The next meeting of the Grand Rapids chapter of the International Thomas Merton Society will be Wednesday, October 11th, at 7pm at Baker Book House, which is located near the corner of East Paris and 28th Street in Grand Rapids, Michigan. We will finish Merton’s superb book Thoughts In Solitude.
Our next book is a fairly slim volume that’s nevertheless packed with powerful insights: Thoughts in Solitude. Before our next meeting, please read the following: PrefacePart One (“Aspects of the Spiritual Life”) As we mentioned, the book is fairly slim. So half of it only amounts to about 70 pages. If you haven’t come to a … [Read more…]
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…]
Fifty years after his untimely death, Trappist monk 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 he get to be Thomas Merton, the world-famous monk? What were his thoughts, his struggles, his hopes, and his insights as he acclimated … [Read more…]
The next meeting of the Grand Rapids chapter of the International Thomas Merton Society will be Wednesday, June 12th, at 7pm at Baker Book House in Grand Rapids, Michigan. We will discuss the next two chapters (pages 89-180) in Merton’s book The Sign of Jonas, which is available at Baker Book House. We look forward … [Read more…]
Fifty years after his untimely death, Trappist monk 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 he get to be Thomas Merton? What made him the world-famous monk that he is? What were his thoughts, his struggles, his hopes, … [Read more…]
Because of a scheduling conflict, the next meeting of the Grand Rapids chapter of the International Thomas Merton Society will be March 20th, not March 13th. As you may know by now, we normally meet the second Wednesday of every month, and we will return to that schedule starting in April. But for the month … [Read more…]
In our February 13th meeting, we will discussion Chapters 8-10 in Merton’s book The Inner Experience. Plus, we will hear a short (15 minutes or so) presentation/discussion from group member Bob Hudson, author of the recently published book The Monk’s Record Player: Thomas Merton., Bob Dylan, and the Perilous Summer of 1966. Bob would like … [Read more…]
We take the month of December off to give everyone one less thing to do in an already too-busy month. That means the next meeting of the Grand Rapids chapter of the International Thomas Merton Society will be Wednesday, January 9th, at 7pm at Baker Book House on the corner of East Paris and 28th … [Read more…]
The next meeting of the Grand Rapids chapter of The International Thomas Merton Society is scheduled for Wednesday, November 14th, at 7pm at Baker Book House. It will be the last meeting in 2018. Our group takes the month of December off so that people can get their shopping and baking and family visits and … [Read more…]