Fifty years after his untimely death, Thomas Merton (1915-1968) remains one of the world’s most widely read, talked about, and beloved authors, poets, contemplatives, and spiritual teachers. But how did this Trappist monk become world famous? What were his thoughts, his struggles, his hopes, and his insights as he acclimated to a life of silence … [Read more…]
The next meeting of the International Thomas Merton Society, Grand Rapids Chapter, will be Wednesday, February 8th at 7pm in the Community Room at Baker Book House, which is near the corner of East Paris and 28th Street in Grand Rapids, Michigan. On that night, we will begin to study Thomas Merton’s book Contemplative Prayer, … [Read more…]
Last night’s meeting of the Grand Rapids Chapter of the International Thomas Merton Society was fascinating. One of the best yet. Thank you! To start, we watched another 20-25 minutes of the DVD about Merton’s life titled Soul Searching. Then we finished discussing the chapters on prayer in New Seeds of Contemplation that Fr. Patrick … [Read more…]
In the next meeting of the Thomas Merton Society of Grand Rapids we will discuss prayer – as Thomas Merton understood it, and as he wrote about it in his important and influential book New Seeds of Contemplation. If you don’t yet have a copy of New Seeds of Contemplation, you can buy one at … [Read more…]
We are thrilled to introduce the new Grand Rapids, Michigan, chapter of the International Thomas Merton Society. Our first meeting will be held Wednesday, May 11, at 7pm in the Community Room at Baker Book House, which is located near the corner of 28th Street and East Paris in Southeast Grand Rapids. That evening, we’ll … [Read more…]