Thomas Merton

Thomas Merton (1915 – 1968)

Despite the numerous and notable Catholic witnesses, martyrs, and heroes in the troubled and violent history of faith in the 20^th century, Thomas Merton is one of the most striking examples of the struggle to find God in the most godless centuries.

Merton was born in France in World War I to bohemian artist parents of no genuine faith. When he lost his mother at an early age, he traveled with his painter father or was shunted off to boarding schools and grandparents on the continent and Staten Island. Merton embarked on a life of pleasure and rebellion when his father died. When he entered Columbia University, he lived in the frenzy of cigarettes, alcohol, jazz, and novel writing. He became serious about his literary vocation and, after reading a book about medieval philosophy, first began to explore and then, in 1938, converted to Catholicism.

At the outbreak of World War II, Merton was attracted to the monastic life, entered the austere Trappist Abbey of Gethsemane in Kentucky, and returned to his writing under obedience. His autobiography, The Seven Story Mountain, about his journey and conversion, became an international bestseller, followed by dozens of other books and articles on spirituality and mysticism.

Merton became increasingly restless both intellectually and spiritually. By the late 50s and early 60s, he was exploring, more and more, the questions of nuclear war, racial injustice, poverty, and interfaith dialogue with a growing interest in Buddhism. Merton steadfastly but peacefully opposed the war in Vietnam. On a tour of Southeast Asia in 1968 (where he met the Dalai Lama at Dharamsala, India), Merton died in his room from accidental electrocution while attending a conference outside Bangkok.

The Thomas Merton tile was created in 2022. Our 12" X 12" signed and numbered reproduction is created on stretch canvas and is suitable for matting and framing.