Regis University,
Denver, Colorado
from June 19-22, 2025
“The Calligraphy of Snow and Rock and Sky”
Thomas Merton and the Spirit of Place
“A sign of snow on a mountainside as if my own ancestors were hailing
me.”
~ Thomas Merton, Woods, Shore,
Desert
Flying over the Rocky Mountains on his way to California, May 6th,
1968, Thomas Merton described the view as “one of the most lovely
calligraphies I have ever seen.” To “be a mountain diviner” is to
acknowledge that “we are all secrets,” writes Merton, and yet, opening
our whole selves to the deep memory and revelatory spirit of place, we
can divine a message of truth, and perhaps a way forward, in the
calligraphy of snow and rock and sky. In his journeys in California, New
Mexico, and Alaska, and in Asia, gazing on Kanchenjunga, Merton found
himself increasingly “on the edge of great realization.” What is the
essence of that realization, and what messages might be divined in the
spiritual landscapes of Merton’s final year of life? Who are the
“ancestors” – human, animal, mineral, cosmic – whose stories provide a
word of hope in this moment of reckoning for the human community and the
suffering planet? Such questions are especially fitting as we gather at
Regis University at the foot of the Rocky Mountains.
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Plenary Speakers |
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Merton
in the American West |
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Opening
Sessions:
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First Timers Orientation |
Chapters Workshop
Michael Brennan
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International Perspectives on Merton
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Merton Research and Researching Merton
Alda Balthrop-Lewis /
David Golemboski /
Mark Meade
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Emerging Scholars A
Matthew Riddle / Ethan Vander Leek / Guadalupe
Zorrilla
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Emerging Scholars B
Ryan Bell / Rosys /
Harley Dean Matthews
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Concurrent Session Papers:
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Michael Higgins / Charles Gillespie
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Jim Robinson / Andy Stanton-Henry
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Paul Quenon / Michael McGregor
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Sophia Park / Ed Murphy / Megan Way
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Daniel Horan / Aaron Kerr
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David Odorisio / Natana DeLong-Bas
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Gordon Oyer / David Golemboski
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Joseph Raab / Tiffany Hunsinger
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Mark Meade
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Patrick O'Connell / John Gillespie
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Jason Taylor / Ethan Strouse
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Eric Martin / Anne Pearson
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Daniel London / Aaron Godlaski
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Workshops, Guided Prayer &
Special Presentations:
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Marcela Raggio
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Melanie-Prejean Sullivan |
Michael Centore |
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Liz Burkemper |
Robin Adair / John Seryak |
Cassidy Hall |
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Paul Pearson |
Paul Pynkoski |
Colette Lafia |
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Caleb Vanderleek |
Marianne Hieb |
Judith Valente / Carol Lenox |
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Regina Sara Ryan |
Douglas Hertler |
Steven Denny |
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Abbi Fraser |
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Liam Myers |
"A Hidden Wholeness: The
Zen Photography of Thomas Merton"
will be on Exhibit in the
O'Sullivan Fine Arts Center
Registration opens December 1st
(including conference registration and meals - US
Dollars Only)
ITMS Member - $280.00
Non-Member - $330.00 (Join
the ITMS)
Accommodation:
$250.00 (Single room for three nights - per person)
$210.00 (Shared room for three nights - per person)
Additional Lodging is Available for
Wednesday 18th June.
Print out and mail the conference:
Registration Form
or
Register using
PayPal
Cancellation Policy
Off Campus
Accommodation Options
Travel:
PDF Map of Regis Campus
ITMS
Daggy Scholarships
Daggy Youth/Student Scholarships
enable young seekers and emerging scholars to participate in an International Thomas
Merton Society Conference, thereby inspiring the next generation of Merton
readers and scholars.
These scholarships honor the
late Robert E. Daggy, founding member and second president of the ITMS,
and cover the costs
of registration, meals and accommodation.
For further information about
Daggy Scholarships and an application form go to the
Daggy Scholarship Web
Page. (Those under 18 at the time of the conference must be accompanied by a parent or adult chaperone whose registration will not be covered by the scholarship.)
For returning Daggy
Scholars some limited funding is available for those requiring financial
assistance. Please contact the site coordinator,
Chris Pramuk - [email protected], for further details.
Contact the Site
Coordinator for further information:
Christopher Pramuk
Regis University
3333 Regis Boulevard
Denver,
CO 80221
Email:
[email protected]
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Program Committee:
Christopher Pramuk, Denver, CO
(Chair and Site Coordinator)
Ben Burkemper, Troy, MO
Elizabeth Burkemper, Troy, MO
Roger Butts, Fort Collins, CO
Emma McDonald Kennedy, New Canaan, CT
(ex officio)
Paul M. Pearson, Louisville, KY
Paul Pynkoski, Toronto, ON
Kathleen Witkowska Tarr, Anchorage, AK
Judith Valente, Normal, IL
(ex officio)
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