The Thomas Merton Center at Bellarmine University

MERTON'S CORRESPONDENCE WITH:
Unidentified Priests and Monks (filed at the end of the sequence)

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Descriptive Summary

Record Group: Section A - Correspondence

Dates of materials: 1957-1968

Volume: 13 item(s); 14 pg(s)

Scope and Content

This file contains letters to or from unknown priests and monks. Merton may have used the salutation, "Dear Father", "Dear Reverend Father", etc. For those listed with a first name, i.e. Fr. Joseph, see "Unidentified First Names". The letters are arranged chronologically.

Biography

Usage Guidelines and Restrictions

Related Information and Links

Other Finding Aids

If the person in correspondence with Merton has full text records in the Merton Center Digital Collections, there will be a numeric link to them below.
   

Series List

This Record Sub-Group is not divided into Series and is arranged chronologically.

Container List

SeriesDateTypeTo/FromFirst LinesPubFull TextNotes
 1952/03/13 TLS[x]from MertonMany thanks for the beautiful numbers of <u>Incunable</u> many of the pages of which will be, I hope  [filed as a letter to Concha Lagos but address "My Dear Father in Christ"]
 1957/03/15 (#01)TLS[x] from Editor of Studi Cattolici / to Mertonho l'onore di chiederLe di voler aderire al Comitato dei Collaboratori della nuova Rivista fondata   
 1957/03/15 (#02)TLS[x] from Editor of Studi Cattolici / to Mertonla Casa Editirce ARES, nel desiderio di venire incontro alle esignenze del pubblico cattolico colto,   
 1964/04/20 TL[c] from Merton to "Monsieur l'Abbe"Voici le texte que j'ai écrit pour Albert Schweitzer, et j'espère que ces pages ne vous décevront  article by Merton on Albert Schweitzer
 1964/05/26 TL[c] from Merton to "Mon Pere"Je ne sais pas exactement lesquels de mes livres ont été traduits en allemand. Pour la Vie  correspondent's interest in translating some of Merton's books into German - recommends contacting his agent in Germany, Dagmar Henne
 1964/08/28 TL[c]from MertonVous vous demandez peut être si votre Couturière mystique se sera perdue dans ce pays qui est  Claudine Moihe / M. Eugene Exman / Raissa Maritain / mysticism
 1965/04/25 TL[c] from Merton to "Mon bien cher Père"Merci de votre bonne lettre d'il y a deux mois. Comme vous, je tache de m'appliquer a mon "job"  book on Heraclitus (Herakleitos the Ephesian) / Tertullian <i>De Resurrectione</i> / Nishida Kitaro, Zen philosopher of Japan / Karl Rahner and Han Kung / De Lubac on medieval exegesis / T. S. Eliot's <i>Four Quartets</i> / Buddhism / Vietnam / American technology
 1965/11/09 TL[c] from Merton to "Mon bien cher Père"L'an dernier j'aurais été tout à fait d'accord avec vous sur la question de la petite colonie  Merton on becoming a hermit - how he does it at Gethsemani Abbey / colonies of hermits elsewhere
 1966/08/31 TL[c] from Merton to "Dear Brother"I have your good letter andhave [sic] considered your problem. Frankly I must say that I am not in  [Patrick Hart added initial “D” and crosses out Merton’s date of “August 31, 1966” and replaces with “Sept. 30 / 65”] on whether a monk should leave the monastery / changes in monastic life - many leaving but do not get caught in "chain reaction" but make personal choice / on a person the monk wants to leave and marry - difficulties in married life as well / burdens in both the religious life and life outside the monastery
 1967/04/20 HPCS from German Priest to Merton   [verso: black and white photograph of Lourdes, France]
 1967/05/20 TL[c] from Merton to "Dear Father"Sorry to have let your poignant letter go without answer for so long. I should have got right downYes [WTF, p. 333] sickness in religious institutions - "Submission is canonized and all opposition is suspect." / avoid direct confrontation - keep silent - "do what you have to do without asking" / problems resolved through patience - censors / seek like minded people / frank in your opinion but accept obedience when imposed
 1968/04/26 TL[c] from Merton to "Dear Father"I am ashamed at the length of time that has gone by since your letter. Impossible to do it justice.  Vietnam War and the priest's desires to go to Vietnam to help suffering people - Merton recommends against it - more important to pressure leaders "for the damned war to <u>stop</u> / Thich Nhat Hanh - Nhat Hanh's monastery destroyed and spiritual master killed in Tet offensive - Benedictine monastery in Hue destroyed
 1968/07/14 TL[c] from Merton to "Dear Father"I am sorry you thought I might have had some special motive for bypassing Vina when I was  [priest and monk of New Clairvaux monastery in Vina, California]
        

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