2026 Celebration Call for Contributions

Our celebration will be held 10 - 12 April 2026 at Sarum College, Salisbury, UK with the theme

Embracing the Present Moment - Possibilities and Challenges

Merton wrote in Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander:

In a time of drastic change one can be too preoccupied with what is ending or too obsessed with what seems to be beginning. In either case one loses touch with the present and with its obscure but dynamic possibilities. What really matters is openness, readiness, attention, courage to face risk. You do not need to know precisely what is happening, or exactly where it is all going. What you need is to recognize the possibilities and challenges offered by the present moment, and to embrace them with courage, faith, and hope. In such an event, courage is the authentic form taken by love.

We invite proposals from those wishing to make a contribution to our celebration in response to Merton's uplifting and encouraging words.

 Contributions could include an academic paper, an audio-visual presentation, leading a workshop, discussion group or guided meditation – the choice is yours.

Click here to downlaod a proposal form and submission details