Spiritual Hero of the Past

Thomas Merton

Mystic, Poet and Critical Thinker

Who Was Thomas Merton?

Thomas Merton, who was born on January 31, 1915, was a famous 20th century Catholic writer. He was a Trappist monk from the Abbey of Gethsemani, Kentucky, but at the same time he was also a poet, social activist, and a student of comparative religion, a branch of religious study. Merton was ordained to the priesthood in 1949, and was given the name Father Louis.

Throughout his life Merton wrote many extraordinary books. Some become very well known. His books are mostly about spirituality, quiet pacifism, and social justice. Merton was keen about interfaith understanding, and had written more than 70 books up until his death. He adopted the prospect of interfaith understanding due to his knowledge about Eastern religions even before he was baptized as a Catholic. Even after he became a priest, Merton continued to study  Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Sufism, and Jainism. He was interested in the said religions’ depth of human experience.  

One of his famous books, The Seven Story Mountain, was his autobiography. It reflected on his life and his quest for his faith in God which led to his conversion into a devout Catholic. The book became a source of hope and energy after the disaster of the World War II. It also became the reason why a lot of young men became attracted to the Catholic practice and beliefs, and many went on to become monks. His other books that were later  published also became famous due to their intensity on the social justice issues as well as the civil right movement and the makings of nuclear arms. Thomas Merton became influential after his death and is now recognized as one of the most important 20th century Catholic thinker and mystic. His works became a tool to the rise of spiritual exploration that began at around 1960s to 1970s in the US.

Thomas Merton has been in close association with the Bellarmine University in Kentucky. Due to this, the university established the Thomas Merton Center wherein his archives and works are kept. There are also special awards and establishments that are named after him. The Thomas Merton Award is a peace prize, which has been awarded since 1972 by the Thomas Merton Center for Peace and Social Justice in Pittsburgh. Bishop Morocco/Thomas Merton Catholic Secondary School in downtown Toronto, Canada is named in part after him.

Thomas Merton is commemorated in the Calendar of saints of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America on December 10.