Thomas Merton Society of Great Britain and Ireland

The Thomas Merton Society

of Great Britain & Ireland

Since 1993, The Thomas Merton Society of Great Britain & Ireland has been at the forefront of exploring the life & writings of Merton and his impact on the contemporary world, with conferences, retreats and the publication of the Merton Journal.

Oakham Residential Conference 2022

Where is Our Hope?

Thursday 7th April to Saturday 9th April 2022

Key note speakers:

Christopher Pramuk

Christopher Pramuk is a theologian and
spiritual writer at Regis University,
Denver, CO, author of Sophia —
the hidden Christ of Thomas Merton.

Teresa Forcades

Teresa Forcades OSB is a Benedictine nun.
Catalan by birth, she is a speaker and writer, and who also practices as a doctor on the
outskirts of Barcelona, Spain.

Conference Artist in Residence: Mike Quirke

Also participating:	Swasti Bhattacharrya	Malcolm Cash	James Cronin
Larry Culliford	Peter Ellis	Fiona Gardner	Gary Hall
Gregory Hillis	Dan Horan	William Horan	Farai Mapamula
Bernadette McNary-Zak	Fr Sam McNally- Cross	Gordon Oyer	Paul Pearson
Paul Pynkoski	Sophronia Scott	Angela Sheard

As Merton wrote in his circular letter of Lent, 1967:

The real root of Christian hope is the presence of the Risen Lord among us.

All are welcome to join us as we explore how this might be lived out
in our lives, in our communities, in our world.

Previous Conference Programmes

£240 (members) £260 (non-members) Day rates available

Conference Flyer Booking Form

Dates for your diary

Mystic Paths for Contemporary Seekers

A Hybrid event led by Daniel P. Horan OFM held at The Meditatio Centre and on-line

Saturday 23 October 2021 Time: 10:30 am – 4.00 pm UK time

Location: The Meditatio Centre, St Mark’s, Myddelton Sq London EC1R 1XX

Booking details

The Seven Storey Mountain
An online reading group

Sunday 7 November 2021 20:00 - 21:00 UK time

The St Martin-in-the-Fields and Heartedge Reading Group will discuss Thomas Merton's
The Seven Storey Mountain with Revd Dr Sam Wells

Further details

Oakham Residential Conference 2022

13th General meeting of the Thomas Merton Society
of Great Briain and Ireland

Held at Oakham Scool Thursday 7th April - Saturday 9th April

Coronavirus Pandemic

Although for many, self-isolation means a radical change in their circumstances, Merton saw that the frenetic pace of our modern society "isolates a man in the worst way, separates him from reality in a way that is almost painless." As he wrote in 'Solitude is not separation' in New Seeds of Contemplation, "The constant din of empty words and machine noises, the endless booming of loudspeakers end by making true communication and true communion almost impossible. Each individual in the mass is insulated by thick layers of insensibility." Self-isolation gives us all a chance to slow down, to take stock, to examine our motives and values, to rediscover our shared humanity amid all the pain and heartache of this crisis.

Complete text of 'Solitude is not Separation' - used with permission of the Merton Legacy Trust

On-line resources for exploring the
life, work and legacy of Thomas Merton

Video clips:

The conclusion of Merton's final lecture delivered in Bangkok on the day he died
Where to begin with Thomas Merton? - A brief guide by Dan Horan OFM
Fr Mathew Kelty on Thomas Merton Part 1 Part 2
Thomas Merton's Prayer - with a commentary by James Finley

Audio resources:

Recordings of Merton's lectures to his novices are available to download at Learn25. This company has taken over the distribution of the recordings previously issued by Nowyouknowmedia.com.

Encountering Silence has many podcasts available by such writers and teachers as Cynthia Bourgeault, Martin Laird, Richard Rohr, James Finley and Br Paul Quenon - the last two knew Merton personally. These talks offer insights into many of the themes explored by Merton including silence and contemplation.

Turning to the Mystics, a series of podcasts by James Finley which take us deep to the heart of Merton's insights on the true self.

Blogs: Many blogs post articles and features relating to Thomas Merton's work and legacy, including those by Fiona Gardner & Jim Forest.
(For any suggestions for blogs to be included here, email: website@thomasmertonsociety.org.uk)

The written word:

Merton wrote more than 50 books during his time as a Trappist monk, mostly on spirituality and social justice, along with many essays, reviews, volumes of poetry as well as extensive personal journals. A select bibliography

Links to related websites of interest:

Wikipedia article on Thomas Merton
The Thomas Merton Centre at Bellarmine University and The International Thomas Merton Society

Social Media

The Society has a Twitter account with daily Merton quotes: @Thomas MertonGBI
The Thomas Merton Center in Louisville's Twitter account: @MertonCenter

The Merton Collection

Over the years the Society has built up a comprehensive collection of books, journals and volumes of letters by Merton along with a wide range of critical commentaries on Merton's work as well as recordings of talks and conferences given by Merton. In recent years the collection has been housed at St Michael's Priory, Willen outside Milton Keynes. Following the Priory's closure in 2019, the collection has been moved to Turvey Abbey - though access at present to the collection is not possible.

Details about the Collection

Selected Recent Publications

Our Centenary Edition of The Merton Journal, Universal Vision, is an enlarged volume of 200 pages with contributors from across Europe. It explores Merton's profound legacy in a unique collection of essays and meditations; and it also includes some of Merton's own newly-discovered student articles from his time at Cambridge University in 1933-34.

All members receive copies of the Journal. Further copies are available for £8.99 +P&P. Contact centenary.edition@thomasmertonsociety.org.uk for further details.