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Click HERE for a Sneak Preview!
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Teresa Sandoval and Mom at the Plaque Dedication,
commemorating a Merton epiphany 40 years ago! Corner of 4th and Walnut (now Muhammad Ali
Blvd.) 3/18/98 |
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My un-official Merton guide, guru, and I am happy to say
friend, Jonathan Montaldo. Jonathan is the editor of Entering the Silence: becoming a monk & writer - The journals of
Thomas Merton; Volume Two 1941 - 1952 (Harper Collins, 1996)
Jonathan is an internationally known Merton scholar, writer, lecturer, and member of the
board of directors of the ITMS. He also serves as one of the advisors to The Merton
Seasonal A Quarterly Review published by the Thomas Merton Center at Bellarmine
College. This photograph was taken by me at the Abbey of Gethsemani, in February 1997. I
had the pleasure of being introduced to the journals of Thomas Merton during a Bellarmine
extension course, Thomas Merton - Wisdom and the Remembered Self: An Introduction to the
Private Journals, taught by Jonathan. He has provided wonderful insight, scholarship, and
inspiration both as a teacher, and a friend. |
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These two gentlemen, Barry and Jack, were also at 4th &
Walnut for the plaque "unveiling." Both of these man carry a message of love,
hope and caring in a world that today sometimes seems anything but capable of valuing
those qualities. They are my own revelation, inspiration, and provide a vision for me
today, one day at a time. |
People are always asking me, Who is Thomas Merton?
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The official line is that he was a monk, and a writer. He
lived the majority of his life in the Abbey of Gethsemani located near Bardstown,
Kentucky. He died in a tragic accident in Thailand in 1968, attending a conference to
study similarities and differences in Eastern & Western Monastic traditions. His
influences were wide ranging, and his impact profound on many people, myself included. If
you don't know who he is you are not alone, but he is regarded as one of the most
significant spiritual influences of the century we are closing out. |
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