Thursday, October 1, 2009

CATHEDRAL DEANERY — St. Monica-St. George Parish Newman Center is sponsoring a year of events devoted to writer, activist and Trappist Monk Thomas Merton.

A monk and priest at the Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani in Kentucky, Father Merton became an influential public figure after the publication of his best-selling spiritual autobiography, The Seven Storey Mountain, in 1948. Encouraged by his superiors, Father Merton continued writing and eventually produced several popular books that made contemplative prayer accessible to a general audience.

Scheduled to begin Oct. 27 and end May 25, the events will feature presentations on Father Merton’s wide-ranging life and work by Christine Bochen, Bonnie Thurston, Paul Pearson and other prominent scholars. Also featured will be a Merton retreat and Still Point Theatre Collective’s performance of “The Hermit in New York,” a professional touring play about Father Merton’s life.

The parish community hopes this immersion into the monk’s spiritual journey will encourage participants to expand their relationships with God, themselves, others and all of creation.

The keynote address, “Thomas Merton: Poet and Prophet for a New Century,” by Chris Pramuk, is scheduled for Oct. 27, 7-9:15 p.m. All events will take place in the St. Monica-St George Parish Center, 328 W. McMillan St., Cincinnati. For a detailed schedule of events, contact Anne Boltz at 513-381-6400, ext. 114, or at [email protected].