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During the late 1940's and some of the 1950's, Merton experienced a vocational crisis. He had an interest in the Carthusians at the time he entered the Trappists, but it was World War II and there were no Carthusian foundations in the United States. When there was a chance of the Carthusians coming to America after the war, it presented a temptation for Merton to leave. He was faced with the notoriety from the publication of The Seven Storey Mountain, and wanted more solitude and space for contemplation. He was concerned about an overly busy routine he thought was working its way into the Trappist lifestyle.
Dom Humphrey Pawsey was a Carthusian monk from St. Hugh's Charterhouse in England. In the 1950's, he became superior of their American foundation at Sky Farm in Vermont.
Please click here for general restrictions concerning Merton's correspondence.
See published letters from Merton to Pawsey in The School of Charity, pp. 13-14 and 39-41.
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.
This Record Sub-Group is not divided into Series and is arranged chronologically.
Click icons for links: ✓="Published | Library Record", ✉="Scanned" | 🗷="Scanned, Viewable Only at Merton Center"
| # | Date | From/To | First Lines | Pub ✓ | Notes |
| | y/m/d | Merton | | Scan ✉ | |
| 1. |
1947/04/12 |
TLS[x] from Merton |
Your letter has been gratefully received and the books ordered. How quickly they will get there is |
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«detailed view» |
| 2. |
1948/02/13 (#01) |
HLS to Merton |
I write a line to say that according to prevailing export and import laws I can only send you Denis' |
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difficulty of buying books abroad / Merton's anthology of mystical verse / Pawsey sending an article on Carthusian life [see attachments from the same date]
«detailed view» |
| 3. |
1948/02/13 (#02) |
other to Merton |
The Duke of Montrose, a contributor to The Countryman on several occasions, was to have written an |
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[enclosed with 1948/02/13 letter] article from The Countryman, Spring, 1947, "On Giving Up One's Old Home" by Lady Jean Graham / Pawsey writes a note about the "great families" having to give up their properties and hopes that the monasteries will not be next
«detailed view» |
| 4. |
1948/02/13 (#03) |
other to Merton |
J.M.J. [-] Jesus to cast one thought upon Makes gladness after He is gone; But more than honey and |
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[enclosed with 1948/02/13 letter] "Iesu Dulcis Memoria" translated in verse by Gerard Manley Hopkins
«detailed view» |
| 5. |
1949/06/21 |
TLS[x] from Merton |
It is a long time since I have written to you and I cannot remember whether I have acknowledged |
✓ |
«detailed view» |
| 6. |
1952/09/11 |
TALS[x] from Merton |
You may have been expecting some sort of letter from me. I have long meant to write you at least |
✓ |
«detailed view» |
| 7. |
1952/09/25 (#01) |
TLS to Merton |
It was good to hear from you again; though I have often recalled our exchange of letters some few |
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«detailed view» |
| 8. |
1952/09/25 (#02) |
TL[x] to Merton |
It was good to hear from you again; though I have often recalled our exchange of letters some few |
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«detailed view» |
| 9. |
1952/11/18 |
TLS[x] from Merton |
It is some time since you kindly wrote and asked me to come up to Vermont to talk things over. |
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«detailed view» |
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