Finding Aid for the Thomas Merton Papers, 1968-1969
MS-2434 University of Tennessee Special Collections Library, Knoxville, TN
Encoded by: Elizabeth Dunham, July 13, 2006.
Summary Information
Thomas Merton Papers
Date/Date Range : 1968-1969
0.1 linear feet
Abstract: The six items of the Thomas Merton Papers, 1968-1969, include speeches, letters and vitae about or by Father Thomas Merton from the Abbey of Gethsemani, Kentucky (mostly from the fall of 1968).
MS-2434
University of Tennessee Special Collections Library, Knoxville, TN
Access and Use
Collection is property of UT Special Collections.
Collection is open for research.
The copyright interests in this collection remain with the creator. For more information, contact the Special Collections Library.
[Identification of Item], Thomas Merton Papers, MS-2434. University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Special Collections Library.
Arrangement
Collection consists of a single folder.
Biography / History
Trappist monk Thomas Merton (1915-1968) was born to artist Owen Merton and his wife in France and raised in the United States and Bermuda until 1926, when his father moved him to Europe. He studied modern languages at Cambridge in England from 1933 to 1934 and attended Columbia University in America from 1935 to 1939. In 1938, he graduated with a B.A. and the next year with an M.A. From 1939 to 1941 Merton taught English, subsequently entering the Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky. There he became a subdeacon in 1948, an ordained priest in 1949, Master of the Students (1951-1955), and Master of Novices in (1955-1965). Merton retired in 1965 after receiving a Medal for Excellence from Columbia and an Honorary LL.D. from the University of Kentucky. He died while at a conference in Bangkok on December 10, 1968. Throughout his years, Merton wrote, compiled, and translated many books and poems, and there have been many posthumous publications, totaling to seventy printed works. He was also the editor and a contributor of several publications.
Collection Scope and Content Note
The six items of the Thomas Merton Papers, 1968-1969, include speeches, letters and vitae of Father Thomas Merton from the Abbey of Gethsemani, Kentucky. Two letters from the fall of 1968, discuss his trip to conferences in Asia. There is a curriculum vitae and list of his works as well as a copy of notes for a piece of writing. One item is a copy of speeches from or about Merton. There are five separate items within this one; three pertain with his speeches in Asian conferences from October and December 1968, two are homilies given by fathers after the death of Merton in Bangkok on December 10, 1968.
Subject Terms
- Merton, Thomas, 1915-1968.
- Catholic Church -- Kentucky.
- Catholic Church -- Clergy.
Contents List
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1
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Item
1
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Letter from Merton at the Abbey of Gethsemani, Ky. to "Dear Friends" about his trips and inability to answer letters, write articles, or keep up-to-date on political issues, 1968
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1
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Item
2
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"Asian Letter 1" from Merton in New Delhi, India, to "Dear Friends" about his trip in Asia, 1968 November 9
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1
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Item
3
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Copies of several speeches: "Marxist Theory and Monastic Theoria" by Thomas Merton from a conference at Bangkok on December 10, 1968; "Monastic Experience and East-West Dialogue" by Thomas Merton from a conference in October 1968; Notes for the speech in October 1968; "Homily at the Mass for Father M. Louis (Thomas Merton)" by Father M. Flavian Burns, Abbot of Gethsemani on December 11, 1968; "Homily for the Funeral Mass of Father Louis Merton, O.C.S.O." by Rev. Daniel C. Walsh, Ph.D., on December 17, 1968, 1968 October-1968 December
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1
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Item
4
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Curriculum Vitae for Thomas Merton, circa 1968
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1
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Item
5
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List of Thomas Merton publications and works, 1969
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| Folder
1
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Item
6
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Notes for a piece of work, undated
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