ITMS Shannon Fellowships
Research Topics of Shannon Fellows - 2025-1997
2025-2026 David M.
Odorisio "Thomas
Merton’s Working Notebooks on Sufism, Cistercian Anthropology, and
Comparative Mysticism."
2024-2025 Swasti
Bhattacharyya "The Influence of Vinoba Bhave and his Talks
on the Gita on Thomas Merton." Nicholas
Dolan "The Correspondence of Thomas Merton and Ernesto
Cardenal." Cassidy
Hall "Open and Closed: Thomas Merton’s correspondence
with and about the LGBTQIA+ Community, with a focus on LGBTQIA+
Writers."
Bernadette McNary-Zak "The Influence of Vinoba Bhave and his Talks
on the Gita on Thomas Merton." Vladimir
Alexander Smith-Mesa "The Virtual Cuba of Father Louis (Thomas
Merton’s Cuban Interlude)." Glenn
Young "At the Edges of the Page: Thomas Merton’s
Marginalia as Hermeneutic Mysticism."
2023-2024 Augustė
Žičkytė (Lithuania) "Boundary Experiences in Thomas Merton’s
Egodocuments: the Fictive and the Representation of Realities."
2022-2023 Jessica
Coblentz and Susan Mancino "Merton and Madeleva: A Correspondence on
American Catholic Life."
2021-2022 Alda
Balthrop-Lewis (Australia) "Politics and Contemplation: Thomas Merton
in Conversation with the 1960s." Matt
Dill "Albert Camus’s Influence on Thomas Merton." Stephanie Redekop (Canada) "Obliged to Speak: Thomas Merton’s Literary
Essays and 1960s Crisis Discourse."
2020-2021 Aubrey
Derryberry "Thomas Merton: The Man, The Artist, The Rockstar." Patrick
F. O'Connell "Essays on teachers and saints from the
Christian tradition who had a significant influence of the
spirituality of Thomas Merton."
2019-2020 Zhaohui
Bao (China) "Study on Thomas Merton's The Way of
Chuang Tzu." Jim
Robinson "Merton and Ruether: Toward a
Contemplative-Prophetic Ecotheological Anthropology."
2018-2019 Paul R.
Dekar (Canada) "Thomas Merton on Racial Justice." Matthew
Reid "Adoption of Monastic Practices."
2017-2018 Eric
Martin "A Theology of Dis/Obedience: The Conversion
of Daniel Berrigan, 1953-1966."
2016-2017 Bill
Meyer "The Enlightened Teacher: An Inquiry into a
Contemplative Curriculum."
Kathleen Witkowska Tarr "Thomas Merton’s Alaska Journey 1968."
2015-2016 Alex
Mikulich "Thomas Merton’s Analysis of White Innocence
and Racial Superiority."
2014-2015 William
Murphy "What is the connection between Catholic
contemplatives, Christian mysticism, Zen, and love – and is that
what is missing in the world - especially in the Protestant church?"
M. Sophia Newman "Fracking the Kentucky Holy Land: Politics,
Science, and the Legacy of Thomas Merton." Monica
Weis "Thomas Merton and Celtic Spirituality: A
New World."
2012-2013 Malcolm
Cash "I
Have Called You By Your Name: Thomas Merton and the Black Experience."
2011-2012 Gary P.
Hall (United Kingdom) "Bystanders and Actors in the Work of Thomas
Merton."
Young-suk Moon (South Korea) "The Prophetic Witness of Thomas Merton as an
Antidote to Fundamentalist Religious Forms that Advocate and Justify
Terror and Violence." Erick
Moser "The relationship between Jean Danielou, SJ and
Thomas Merton, OCSO."
2010-2011 Daniel
P. Horan, OFM
"The Role Played by the Franciscan
Tradition in Merton's Understanding of Vocation and in Terms of His
Ongoing Conversion."
Malgorzata Poks (Poland)
"Merton’s Interests in Anthropology,
Literary Theories and Post-Structuralism in an Interpretation of His
Geography of Lograire."
2009-2010 Mary
Frances Coady (Canada) "Thomas
Merton and Evelyn Waugh." Gray
Matthews "The
Sermons of Thomas Merton." Mark C.
Meade "James
Laughlin and Thomas Merton Look South: Their Mutual Interest in
Latin American Poets."
2008-2009 Marilyn F. Hendricks
"The
Spirituality and Ethics of Thomas Merton" David M.
Odorisio "Thomas Merton and Philoxenus: The Novitiate
Conference Tapes." Jan Sheridan "Seeing through the Eyes of Thomas Merton: The
New York Years."
2007-2008 William Apel "Signs of Hope: The Social Justice Letters of
Thomas Merton." Vaughn Jerome Fayle "The Setting of Select Poetry by Thomas Merton to
Music for Various Chamber, Orchestral, Vocal and Instrumental
Groups." Ryan Scruggs (Canada) "Thomas Merton and the Bible."
2006-2007 John Cronin (Ireland) "The Ecological Theology of Thomas Merton: A
Model for the 21st Century." Andrea Neuhoff "An Examination of the Evolutionary Creation of
The Seven Storey Mountain." Stefano Santasilia (Italy) "The Influences of Martin Buber and Gabriel
Marcel on Merton’s Understanding of Identity and Dialogue"
2005-2006 Rev. Dr. William Mangrum "Thoughts in Solitude: Merton's Middle Years and
the Hermitage of St. Anne."
2004-2005 Katarzyna Bruzda (Poland) “Merton as Visual Artist.” Arthur Giacalone “Video of Merton as an awakened adept within the
Christian mystical/monastic lineage.” Elizabeth Goodwin (Australia) “Humor in the Writings and Discourses of Merton.”
2003-2004 Daniel Bogert O’Brien (Canada) “Thomas Merton and Ivan Illich.” Regina Derieva (Sweden) “Translations of Merton’s Poetry into Russian.”
2002-2003 Kevin McGuirk (Canada) “Merton and Writing: Writing as Identity and
Writing as Practice.” Paul R. Dekar “Thomas Merton on Technology.” Sharon Moore-Cook (Canada) “Psychological Dimensions of Thomas Merton Using
Myer Brigg Personality Type Inventory.”
2001-2002 Malgorzata Polks (Poland) “Thomas Merton and the Different Drummer of “the
Other” America: Voices that Resonate in Harmony”- examined Latin
American connections in Merton’s poetry." Fr. John Amuji (Nigeria) “Seeds for a Contemporary Spirituality of
Inter-religious Dialogue in the Writings of Thomas Merton.” Mary Cummings “The Fertile Friendship of Thomas Merton and
Edward Rice.” Judith Hardcastle (Canada) “Merton’s Interfaith Interests.” Patrick Samway, S.J. “Edit and Evaluate Thomas Merton-Robert Giroux
Correspondence.”
2000-2001 Fabrice Blee “Thomas Merton’s Approach of In-depth Dialogue
with Buddhism: Spiritual and Theological Challenges.” Ginny Bear “Merton and Foreign Languages.”
1999-2000 Sr. Coleen O’Sullivan (Australia) “A Significant Solitude.” Andrei Kirilenkov (Russia) Russian Translation of Jim Forest’s Living
With Wisdom and 4 chapters from Seeds of Contemplation. Sheila Hempstead “Tilting the Mirror: A Closer Look at Ruth
Calvert Jenkins Merton.”
1998-1999 Andrea Cook (New Zealand) “A Feminist View of 18 Poems and Merton’s ‘Yes’
to God." Cristobal Serran-Pagan (Spain) “Mystical Vision and Prophetic Voice in Thomas
Merton and St. John of the Cross: Toward a Mystical Theology of
Final Integration.” Sonia Petisco Martinez (Spain) “Critical Study and Translation into Spanish of
the Poetical Work of Thomas Merton.” Michael J. Callaghan “The English Mystics and Thomas Merton’s Sense of
Absence. The Spiritualities of Richard Rolle, Julian of Norwich,
Walter Hilton provided Merton with a spiritual method whereby he
could address the absence of 'Father', 'mother', and 'family'.” Rusty Moe “Naked Runner: A Portrait of Thomas Merton.”-film
biography.
1997-1998 Elsie Mayer “Thomas Merton and Bob Dylan Connection.” Lynn Szabo (Canada) “The Language of Silence in the Voice and
Typography of Thomas Merton’s Poetry.” Philip Marshall Thompson “Merton’s Reflections on Modern Technology.”
(United Kingdom)