consciousness, flight from being into verbalism, mathematics, and rationalization." Merton was perhaps most interested in—and, of all of the Eastern traditions, wrote

6232-497: Was first exposed to and became interested in Eastern religions when he read Aldous Huxley 's Ends and Means in 1937, the year before his conversion to Catholicism . Throughout his life, he studied Buddhism , Confucianism , Taoism , Hinduism , Sikhism , Jainism , and Sufism in addition to his academic and monastic studies. While Merton was not interested in what these traditions had to offer as doctrines and institutions, he

6314-660: Was formerly named St. Joseph's Commercial and was founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph, is named in part after him. Some of Merton's manuscripts that include correspondence with his superiors are located in the library of the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers, Georgia . Antony Theodore has provided details of his encounters with Asian spiritual leaders and the influence of Confucianism , Taoism , Zen Buddhism and Hinduism on Merton's mysticism and philosophy of contemplation. Merton

6396-513: Was influenced by Buddhist meditation , particularly as found in Zen . He became a friend of Buddhist Thich Nhat Hanh , praised Chogyam Trungpa who founded Shambhala Buddhism in the United States and was also an acquaintance of the current Dalai Lama . His theology attempted to unify the tenets of the Roman Catholic faith with other philosophical trends including existentialism In this context, he

6478-424: Was influenced by Aelred Graham's book Zen Catholicism of 1963. Merton also explored American Indian spirituality. He wrote a series of articles on American Indian history and spirituality for The Catholic Worker , The Center Magazine , Theoria to Theory , and Unicorn Journal . He explored themes such as American Indian fasting and missionary work. Merton's influence has grown since his death, and he

6560-512: Was no autopsy , there was no suitable explanation for the wound in the back of Merton's head, "which had bled considerably." Arriving from the cottage next to Merton's, the Primate of the Benedictine order and presiding officer of the conference, Rembert Weakland , anointed Merton. His body was flown back to the United States on board a US military aircraft returning from Vietnam. He is buried at

6642-535: Was one of four Americans mentioned by Pope Francis in his speech to a joint meeting of the United States Congress on September 24, 2015. Francis said, "Merton was above all a man of prayer, a thinker who challenged the certitudes of his time and opened new horizons for souls and for the Church. He was also a man of dialogue, a promoter of peace between peoples and religions." In 2023, Columbia University opened

6724-456: Was ordained as a subdeacon . From 1948 on, Merton identified himself as an anarchist . On January 5, 1949, Merton took a train to Louisville and applied for American 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

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