The Thomas Merton Center at Bellarmine University

ITMS Shannon Fellowships

Research Topics of Shannon Fellows - 2025-1997

 

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
(United Kingdom)

"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.”