Centenary Events
For more information or to register for the retreat, please contact
Susan Cowan, Community Relations Director, at
[email protected] or 604-988-8835.
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"The Unquiet Monk: Thomas Merton's Questing Faith" by Michael W. Higgins. January 31st 2015 at St. Peter's Church, 832 Bathurst Street, Toronto. Dinner: 6.00 pm. Talk: 7.00 pm. RSVP for dinner, or for further information: [email protected] or 416-363-3303 ext. 252.
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On Saturday 10th October at the Center for Contemplative Living, 3650 Yates Street, Denver, CO 80212 there will be a fall retreat led by Tom Nelson, CM on "Seeds of Contemplation Sown by Thomas Merton." Registratition is required. Call 303-698-7729 or visit http://www.contemplativeoutreach-co.org/component/content/article?id=124:fall-mini-retreat&catid=55:classes for further information.
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Georgia:
Wednesday, January 21st from 9 am - 3 pm a day of reflection led by Carl McColman. Ignatius House, Atlanta. Click here for further information.
Pitts Theology Library at Emory University in Atlanta, Thursday, April 9, from 6–8pm, all are invited to an Evening with Friends program on Thomas Merton, with a lecture by Dr. Phillip M. Thompson, "OMG, Thomas Merton's Relevance for the Age of Google." The program is in conjunction with the exhibit, "“Journeys of Thomas Merton," for more information on the exhibit, click here. Please register here for the lecture.
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Illinois:
Friday, January 16, 4:00 pm at the Lumen Christi Institute, Chicago University (Social Sciences 122, 1126 E. 58th St.) Lawrence S. Cunningham will give a presentation entitled: "Thomas Merton: The Writing Life and the Contemplative Life." Free and open to the public. Watch this presentation on YouTube.
Mertonfest at Cenacle - A celebration of the centenary of Trappist monk Thomas Merton will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, January 31, at the Cenacle Retreat Center, 513 W. Fullerton, Chicago, featuring talks by Vaughn Fayle, OFM, of Antonianum University, Rome, Italy; Judith Valente, author and PBS/NPR journalist; Dr. Pauline Viviano, Loyola University Chicago, and Shawn Storer of the Catholic Peace Fellowship. Cost is $25 ($30 at the door) and includes lunch. Reservations are required; call Mike at 773-447-3989 or email [email protected].
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Indiana:
The John XXIII Retreat Center is featuring a four-session retreat series entitled: "Thomas Merton – Going Deeper into the Contemplative Tradition." The series, facilitated by Sister Joetta Huelsmann, will take place monthly on four Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The dates are February 28, March 21, May 9, and June 6 in Hartford City (near Muncie, Indianapolis, and Fort Wayne). Click here for further information. Fee for the day is $30. Lunch is provided to retreatants. Register by the Monday before each session, and registration is encouraged. Please contact [email protected] or by calling 765-348-4008 or toll-free 888-882-1391.
May 15-17, 2015 at St. Meinrad Archabbey, St. Meinrad, Indiana Fr. Adrian Burke, OSB will lead a retreat entitled: "A Monastic Witness to Nonviolence." Click here for further information.
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May 12th - 17th, 2015 - the 20th Annual Festival of Faiths: "Sacred Journeys and the Legacy of Thomas Merton." Click here for further information.
November 9th, 2015 at 8 pm "Thomas Merton and Hindu Wisdom: Knowing Self, Knowing Other," Professor Francis X. Clooney, S.J. (Parkman Professor of Divinity and Professor of Comparative Theology, and Director of the Center for the Study of World Religions, Harvard Divinity School.) For further information contact George Kilcourse - [email protected]
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Maine:
On Thursday, October 22, Dr. Marilyn Sunderman, RSM, will present “Thomas Merton on Simplicity of Life and Its Lessons for Sustainability” at 7 p.m. in the Viola George Auditorium at Harold Alfond Hall, St. Joseph's College, Standish, ME. For more information contact Mike Connolly at 893-7939. https://www.sjcme.edu/about-us/news-and-events/events-listing/cac-presents-thomas-merton-on-simplicity-of-life-and-its-lessons-for-sustainability/
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Michigan:
October 8, 2015 at 7 pm - "Monk, Mystic and Prophet: The Expanding Vision of Thomas Merton" by Monica Weis, SSJ. Sponsored by The MSU College of Arts and Letters and St. John Church & Student Center of East Lansing, East Lansing, Michigan. Click for further information.
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- "Envisioning the Church with Thomas Merton" - Christine Bochen -
February 25, 4-5 pm
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"Coming Home and Going Forth: Kenosis in Jesus and Merton" - Meghan Robinson
- March 4, 4-5 pm
North Dakota:
On Wednesday, February 11, 7 p.m., at Chesterton's at University of Mary, Bismarck, Christine Bochen will present "Merton in the Pub: Readings from Merton's Journals, Letters, and Poems." February 12, 8 p.m. in Butler Hall at the Gary Tharaldson School of Business at University of Mary. "Awakening the Heart, Mending the World: Living Thomas Merton's Legacy" by Christine M. Bochen. Click here for more information.
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Ohio:
Friday evening, January 30th from 7 pm - 8.30 pm the Catholic Worker Storefront in Cleveland is hosting an evening of reflection and celebration of Merton's life and legacy. 4241 Lorain Ave, Cleveland, OH 44113. (216) 631-3059.
On Saturday January 31, 2015 at 3 pm James Naigle will present his one-man play, "Thomas Merton: Alive at Fourth & Walnut" at the Ursuline Educational Ctr. Klyn Hall, 2600 Lander Road, Pepper Pike. For further information contact: Sister Donna Kristoff, O.S.U. - [email protected] or 440-449-1200. A one-man, one-act presentation of the spiritual journey of the writer-monk Thomas Merton by actor and playwright James Nagle. Free and Open to the Public. Click here for further information.
February 11-12, 2015 at Baldwin Wallace University 275 Eastland Rd. Berea, Ohio the 2015 Faith & Life Lecture Series, "Thomas Merton and Thomas Berry: Pathfinders to an Ecological Age," with Sr. Kathleen Deignan. Click here for further information.
On Saturday March 7, 2015 from 9.00 am - 3.30 pm the Institute for Spirituality and Justice at Xavier University, Cincinnati presents "Wisdom in Our Life of Prayer: Merton and the Feminine Divine" facilitated by Christopher Pramuk. Registration $35, including lunch. For further information: call 513-745-3139 or email [email protected]
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Oregon:
January 30 - February 1, 2015 - "Thomas Merton's 100th Anniversary: His Message on Contemplation" a retreat led by Jerry Braza at the Shalom Prayer Center, Mount Angel, Oregon. For further information: http://www.benedictine-srs.com/#!bodysuits/cwvn
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Pennsylvania:
On January 31st four Pittsburgh churches are holding services through the day to mark Merton's centenary. "Praying with Thomas Merton - A Book of Hours" will begin at 7 am at Emmanuel Episcopal Church, Northside (contact: Carol Gonzalez, 412-322-2189); 12 noon at St James Roman Catholic Church, Wilkinsburg (contact: Becky Newlin, 412-636-9646); 4.30 pm at Mercy Motherhouse, Carlow Campus, Oakland and concluding at 7 pm at Hot Metal Bridge Faith Community, South Side (Contact: Dylan Rooke, 724-561-8970).
On February 28th 2015 Daylesford Abbey in Paoli is hosting a day in celebration of Thomas Merton's 100th birthday with presentations by Paul M. Pearson on Merton's art and photography. Click here for full details.
On March 22, 2015, 10 am - 2.30 pm - Mark the Centenary of Thomas Merton: Monk, Mystic, Activist, Poet, and Person with a day led by Jonathan Montaldo at at the Convent of the Sisters of Mercy, 515 Montgomery Avenue, Merion, PA 19066. To register: [email protected] or call 856-324-0512.
Pittsburgh's Thomas Merton Center is hosting a Festival of Thomas Merton Events from April 16th - 26th, 2015. Further details are available at: http://thomasmertoncenter.org/merton-100th/
July 31 - August 2, 2015 a retreat led by Natalie Terry and James Menkhaus: "Planting New Seeds for Contemplation: Cultivating Our Spiritual Journeys with Pedro Arrupe and Thomas Merton" at Villa Maria Education and Spirituality Center, Villa Maria, PA. Click here for further information.
Beginning
August 20, 2015 Villanova University, Villanova PA
will be hosting an exhibit of Thomas Merton's photographs in the campus art
gallery in the Connelly Center. In conjunction with the exhibit the Office
of Mission and Ministry is offering a semester long celebration of Thomas
Merton's Centenary:
- "A Hidden Wholeness: The Zen Photography of Thomas
Merton" - Paul M. Pearson - August 28, 7 pm Connelly
Center.
- "Drinking Tea: Thomas Merton's Legacy on Living, Learning and
Loving" - Virginia Kalb Ratigan - September 9, 4.30 pm
Connelly Center.
- "The Legacy of Thomas Merton: Villanova Faculty
Perspectives" - October 21, 4 pm Driscoll Hall Auditorium:
° Kathleen Grimes—Merton’s Peacemaking Activism
° Kevin Hughes—Merton on Contemplation
° Eugene McCarraher—Merton in Historical Context
- "The Spiritual
Legacy of Thomas Merton" - Darlene Weaver - November 11, 12
noon, Connelly Center.
Further details are available at:
http://www1.villanova.edu/villanova/mission/thomasmerton100.html
October 29th 2015 at 7 pm an evening presentation by James Finley - "Turning to Thomas Merton as Our Guide in Contemplative Living." Villa Maria Education and Spirituality Center, Villa Maria, PA. For further information visit: https://www.vmesc.org/ProgramsRetreats.aspx?id=258
October 29 - November 1, 2015 a retreat led by James Finley - "Thomas Merton, A Trustworthy Guide on the Path to God" at Villa Maria Education and Spirituality Center, Villa Maria, PA. Visit: https://www.vmesc.org/ProgramsRetreats.aspx?id=257 for further information.
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Rhode Island
February 10, 2015 at noon a lecture by John E. Allard, OP. entitled: “What I do is live. How I pray is breathe.” The Cool Life and (Politically) Hot Prose of Thomas Merton (1915-1968) at the Center for Catholic and Dominican Studies, Providence College, Providence, RI. Click here for further information.
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Virginia:
On November 15th in the Retreat House chapel Holy Cross Abbey, Berryville, VA will hold a free lecture, conversation and reception to mark the 100th anniversary of Merton's birth. This event-with extremely limited seating-is entitled “Monk as Marginal Person” and will include opening comments from Abbot Robert Barnes, an address of the same title by Fr. James Orthmann and a conversation with Father Maurice Flood who studied with Merton at Gethsemani. This event is sold out. https://www.virginiatrappists.org/2015/10/merton-at-100-event-at-hca/
Romania:
November 21st, 2015 - Book presentation of the first Romanian translation of The Seven Storey Mountain, at the Gaudeamus International Book Fair, Bucharest, featuring speakers Monica Brosteanu PhD, Fr. Marius Talos SJ, and Liana Gehl PhD.
January 27th, 2016 - "Thomas Merton - a monk, a scholar and a visionary - between West and East," at Saints Peter and Andrew Center for Ecumenical Studies, Bucharest, featuring speakers Monica Brosteanu PhD, Fr. Marius Talos SJ, and Liana Gehl PhD.
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England:
January 14th, 2015 - "Architects of Our Spiritual Wisdom: Thomas Merton and Henri Nouwen" by Michael W. Higgins. Convent Parlour, Digby Stuart College, University of Roehampton, Roehampton Lane, London SW15 at 6.00 pm. There will be a wine reception after the lecture. All welcome, but please let Tina Beattie know if you plan to attend, for catering purposes: [email protected]
On January 31, 2015, A Day of Celebration will be held in London to mark the centenary of the birth of Thomas Merton. It will begin with a service celebrating his life at Notre Dame de France, the French Church by Leicester Square at 11.15. The service will be led by Father Derek Reeve, with the homily given by Metropolitan Kallistos Ware. In the afternoon there will be a talk and a panel discussion at St. James Church, Piccadilly at 2.30 pm, followed by a birthday tea party. The event will start with a talk by John Moses, Dean Emeritus of St Paul’s Cathedral, with the title ‘Why Merton matters’. This will be followed by a panel discussion led by Revd Lucy Winkett. On the panel will be John Moses, Fiona Gardner & Elizabeth Holmes.
Celebrating Thomas Merton at Oakham School, January 31st. A lecture by Very Revd. John Moses, Dean Emeritus of St. Paul's Cathedral entitled "Thomas Merton: A Man for Our Times." Drinks and canapes at 7.15 pm for an 8.00 pm start to the lecture. For catering purposes contact the school chaplain, Revd Alex Aldous, to indicate attendance. Email: [email protected]
February 20 - 22, 2015 Michael Woodward will lead a retreat with Thomas Merton at Douai Abbey, Reading. Click here for further information.
Monday 16th March, 2015, 7.30 pm at Our Lady of Compassion Parish Centre, Upton Park, London E13 a talk by Fr Brian O’Shea in celebration of the first centenary of the birth of Thomas Merton. Booking on 020 8472 1181 or 01277 265255, or email are&[email protected]
Thursday April 23, 2015 Mary Lewis will lead a retreat at Broughton Castle near Banbury on "Contemplative Photography with Thomas Merton." For further information.
May 1 - 3, 2015 - "Thomas Merton in Good Company: A Retreat with His Friends." The Well, Society of the Sacred Mission, Willen, MK15 9AA. Click here for further information.
May 22, 2015 Esther de Waal will lead a day retreat: "Thomas Merton - Contemplative Artist" at Llangasty Retreat House, Brecon. Further details: Tel 01874 658250 or [email protected]
Saturday June 20, 2015 - "Thomas Merton: Contemplative Writer" a study day, to be led by Stephen Dunhill, at St Peter's Church, Warmsworth near Doncaster. http://www.thomasmertonsociety.org.uk/
From July 14 - 16, 2015 Gary Hall will lead a retreat at Launde Abbey, Leicestershire entitled: "Attention to Paradise: To Love the World - Thomas Merton at 100." Click here for further information.
Thursday 16th July - Monday 27th July - "A Taste of Merton" - An exhibition exploring some of the many facets of the poet-monk through paintings, photographs and text. Among those exhibiting will be Charles MacCarthy and Robert Wright. There will also be original photographs by Merton. The event is being held at St Michael's Church, Discoed, near Presteigne. http://www.discoed.org/events-discoed-presteigne/
Friday 24th July - Sunday 26th July - a weekend of talks & workshops at St Michael's Church, Discoed, near Presteigne. The details of these are currently being finalised and will be posted in due course on St Michael's website. http://www.discoed.org/events-discoed-presteigne/
September 1st - 10th 2015 - an exhibition of paintings by Robert Wright - "My Whole Life is a Search for Truth" - in the Chapter House of Lincoln Cathedral. The twenty vibrant abstract paintings on display, inviting subtle and diverse interpretations, will open an exciting journey of faith - both Merton's and the viewer's. Click here for further information.
October 24th 2015, 10.30 am - 4.30 pm at The Meditatio Centre, St Marks, Myddelton Square, London EC1R 1XX a day, led by Gary Hall, "Revolutionary Communion: Chasing Thomas Merton 100 Years On." For further details, or to book, click here.
November 6 - 8, 2015 - "Boundless Grandeur: The Christian Vision of Donald Allchin" with Kallistos Ware, Fiona Gardner, Densil Morgan, Patrick Thomas, David Keller and others at Gladstone's Library, Hawarden, Flintshire. Further information.
November 20th - 22nd, 2015 - "Beyond the Shadows" - Held at The Ammerdown Centre at Radstock near Bath, this weekend led by Fiona Gardner and Mark Scholefield, focuses on two less commonly explored aspects of Merton's life: what influenced his visual art, and what he experienced on his Asian travels in the last year of his life. Click here for further details.
Saturday 5th December, 2015, 11 am - 3 pm. "Thomas Merton – Alpha and Omega: Reflections with Merton for Advent" with Esther de Waal at the United Church, Jewry Street, Winchester. Further details.
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Scotland:
On January 31, 2015 at 1 pm at St Simon's Church 33-37 Partick Bridge Street, Glasgow G11 6PQ – close to the Kelvinhall subway station - there will be a celebration mass for Thomas Merton to be celebrated by Fr Willy Slavin. This will be followed by food, fellowship & sharing in a local hostelry – bring a favourite piece of Merton for us all to enjoy.
On Saturday 25th April, 2015 there will be a study day - "Merton, Writer and Monk" - to be held at Walpole Hall, Chester Street, Edinburgh EH3 7RA, adjacent to St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral. The day will include talks by Stephen Dunhill & John McLuckie, canon of the cathedral, a simple eucharist and lunch. The day will end with a birthday tea.
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France:
On January 31st at 11.00 am mass will be celebrated for the centenary of Merton's birth in the parish church at Prades, France.
On January 31st at 5 pm there will be a conference about Merton at Salle Jean Cocteau au Lido, Prades, to be given by Gerard Milion, a cistercian monk.
Thomas Merton in France - Prades, France, April 29 - May 9, 2015. A pilgrimage program offered by the Thomas Merton Society of Canada. Download the brochure for full details - Thomas Merton in France
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Germany:
On January 30-February 1, 2015, a Merton conference will be held at the Benedictine Abbey of Münsterschwarzach, Germany, featuring presentations by Otto Betler, OSB, Detlev Cuntz, Jim Forest, Anselm Grün, OSB, Gary Hall, Iris Mandl-Schmidt, Michaela Pfeiffer, OCist, Martin Tamcke, Kosmas Lars Thielmann, OCist and Thomas Wagner; the conference is coordinated by Detlev Cuntz and Wunibald Müller. For further information contact Detlev Cuntz: [email protected].
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Ireland:
"Thomas Merton: The Re-making of a Monk" - a one day conference with Michael W. Higgins, Mary T. Malone and Abbot Richard Purcell, OCSO, at All Hallows, Drumcondra, Dublin 9 on Saturday 17th January, 2015. To book or for further information contact Geraldine Kellett on 01-687-4095 or [email protected].
On January 31st, 2015 the Thomas Merton Fellowship and the Viktor Frankl Institute of Ireland will be offering a one-day workshop - "Exploring Meaning with Thomas Merton and Viktor Frankl" from 11 am - 5 pm at Bethlehem Abbey, Portglenone. For further information or to book contact: Scott Peddie - [email protected]
On December 13th, 2015 at 12.30 pm "Quaker influences on the Catholic Monk and Peace Activist Thomas Merton: The Brave Journey of the ‘Everyman’" by James G. R. Cronin. Meeting House, Summerhill South, Cork, Ireland. Contact: [email protected] for further information.
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Italy:
October 28-November 4, 2015 - "A Thomas Merton Centenary Pilgrimage Retreat in Assisi, Italy" with Jonathan Montaldo, Marianne Hieb, RSM and Helen Owens, OSF, seeking glimpses of the spirituality of Francis of Assisi and Thomas Merton, focused through the feasts of All Saints and Holy Souls. Sponsored through Lourdes Wellness Services www.lourdeswellnesscenter.org. Download pilgrimage brochure here. Further information, contact Marianne Hieb: 856-869-8190.
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Malta:
November 21 - 22, 2015 - Thomas Merton Seminar: "I Am No Prophet, No Seer, But..." organized by the Carmelite Institute Malta and the Society of Christian Doctrine. Lectures, sharing sesssions, prayer, films, reading sessions, fellowship. For further information: http://carmeliteinstitutemalta.blogspot.com/2015/10/thomas-merton-seminar-100-sena-mit.html
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December 11, 2015 at 7.30 pm - "Battling the Noonday Demon Learning How to Renounce Resentment." A Thomas Merton lecture and discussion by Professor Michael Zammit. For further information: http://carmeliteinstitutemalta.blogspot.com/
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Netherlands:
On January, 31st at the Abbey of Our Lady of Koningshoeven (Tilburg), from 2 pm - 6 pm an afternoon of commemoration of Merton's 100th birthday with None, lectures, harp music, the presentation of a new Dutch translation of New Seeds of Contemplation, and a reception with birthday cake and trappist beer.
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Slovenia:
April 1, 2015, to June 1, 2015, the Slovanska Library of the Ljubljana City Library (LCL) will present an exhibition, "Thomas Merton: His Life and Work."
Asia and Australaisa:
Australia:
On January 31, 2015 the Aquinas Academy will hold a joint seminar with St James Anglican Church in Phillip Street, Sydney from 9 am to 3 pm to be presented by Michael Whelan SM, Colleen O'Sullivan RSJ and Fr Martin Davies. Michael Whelan's Lecture.
On September 23, 30 and October 7, 2015 Michael Whelan will teach a course entitled "Thomas Merton: Identity, Solitude and Contemplation" at the Aquinas Academy, Harrington St., Sydney. For further information.
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New Zeakand:
The Christchurch Chapter of the ITMS is planning a day of prayer and pilgrimage to mark the centenary of Thomas Merton’s birth. This event will take place on Saturday 31st January 2015, starting at the Mary Potter Centre in Durham Street, Christchurch at 10am and finishing back at the Centre at 3pm. Places in Christchurch related to Merton’s life and family will be visited. An invitation is extended to all those interested. Please register for refreshment numbers. Cost $10.00 per person. Contact person: Sister Amelda Lindsay [email protected] or 339 0349.
Brazil:
On January 31, 2015, a pontifical Mass will be celebrated at the São Bento Monastery in São Paulo, followed by a lecture by Dom Bernardo Bonowitz; the abbey will also host an exhibition on the life and work of Merton. An academic conference on Merton is also being planned for 2015 at the Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro. For further information contact coordinator M. S. Cristóvão Júnior at [email protected] - View the invitation.
Wednesday, March 18, 2015 at 8 pm in the Basilica of the Saint Benedict Monastery, São Paulo a Thanksgiving and Interreligious Celebration of Thomas Merton’s Centenary. View the invitation.
Africa