In this correspondence, Connolly and Merton begin by setting up an exchange. Connolly thanks Merton for sending some of his manuscripts and papers to Fr. Francis Sweeney of Boston College Special Collections, and Merton is looking for help obtaining materials for upcoming writing projects. Merton requests information on the twelfth century School of Chartres, Latin America, Celtic monasticism, technology, and philosophy of science, and the Japanese philosopher Nishida Kitaro. Between exchanges, they begin a brief conversation of the Cistercian versus the Jesuit charism.
Fr. Brendan Connolly was Director of Libraries for Boston College at the time of correspondence.
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. |
1962/05/18 |
TLS to Merton |
Father Sweeney has, to my considerable delight, turned over to me the latest evidences of your |
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«detailed view» |
2. |
1962/07/26 |
TL[x] to Merton |
Again, I am very grateful to you for your thoughtfulness in forwarding the most recent times which |
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3. |
1962/08/07 |
TLS[x] from Merton |
Your letter was pleasant and gratifying and I feel a closer bond with the Fathers at BC. |
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4. |
1962/08/23 |
TL[x] to Merton |
Let me begin by confessing my ignorance on the proprieties of address. I am by nature, I am afraid, |
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5. |
1962/11/21 |
TL[x] to Merton |
My gratitude for your latest benefaction is a bit of a burden in that I do not quite know how |
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6. |
1962/11/26 |
TAL[c] from Merton |
Thanks for your good letter. I fully realize that simply to give you things without letting you |
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7. |
1962/12/27 |
TLS[x] from Moynihan, Paul V. |
Regarding the items mentioned in the Thomas Merton letter (attached) I give below rather full |
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[from Paul V. Moynihan, Boston College Reference Librarian, to Connolly]
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8. |
1963/01/15 |
TL[x] to Merton |
I suppose that the long delay between my previous offer of assistance and this first, partial |
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9. |
1963/09/06 |
TL[x] to Merton |
My delight in the most recent shipment of your near-print production was somewhat dimmed |
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10. |
1963/10/02 |
HLS[x] from Merton |
Thanks for your letter of Sept 6 and the enclosure about the De Moribus |
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11. |
1963/11/15 |
TL[x] to Merton |
Having put off acknowledgement of your latest benefactions for some weeks in the hope that I would |
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12. |
1964/01/16 |
TLS to Merton |
My thanks again for the latest items sent from your "near-print" production. The timing was superb. |
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13. |
1964/02/23 |
TL[c] from Merton |
Your letter of January 16th was a surprise and a pleasant one. It arrived during retreat, when |
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14. |
1964/03/09 |
HLS to Merton |
I shall in due time and with proper diffidence try to make "my" definition of Jesuit spirituality. |
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15. |
1964/03/17 |
TAL[c] from Merton |
Thanks for your letter and for the book, which is very timely and interesting. I will return |
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16. |
1964/05/27 |
HLS[x] from Merton |
Do you have this book: K. Jackson - Studies in Early Celtic Nature Poetry - Cambridge - 1935 |
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17. |
1964/06/10 |
TL[x] to Merton |
Jackson's book has been sent to you under separate cover. We have a fairly respectable Irish Library |
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18. |
1964/07/01 |
TAL[c] from Merton |
The Jackson book on Celtic Nature Poetry is being returned to you. It was very useful, |
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19. |
1964/07/07 |
TLS to Merton |
Knowing people who are knowledgeable is almost as good as being learned. I asked Miss Landreth, |
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20. |
1964/07/28 |
TLS[x] from from Merton to Paul V. Moynihan |
I have asked one of the brothers at our bookstore to dig up, if possible, a copy of that ancient |
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21. |
1964/08/05 |
TLS from Moynihan, Paul V. / to Merton |
We will send to you in a week or so reproduction copy of the following periodical articles. |
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22. |
1964/08/17 |
TLS[x] from from Appel, Regis / to Paul V. Moynihan |
I have asked one of the brothers at our bookstore to dig up, if possible, a copy of that ancient |
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23. |
1964/08/19 |
TLS[x] from Merton to Paul V. Moynihan |
Many thanks for your letter of the 5th. The two books sent by Miss Landreth have arrived and I am |
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24. |
1964/11/29 |
TL[c] from Merton |
The other day I sent a packet of items for the collection to show that I have not forgotten you and |
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25. |
1965/03/03 |
HLS[x] from Merton |
Under separate cover I am returning the Navigatio Brendani with profuse apologies |
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26. |
1965/03/27 |
TLS to Merton |
I have lost neither the elementary literacy on which I have long depended, nor the elementary |
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27. |
1965/04/03 |
TL[c] from Merton |
Thanks for the letter and the interesting enclosure (McCullers, Mailer, Matisse, Merton...) I am |
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28. |
1965/04/22 |
TL[x] to Merton |
Enclosed are a few additional notes on Nishida from an English Jesuit friend who has spent some |
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29. |
1965/04/25 |
HLS[x] from Merton |
Many thanks for the useful material on Nishida Kitaro. Might I ask another favor -- ? I could use |
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30. |
1965/07/29 |
HLS[x] from Merton |
Some more for your collection. Happy Fest of St Ignatius! Cordially in the Lord Tom Merton. |
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31. |
1965/09/07 |
TL[c] from Merton |
Thanks for your recent letter. Yes, there was some material on the bomb in that pile. |
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32. |
1965/09/21 |
TL[x] to Merton |
I am sorry I didn't get to answering your request earlier but various, probably less important, |
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33. |
1965/10/21 |
TL[c] from Merton |
It is perfectly all right, as far as I am concerned, to lend the ms to Bellarmine College. As long |
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34. |
1965/10/29 |
TL[x] to Merton |
I have had a letter from Father Loftus of Bellarmine who assures me that there will be no scoops |
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35. |
1965/11/22 |
TLS[x] from Merton |
This is just a note to thank you for the books and for the xeroxes of the Irish Rules. |
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36. |
1966/01/01 |
HLS[x] from Merton |
A very happy and blessed New Year to you! I am sending a few more of those "items" and will return |
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37. |
1966/01/22 |
HLS[x] from Merton |
Many thanks for the [indecipherable] recluse: he certainly had no easy rule! |
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38. |
1966/03/17 |
HLS[x] from Merton |
It is disgraceful that on the very feast of St Patrick I should mail back to you the last |
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39. |
1966/09/13 |
HLS[x] from Merton |
I have been cleaning out my files and here is some trash that might intrigue you for the "Collection |
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40. |
1967/01/20 |
TLS[x] from Merton |
Here is some manuscript and other material that might be of interestfor your collection. |
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41. |
1967/02/05 |
HLS[x] from Merton |
Many thanks for sending this copy of the Vernet article from Scriptorium. |
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42. |
1967/02/26 |
HLS[x] from Merton |
Many thanks for your good letter. I've in here getting rid (I hope) of bursitis in the elbow - |
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[written from St. Joseph Infirmary, Louisville]
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43. |
1967/03/06 |
TL[x] to Merton |
I am sending Waggoner's William Faulkner to you by parcel post. The other two titles are |
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44. |
1967/09/07 |
TAL[c] from Merton |
Full of confusion and apologies, I am returning the Faulkner book, after much too long a time. |
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45. |
1967/10/02 |
TL[x] to Merton |
I had the feeling that I had answered your letter of September 7, but I bow to the better memory |
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46. |
1968/07/23 |
TL[x] to Merton |
By a happy accident, I have wandered into Phil and Mary McNiff's on an evening which coincided |
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47. |
1968/07/31 |
TLS[x] from Merton |
On this steam heated feast of St Ignatius, congratulations, joy, ad multos annos, for your |
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48. |
1968/08/19 |
TALS to Merton |
Thanks very much for the autograph and congratulations. I very much wish that you could have been |
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