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Merton's Correspondence with:

Douglas Van Steere; Douglas Steere; Douglas V. Steere; Steere, Douglas V.

Steere, Douglas Van, 1901-1995  printer

 
 

Descriptive Summary

Record Group: Section A - Correspondence
Dates of materials: 1963-1968, 1972-1973
Volume: 32 item(s); 43 pg(s)

Scope and Content

This is a file in the correspondence of Thomas Merton under the heading: "Steere, Douglas Van".

Biography

Douglas Steere was a prominent Quaker author and philosopher, serving a long tenure as professor at Haverford College in Pennsylvania. He demonstrated leadership through organizing relief efforts in northern Europe through the American Friends Service Committee after World War II and in representing the Society of Friends at the Second Vatican Council in 1964. He first met Merton in 1962 at Gethsemani, traveling with John Heidbrink of the Fellowship of Reconciliation. (Source: Elliott, J. Michael. "Douglas Steere, 93, Author, Professor And Quaker Leader." New York Times obituary. 16 February 1995. Online. Bellarmine University Library, Louisville, KY. 2009/07/07. ‹http://www.nytimes.com/1995/02/16/obituaries/douglas-steere-93-author-professor-and-quaker-leader.html›.)

Usage Guidelines and Restrictions

Please click here for general restrictions concerning Merton's correspondence.

Related Information and Links

All extant letters between Steere and Merton were published in The Merton Annual, Volume 6 (1993), pp. 29-53.

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

Click icons for links: ✓="Published | Library Record", ✉="Scanned" | 🗷="Scanned, Viewable Only at Merton Center"

#DateFrom/ToFirst LinesPub ✓Notes
 y/m/dMerton Scan ✉ 
1. 1961/12/14 TL[x] from Heidbrink, John I am enclosing the letter to Professor Lochman about which I spoke at our IFOR meeting. sending Steere's writings to Thomas Merton «detailed view»
2. 1961/12/21 TLS[x] to Heidbrink, John Thank you for sending me the letter for Lochman, which I will do my best to present to him when we thanking Heidbrink for arranging a visit with Thomas Merton «detailed view»
3. 1962/01/04 TL[x] from Heidbrink, John I have written to Thomas Merton about the possibility of your visit some time between February 5th Merton's interest in metaphysical poets and mystical writers «detailed view»
4. 1962/02/no transcript by Steere, Douglas John Heidbrink, who has been serving the Fellowship of Reconciliation as the secretary [from set of published letters, "Notes after First Visit and Correspondence 1962-1968," appearing in The Merton Annual 6 (1993), pp. 23-28, which contained the note and title, "The following single-spaced notes were typed just after Douglas V. Steere first met Thomas Merton." "Notes on Conference with Thomas Merton, February 1962."] «detailed view»
5. 1962/03/27 TLS[x] to Heidbrink, John I want you to know that we did have a very satisfying visit with Thomas Merton when we were Merton "moving deeply into the very center of the Christian pacifist position" but currently his Catholic articles place him as a more limited nuclear pacifist «detailed view»
6. 1962/11/19 TLS[x] to Heidbrink, John I am so sad to hear that you are having to go through this suffering today and you have been in my praise for The Thomas Merton Reader «detailed view»
7. 1963/01/09 TL[x] from Heidbrink, John Though I never see contributions to the FOR, let me say gratitude for your rememberance at this time importance of getting Merton into dialogue with Bede Griffiths and for Merton to stay "in contact with the world and its intercourse" «detailed view»
8. 1963/03/07 TALS to Merton It was so kind of you to send me the copy of The Thomas Merton Reader through your ✓ «detailed view»
9. 1963/04/23 TLS to Merton Thank you so much for your wonderful letter of April 9th. I am looking forward so much to reading ✓ «detailed view»
10. 1963/06/13 TLS to Merton It was wonderful to hear from you on the 16th of May and to have your two papers on Fenelon. ✓ «detailed view»
11. 1963/09/30 TLS to Merton I am writing you from Rome where Dorothy and I are planted for the next period as Quaker Observer- ✓ «detailed view»
12. 1963/10/26 TALS to Merton Thank you for your good letter and for your great kindness in sending Harpers those helpful words ✓ «detailed view»
13. 1964/04/19 TALS to Merton We have stopped by at Rome on our way up from Africa and before we leave in the morning, I just ✓ «detailed view»
14. 1964/04/26 (#01) TAL[c] from Merton It was very good to get your latest from Rome and to hear the news of your trip to Africa, ✓ «detailed view»
15. 1964/04/26 (#02) TL[x] from Merton It was very good to get your latest from Rome and to hear the news of your trip to Africa, ✓ [copied from Sub-Section H.7, Accession 2, Hart Working Files] «detailed view»
16. 1965/02/20 TAL[c] from Merton I am very glad to hear from you and to receive the booklet on Africa which I will read with much ✓ «detailed view»
17. 1965/09/14 TL[c] from Merton It was very good of you to send me the resume of the discussions at Collegeville. I will go through ✓ «detailed view»
18. 1965/10/20 TLS to Merton I so much appreciated your good letter and we have often thought of you in your solitary retirement. ✓ «detailed view»
19. 1966/01/17 (#01) TL[c] from Merton Thank you very much for the charming piece on Bethlehem. I really enjoy it. What with Angelus ✓ «detailed view»
20. 1966/01/17 (#02) TLS[x] from Merton Thank you very much for the charming piece on Bethlehem. I really enjoy it. What with Angelus ✓ [Steere adds some notes to the letter in pen] «detailed view»
21. 1966/02/14 TLS[x] to Heidbrink, John I enclose a check for $25.00 from Dorothy and me for a small assist to the Muriel Lester visit fund. Merton finding "hermiting much to his taste" «detailed view»
22. 1966/03/04 TL[x] from Heidbrink, John Thank you for the contribution for Miss Lester's trip. She has arrived and is properly settled in Merton's new vocation as a hermit / Dan Berrigan in Mexico / Catholic Peace Fellowship and the Fellowship of Reconciliation «detailed view»
23. 1968/03/25 TALS to Merton I have long wanted to write you to share with you a number of things and to make a proposal about ✓ «detailed view»
24. 1968/03/29 TL[c] from Merton You mention sending five letters last year and not getting a reply. I remember getting two ✓ «detailed view»
25. 1968/04/22 TLS to Merton Thank you for your good letter. It raises one or two problems that I want to be absolutely sure ✓ «detailed view»
26. 1968/04/25 TL[c] from Merton This is an immediate reply, in order to clear up any confusions about possibilities for the Meeting. ✓ «detailed view»
27. 1972/09/22 TLS to Center from Steere, Douglas Thank you for your letter asking for material by or on Thomas Merton. I cannot at the moment go «detailed view»
28. 1972/09/29 TL[c] from Center to Steere, Douglas Thank you for your response to our recent request for Thomas Merton correspondence. The record «detailed view»
29. 1973/01/19 TL[c] from Center to Steere, Douglas Thank you for the xeroxed copy of the letter from Thomas Merton to you, dated January 19, 1966. «detailed view»
30. 1973/02/02 TLS to Center from Steere, Douglas I sent you the longish memo that I set down after our visit with Thomas Merton back in 1962. «detailed view»
31. 1984/12/31 TCS to Friend This sketch of summer time at the Snowmass Cistercian House may be well known to you. opinions about Michael Mott's book The Seven Mountains of Thomas Merton and Patrick Hart's Thomas Merton, Monk «detailed view»
32. undated/no/no TLS to Merton This is just a swift note to send with this copy of Edgar Brookes pamphlet that is just off ✓ «detailed view»
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