Thomas Merton and the Celts offers a new lens through which to view Merton's li fe and spirituality. By examining unpublished letters, notebooks, and taped conferences for the Trappist novices--previously unavailable to the general reader--the author breaks new ground in Merton studies, revealing Merton's growing fascination with his Welsh ancestry, Celtic monasticism, and early Irish hermit poetry. Merton, having immersed himself in reading about Celtic Christianity--not just about liturgy, but about household rituals, illuminated manuscripts, high crosses, and hermit poetry as well--recognized in these ancient hermits who lived on "water and herbs," experienced kinship with creatures, and wrote poems about the birds a mirror of his own desires. Indeed, in a profound way and at a deep level, Merton discovered himself in Celtic Christianity.

Thomas Merton and the Celts offers a new lens through which to view Merton's life and spirituality. By examining unpublished letters, notebooks, and taped conferences for the Trappist novices--previously unavailable to the general reader--the author breaks new ground in Merton studies, revealing Merton's growing fascination with his Welsh ancestry, Celtic monasticism, and early Irish hermit poetry. Merton, having immersed himself in reading about Celtic Christianity--not just about liturgy, but about household rituals, illuminated manuscripts, high crosses, and hermit poetry as well--recognized in these ancient hermits who lived on ""water and herbs,"" experienced kinship with creatures, and wrote poems about the birds a mirror of his own desires. Indeed, in a profound way and at a deep level, Merton discovered himself in Celtic Christianity. ""Monica Weis has done a wonderful job of pulling together from Thomas Merton's vast corpus, published and unpublished, his many references to Celtic Christianity, in particular to its literary, monastic, and eremitical traditions. She brings them together into an integrated paradigm of understanding that Merton was a pilgrim and a hermit, and a man who moved back and forth, as did many of the Celtic monks, between home and exile. Particularly interesting are her revisionist views of St. Patrick and of the Synod of Whitby, and (a revelation to me) her exposition of Irish hermit poetry. Warmly recommended."" --Donald Grayston, Former President, Thomas Merton Society of Canada and International Thomas Merton Society; author, Thomas Merton and the Noonday Demon (Cascade, 2015) ""Monica Weis's presentation of Merton's interest in Celtic Christianity is thorough and engaging, giving the reader a rich depiction of how the vibrancy of the Celtic world captivated and inspired Thomas Merton in the final decade of his life. The enthusiasm of both Merton and Weis for their subject is infectious and will encourage the reader in their own search for both the 'Promised Land of the Saints' and in their striving to live out of a 'transfigured center.'"" --Paul M. Pearson, Director, Thomas Merton Center ""Known for her insightful study of Thomas Merton's environmental vision, Monica Weis now invites readers to join her in exploring Merton's abiding fascination and deep resonance with Celts and Celtic Christianity. Carefully researched and skillfully written, this book adds a vital dimension to our understanding of Merton's spirituality. A fresh, rich, and valuable contribution to Merton studies and to the growing body of work on Celtic spirituality!"" --Christine M. Bochen, Professor of Religious Studies and William H. Shannon Chair in Catholic Studies, Nazareth College ""Monica Weis quotes from a letter of Thomas Merton to Hans Urs Von Balthasar confessing that his own immersion in the study, scholarly and personal, of Celtic monasticism has become 'a real avocation with me. . . . I can think of nowhere in the West where monastic culture was so drenched in brilliant color and form, with such dazzled love of God's beauty.' It is the special gift of this book that Weis has captured the multi-textured dimensions of Merton's 'Celtophilia, ' and in so unearthing the familial and intellectual roots of his love of the Celtic imagination has compellingly demonstrated Merton's realization that in discovering the Celtic world a whole new perspective had opened up for him--and for us as well, thanks to Weis's diligent and ardent labor of love."" --Michael W. Higgins, Religious Studies Professor and Vice-President for Mission and Catholic Identity, Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, CT Monica Weis, SSJ is Professor Emerita of English at Nazareth College, Rochester, NY. She is the author of Thomas Merton's Gethsemani: Landscapes of Paradise (2005) and The Environmental Vision of Thomas Merton (2011).

Previously unpublished material from world-renowned Trappist monk and author, Thomas Merton, featuring the final conference talks given in the United States before his untimely death. In May and October of 1968, Thomas Merton offered two extended conferences at Our Lady of the Redwoods Abbey, a Cistercian women’s community in Northern California. Comprising over twenty-six hours of previously unpublished material, Thomas Merton in California covers a variety of topics including ecology and consciousness, yoga and Hinduism, Native American ritual and rites of passage, Sufi spirituality, and inter-religious dialogue, along with extended discussions on prayer and the contemplative life. The material presented in these talks reveals Merton’s wide-ranging intellectual and spiritual pursuits in the final year of his life, and fills a long-standing lacuna around Merton's visits to Redwoods Monastery, forming a necessary bridge to the Asian journey that was to come. Practical and applicable, as well as searching and inspired, Thomas Merton in California is essential for Merton readers and scholars, and all those interested in deepening their spiritual lives.

Nature was always vital in Thomas Merton’s life, from the long hours he spent as a child watching his father paint landscapes in the fresh air, to his final years of solitude in the hermitage at Our Lady of Gethsemani, where he contemplated and wrote about the beauty of his surroundings. Throughout his life, Merton’s study of the natural world shaped his spirituality in profound ways, and he was one of the first writers to raise concern about ecological issues that have become critical in recent years. In The Environmental Vision of Thomas Merton, author Monica Weis suggests that Merton’s interest in nature, which developed significantly during his years at the Abbey of Gethsemani, laid the foundation for his growing environmental consciousness. Tracing Merton’s awareness of the natural world from his childhood to the final years of his life, Weis explores his deepening sense of place and desire for solitude, his love and responsibility for all living things, and his evolving ecological awareness.

Do you need more of "God alone" in your life? Do you need more solitude and silence in the midst of this crazy modern world? Do you need some support from like-minded folks also called to this way of life? If so, you've found the right book!The whimsical title of this little book is "Monk Dynasty" but the content is a serious understanding of monastic history in a way that is informative, fun, and engaging for everyone who reads it.Written by the founder of a new, integrated monastic community who has lived the monastic life for nearly 40 years, the lessons presented, from the past and the present, will help you follow Jesus more completely in the midst of this crazy, modern world.

For twenty-seven years, renowned and beloved monk Thomas Merton (1915-1968) belonged to Our Lady of Gethsemani, a Trappist monastery established in 1848 amid the hills and valleys near Bardstown, Kentucky. In Thomas Merton's Gethsemani, dramatic black-and-white photographs by Harry L. Hinkle and artful text by Merton scholar Monica Weis converge in a unique experience for lovers of Merton. Hinkle was allowed unprecedented access to many areas inside the monastery and on its grounds that are generally restricted. His photographs invite the reader to experience the various knobs, lakes, woods, and hermitages Merton sought out for times of solitude and contemplation and for reading and writing. These unique images, each accompanied by a passage from Merton's writings, evoke personal reflection and a deeper understanding of how and why Merton came to recognize himself as a part of his Kentucky landscape. Woven throughout the book, Weis's text explores Merton's fascination with nature not only at Gethsemani, but during his early childhood, throughout his spiritual conversion to Roman Catholicism, and while a member of the Trappist community. She examines how Merton's lifelong interaction with nature subtly revealed and informed his profound spiritual experiences and his writing about contemplation. Thomas Merton's Gethsemani replicates Merton's path on his solitary hikes in the woods and conveys the wonder of the landscapes that inspired him.

The Celtic Christians beheld the world around them and perceived the divine life of God as upholding every aspect of the material universe. Their prayers and poems, their liturgies and theological interpretations give Christians a sense of faith that is confident in a merciful and infinitely creative, healing God.