Interview with Lawrence Cunningham, November 3, 2005

Partial Transcript: Why would anybody care about this guy who's been dead for forty years?

Segment Synopsis: Cunningham describes Thomas Merton as a writer who died in 1968 but whose books are still in print today. He argues that when books are in print many years after the author's death, people are probably finding important things in them. Cunningham says that Merton was a great writer because he wrote about deep, spiritual things without sounding pious, he spoke as a poet and out of experiences.

Keywords: Catholicism; Monasticism; Piety; Poems

Subjects: Authors; Catholic authors.; Christian authors; Clergy as authors.; Merton, Thomas, 1915-1968.; Poetry.; Poets; Religious poetry.

Partial Transcript: I'm gonna take the viewer through various stages of his life, and so can you give me a thumbnail sketch of, uh, Merton in New York at Columbia pre-conversion?

Segment Synopsis: Cunningham talks about what Merton was like before he became Catholic. Cunningham describes him as an intellectual who read modernist literature. He talks about Merton reading the works of people who were searching for a framework to live in after World War I. He says that when Merton was in New York during the Great Depression, he considered communism, he also liked jazz and was involved with others in artistic movements.

Keywords: Modernism; Modernists; T.S. Elliot; WW1; WWI; World War 1; World War I; World War One

Subjects: Blake, William, 1757-1827.; Catholic intellectuals.; Communism and intellectuals.; Communism.; Communists; Donne, John, 1572-1631.; Elliot, Thomas (Writer); Great Depression and the New Deal; Hopkins, Gerard Manley, 1844-1889.; Jazz; Johnson, Lyndon B. (Lyndon Baines), 1908-1973.; Joyce, James, 1882-1941.; Merton, Thomas, 1915-1968.; Modernism (Aesthetics); Reinhardt, Ad, 1913-1967; World War, 1914-1918.

Partial Transcript: Um, why was he drawn to Cathol--to Catholicism? What about it would have appealed to this young man you just described?

Segment Synopsis: Cunningham talks about a collection of essays published after the second world war that talk about how former Marxists became Catholic, essentially trading one extreme worldview for another. He describes how Merton loved Catholic literature, such as works by Dante and Gerard Manley Hopkins, Merton bought a book by Etienne Gilson about the medieval philosophy and Thomas Aquinas, and it made him realize that everything was interconnected. Cunningham says this led him to read other Catholic literature, and explains that this was all taking place during the Catholic Renaissance, and famous Catholic philosophers such as Jacques Maritain became friends of Merton's.

Keywords: Catholic Renaissance; Marxism; Marxists; The God That Failed Essays; Thomas Aquinas; Worldviews

Subjects: Catholic Church.; Catholics.; Christian philosophy.; Christianity; Communism.; Communists; Dante Alighieri, 1265-1321.; Day, Dorothy; Gill, Eric, 1882-1940; Gilson, Étienne, 1884-1978; Gilson, Étienne, 1884-1978. Thomisme. English; Maritain, Jacques, 1882-1973; Maritain, Jacques, 1882-1973.; Maritain, Raïssa; Merton, Thomas, 1915-1968.; Philosophy.; Socialism.; Thomas, Aquinas, Saint, 1225?-1274

Partial Transcript: Um, you don't have to go into great detail on this, but often in his writing an--and I think in the way you wrote about this period, you talk about his--sort of his debate with Descartes.

Segment Synopsis: Cunningham talks about how Merton was interested in the idea of the true self. He explains that there is a false sense of "I" when we use the Descartes version of ego. He says that we project a false ego to other people as a superficial self or mask, and that, as a contemplative, Merton understood that there was something deeper in people. Cunningham talks about Merton's concept of La Pointe Vierge, or the Virginal Point, who said that this Virginal Point is a part of God in each of us.

Keywords: False Self; God; La Pointe Vierge; Masks; The Virginal Point; True Self

Subjects: Descartes, René, 1596-1650.; Descartes, René, 1596-1650. Discours de la méthode; Ego; Ego, Christian; Holy Spirit.; Merton, Thomas, 1915-1968.; Spirit.

Partial Transcript: This is, uh, sort of a very broad question, but if you would just focus it in on Merton. I'm trying to convey to the viewer what happens in a conversion?

Segment Synopsis: Cunningham defines conversion using the New Testament. He talks about how we have a surface level view of conversion as a very rapid change of life. Cunningham describes how Merton experienced conversion. He says that Merton had a whole series of conversions where he kept going deeper into the Christian faith. Cunningham states that Merton changed from a nominal Christian to a practicing Catholic, and he starts thinking about all kinds of parts he could play within the religion. Merton was torn between becoming a social worker and joining the monastery, and he chose the monastery.

Keywords: Catherine de Hueck Doherty; Catholicism; Metanoia; Monasticism; New Testament; Nominal Christian; Road to Damascus; William James

Subjects: Bible.; Bible. New Testament.; Catholics; Christianity; Christians; Conversion--Catholic Church.; Conversion.; Doherty, Catherine de Hueck, 1896-1985; Harlem (New York, N.Y.); James, William, 1842-1910.; James, William, 1842-1910. Varieties of religious experience; Monasteries; Monasticism and religious orders.; Monks; Social workers

Partial Transcript: Give a description of the impact of Gethsemani on him for his retreat.

Segment Synopsis: Cunningham talks about the differences between Gethsemani in the time of Merton and Gethsemani today. He talks about how Gethsemani was very cloistered and had very few Americans in it. Cunningham describes how people initially view monasteries as very peaceful and romanticized, but it is actually more tough than that. Cunningham thinks Merton found the monastery attractive because it was so different and otherworldly, and it was the opposite of his former life.

Keywords: Abbot Frederic Dunne; Cambridge University; Catholicism; Cloisters; Erasmus of Rotterdam; Gethsemani Abbey; Monasticism; Owen Merton; Ruth Jenkins; Trappism

Subjects: Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani (Trappist, Ky.); Catholics; Columbia University; Dunne, Mary Frederic, 1874-1948; Erasmus, Desiderius, -1536.; Merton, Thomas, 1915-1968.; Monks; Trappist (Ky.); Trappists; Trappists.; University of Cambridge

Partial Transcript: I think Merton is now the true believer that observing Catholic to a fault--talk about how, uh, his priggishness I believe as you put it, you know, just how hardcore he was.

Segment Synopsis: Cunningham talks about how difficult life in a monastery can be. He compares it to other regimented ways of living. Cunningham talks about how Merton did not quite fit in at the monastery, since he could be high-energy and temperamental. Cunningham imagines that the monastic life must have seemed oppressive to Merton due to the unending repetition. He then tells the story of how he was talking to an older monk, and the older monk told him that it takes a year to internalize life in a monastery, and, if a monk does not internalize it after a year, it can drive him crazy.

Keywords: Father Matthew; Misfits; Monasticism; Repetition; Schedule

Subjects: Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani (Trappist, Ky.); Artists; Merton, Thomas, 1915-1968.; Monasteries; Monasticism and religious orders.; Monks

Partial Transcript: Give me a sense of the place of the Trappists in the Catholic world.

Segment Synopsis: Cunningham talks about how other Catholics viewed Trappists. He says that in the 1900's, a vast majority of Catholics had probably never heard of Trappists. Cunningham himself knew nothing about Trappists growing up, and his first impression was that it was an odd way to live. He compares Trappists to other lesser known contemplative orders and explains that there were only two Trappists monasteries in the US at the time. Cunningham talks about how the Jesuits were like the marines of the monastic world because of their extensive training, but that Trappists were not well-known. He says that Merton would most likely never heard of Trappists if he had not been told to visit them. He talks about how regimented it was, and how, unlike other monastic orders, they had no recreation. Cunningham describes the setup and organization of the monastery.

Keywords: Abbot Dom Frederic Dunne; Catholicism; Charles Boyer; Dan Walsh; Gethsemani; Monastery of Our Lady of the Valley; Rhode Island; WW2; WWII; World War 2; World War Two

Subjects: Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani (Trappist, Ky.); Carmelite nuns; Carthusians; Catholic Church; Catholic Church.; Catholics; Contemplation.; Contemplative orders; Dunne, Mary Frederic, 1874-1948; Garden of Allah (Motion picture : 1936); Jesuits; Merton, Thomas, 1915-1968.; Superiors, Religious; Trappist (Ky.); Trappists; World War II; World War Two; World War, 1939-1945.

Partial Transcript: Why, explain to a viewer who knows so little about Merton at this stage, why would this, sort of, reformed rake from New York take to monastic life with such fervor?

Segment Synopsis: Cunningham talks about why he thinks Merton took to monastic life. Cunningham describes the history of Trappism and how it was a reform of the Cistercian order that focused on penance. He says that Merton disagreed with this being the primary focus of monasticism, and Merton thought that it should be about contemplation. Cunningham says that when Merton first joined the monastery, he was satisfied with being penitential because he was deeply aware of his previous sins.

Keywords: Abbey of La Trappe; Cistercian Order; French Monasticism; God's will; Monasticism; Penance; Penitential; Penitentiary; Trappism

Subjects: Abbaye de la Trappe (Soligny-la-Trappe, France); Absolution.; Contemplative orders; France; God--Will.; Merton, Thomas, 1915-1968.; Monasteries; Monastic and religious life.; Monasticism and religious orders.; Monks.; Penance.; Penitentials.; Trappist (Ky.); Trappists

Partial Transcript: Um, without trying to make it a freak show, I would like to bring up some of the odd traits or customs that were part of monastic life.

Segment Synopsis: Cunningham debunks several myths about the Trappist life, such as the idea that monks not allowed mirrors. He talks about one true odd tradition, called the Chapter of Faults. He describes this practice as a time in the day when the monks could confess to tasks they had failed to do properly or accuse each other of failing to meet certain standards. Cunningham says that this practice, which has been abolished now, was created so the monks could strive for greater perfection within the monastery. He says that Lenin appropriated this practice of self-criticism into the communist regime.

Keywords: Chapter of Faults; Customs; Monasticism; Perfectionism; Self-Criticism; Shaves; Shaving; Two-Handed Cups; Vladimir Lenin

Subjects: Communism; Communist self-criticism.; Communists; Contemplative orders; Lenin, Vladimir Ilʹich, 1870-1924.; Monasteries; Monastic and religious life.; Monasticism and religious orders.; Monks.; Soviet Union; Trappists.

Partial Transcript: In a layperson's understanding of things, um, what is, what can we tell them is the point of monastic life?

Segment Synopsis: Cunningham talks about the point of monastic life. He traces the Trappist order all the way back to the Greek fathers of the church in the 4th century. He discusses Merton's question that if all of the monastic traditions disappeared, would the monks still be monks? Cunningham then makes the point that monasticism was started by laypeople, not priests, and that it serves as a different method of practicing faith.

Keywords: Abbey of La Trappe; Benedictine Tradition; Cistercian Movement; Epiphenomena; Greek Fathers of the Church; Monasticism; Rule of Benedict

Subjects: Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani (Trappist, Ky.); Benedictines; Bible; Bible. Acts; Cistercians; Merton, Thomas, 1915-1968.; Monasteries; Monasticism and religious orders.; Monks; Trappists.

Partial Transcript: Could I add another point that you may find interesting? You may or may not want to use this.

Segment Synopsis: Cunningham talks about how Protestant evangelicals are rediscovering monasticism. He talks about experimental groups within the Protestant movement that are trying to live in community. The Protestant monks are trying to pare down to the essentials, which Cunningham says Merton wanted.

Keywords: Evangelicals; Monasticism; Protestant Reformation; Taize Community

Subjects: Communauté de Taizé.; Merton, Thomas, 1915-1968.; Monasticism and religious orders.; Protestant monasticism and religious orders.; Protestants; Reformation.

Partial Transcript: Something that I'd like to, to, this, this person that is more interested in Merton than anything else, if, if I could tell this modern person, what was he trying to do?

Segment Synopsis: Cunningham talks about how monks do not have typical professions, but they live in a way that fulfills them as Christians and transforms them to be closer to God. Cunningham tells the story of when he asked his college students what someone would have to do to completely build their life around their intuition for God's presence. Cunningham then describes Alexander Schmemann's qualifications for being a monk, which includes living like a monk for ten years before becoming a monk.

Keywords: Alexander Schmemann; Catholicism; Christians; Eastern Orthodox Church; Intuitions; Monasticism; Spiritual Direction; Transformation

Subjects: Catholic Church.; Catholics; Christianity; Merton, Thomas, 1915-1968.; Monasteries; Monks; Orthodox Eastern Church.; Orthodox Eastern monasticism and religious orders.; Shmeman, Aleksandr, 1921-1983; Shmeman, Aleksandr, 1921-1983. Journals. Selections. English

Partial Transcript: Could Mer--wh-what I'm trying to create a picture for the viewer is, in 1951, what was Merton thinking?

Segment Synopsis: Cunningham talks about how Merton's ultimate goal was to become a saint. Cunningham then explains the meaning of "dying to self." According to Cunningham, it means that someone tries to overcome their sins or the desires of their flesh. He says that the term comes straight out of the Christian New Testament.

Keywords: Dying to Self; Romans 6:16; Sanctified; Sanctifies; Sanctify; Sanctity; Sins; Transformation; Transformative

Subjects: Bible. New Testament.; Bible. Romans; Christianity; Merton, Thomas, 1915-1968.; Paul, the Apostle, Saint.; Saints.

Partial Transcript: Uh, you mentioned lustful, I mean, here is a man who had been very involved with women, and before he entered the monastery.

Segment Synopsis: Cunningham talks about how Merton vowed himself to chastity, but he did relapse. Cunningham compares it to a married man struggling not to cheat on his wife. Cunningham talks about Merton's conversion when he goes to the monastery, and then when he suffers a physical breakdown, and then when he reaches a new understanding of monasticism. He says Merton had a more acute sense of his own sin than most people.

Keywords: Lust; Lustfulness; Ordained; Priesthood; Saint John of the Cross; Seven Storey Mountain; Sinfulness

Subjects: Juan de la Cruz, fray, active 16th century; Kentucky; Merton, Thomas, 1915-1968.; Merton, Thomas, 1915-1968. Seven storey mountain; Priesthood--Catholic Church.; Priests

Partial Transcript: Um, let's talk a little bit about the Seven Storey Mountain.

Segment Synopsis: Cunningham talks about how religious writing exploded after the second world war. Cunningham describes how The Seven Storey Mountain was the opposite of religious writings of the time because it was critical of secular life. He says that the book appealed to people who experienced trauma during World War II and prompted many Catholics to consider monasticism.

Keywords: Catholicism; Monasticism; Norman Vincent Peale; Peace of Mind; Peace of Soul; Revelation; Saint John of the Cross; The Seven Storey Mountain; WW2; WWII; World War 2; World War Two

Subjects: Asceticism--Catholic Church; Asceticism--Christianity.; Asceticism.; Catholic Church.; Catholics; Juan de la Cruz, fray, active 16th century; Judaism; Liebman, Joshua Loth, 1907-1948; Merton, Thomas, 1915-1968. Seven storey mountain; Monasteries; Monasticism and religious orders.; Peale, Norman Vincent, 1898-1993.; Peale, Norman Vincent, 1898-1993. Power of positive thinking. (Peale); Secularism.; Secularization (Theology); Sheen, Fulton J. (Fulton John), 1895-1979.; Trappists; World War II; World War, 1939-1945.

Partial Transcript: And did he, uh, did he revel in being famous?

Segment Synopsis: Cunningham says that Merton did not see himself as a celebrity after the success of The Seven Storey Mountain, and didn't fully understand how successful it was. Cunningham also says that the monks saw him as a another talented brother, not a celebrity. He talks about how in the past the monks did not get any magazines, but that has changed since. According to Cunningham, the only reason Merton knew he had a reputation was because people were requesting for him to write more.

Keywords: Authors; Celebrities; Father Lewis; Magazines; New York Times; The Seven Storey Mountain; Time Magazine

Subjects: Abbots; Books; Celebrities.; Fame; Famous authors; Merton, Thomas, 1915-1968.; Merton, Thomas, 1915-1968. Seven storey mountain; Monks; Religious literature--Authorship.

Partial Transcript: Um, contrast the Merton persona with the ideal Catholic of the time.

Segment Synopsis: Cunningham contrasts Thomas Merton with other popular Catholic figures. He describes how Catholics were portrayed in movies at the time, especially Bing Crosby.

Keywords: Catholicism; Contemplative; Father Chuck O'Malley; Father Flannigan; Going My Way; Spencer Tracy

Subjects: Catholic Church; Catholic Church.; Catholics; Contemplative orders; Crosby, Bing, 1903-1977.; Going my way (Motion picture); Merton, Thomas, 1915-1968.

Partial Transcript: Describe James Fox and, and the tension that was beginning t--to develop.

Segment Synopsis: Cunningham describes the relationship between Merton and Abbot James Fox. Cunningham describes Abbot James as someone with sentimental piety and a tough way of managing the monks. Cunningham says that Abbot James trusted Merton with all kinds of important responsibilities within the monastery, but did not want Merton to travel outside the monastery or become a public figure, and Merton found that grating. Cunningham says that Abbot James reigned Merton in sometimes from executing crazy ideas, like starting a monastery in Latin America. Cunningham believes it would be unfair to turn Abbot James into an antagonist. He also discusses another monk who was the opposite of Merton named Father Raymond, who, although they had their differences, still loved Merton. Cunningham believes that Abbot James felt the same way as Father Raymond.

Keywords: Abbot James Fox; Confession; Father Raymond; Latin America; Reagan Revolution; Reaganites; Restlessness; The Man Who Got Even With God; Traditionalist

Subjects: Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani (Trappist, Ky.); Catholic traditionalist movement.; Confession--Catholic Church; Fox, James, Abbot of Gethsemani, 1896-1987; Harvard University; Jesuits; M. Raymond, Father, O.C.S.O., 1903-1990; Master of novices; Obedience--Biblical teaching.; Obedience.; Thailand

Partial Transcript: Make that statement and, and justify it.

Segment Synopsis: Cunningham describes Merton as the greatest spiritual master of the 20th century, with the possible exception of C. S. Lewis. He says that Merton and Lewis are very different people, but they were both great Christian writers who write from deep experience. Cunningham also says that as a person, Dorothy Day might have had a great impact on Catholicism, but Merton's writings persist to this day. Cunningham describes the term spiritual master as a spiritual teacher, not someone who is superior to others.

Keywords: Abbot Flavian Burns; C.S. Lewis; Catholicism; Magister; Masters; Spiritual Master

Subjects: Catholic Church.; Catholics; Christian teachers.; Day, Dorothy, 1897-1980.; Islam; Lewis, C. S. (Clive Staples), 1898-1963.; Merton, Thomas, 1915-1968.; Muslims; Teachers; Teachers.

Partial Transcript: Um, what's his greatest contribution as a spiritual thinker, writer.

Segment Synopsis: Cunningham says that he cannot single out Merton's greatest contribution. He then lists Merton's books that he believes will last the longest, which are mostly his religious pieces. Cunningham says that as a person, Merton serves as a model. He views Merton as a person who looked at the modern world, loved what was good, critiqued what was bad, and generally responded to it as a contemplative.

Keywords: Models; New Seeds of Contemplation; Paradigms; Religious Writings; Spiritual Writings; The Seven Storey Mountain; Thoughts In Solitude

Subjects: Authors; Merton, Thomas, 1915-1968.

Partial Transcript: Uh, I don't know if this is your phrase, but you used it in one of the, your writings as uh, you described Merton as kind of a believing beatnik.

Segment Synopsis: Cunningham describes what the term "believing beatnik" means describing Merton. He says that Merton had friends in the beatnik movement. He talks about how he went to a bookstore in San Francisco affiliated with the beatnik movement and seeing copies of books by Merton. Cunningham also says that Merton was interested in many things that the beatniks were interested in, such as jazz, Zen, alternative poetry, left-wing politics, and counter-culture. Cunningham goes on to say that Merton was different because the way he went about those things was through monastic life.

Keywords: Adolf Eichmann; Alternative Poetry; Beatniks; Beats; Bongo drums; City Lights Bookstore; Counter-Culture; Gregory Corso; Left-Wing Politics; Lenny Bruce; Monasticism; Pope Paul VI

Subjects: Beats (Persons); Bohemianism--United States.; Counterculture.; Eichmann, Adolf, 1906-1962.; Ginsberg, Allen; India; Jazz; Merton, Thomas, 1915-1968.; Monasteries; Monasticism and religious orders.; San Francisco (Calif.); Zen Buddhism.

Partial Transcript: Um, you once said that Merton is unclassifiable. Expand on that.

Segment Synopsis: Cunningham talks about the many different ways Merton wrote. He explains that Merton was a monk, a literary critic, a poet, a social justice advocate, a pacifist, and a spiritual theologist, and more. Cunningham gives a few tips on which works of Merton to read based on interest. Cunningham also says that Merton made things very difficult for hagiographers, because he is very different from the types of people who are usually canonized. Cunningham laments the fact that American Bishops have omitted Merton from the new catechism because he was too controversial.

Keywords: Canonization; Charles de Gaulle; Cold War Letters; Episcopacy; Force De Frappe; Hagiographers; Marxism; Marxists; Pacem in Terris; Pope John XXIII; Thermonuclear Testing

Subjects: Bishops; Catechisms; Christian hagiography.; Civil rights.; Cold War.; Communism.; Communists; Hagiography.; Merton, Thomas, 1915-1968.; Pacem in Terris Convocation; Pope, John Alexander, 1906-1982; Saints; Socialism.; Socialists

Partial Transcript: Again, directing this to this viewer who's sorta shaky about this whole monastic life and what's going on, now this guy wants to be a hermit. Wh--what's he trying to accomplish there?

Segment Synopsis: Cunningham explains Merton's life in the hermitage. He talks about how it is a tradition going back to the third century, where it was common for monks who had lived in the monastery for a long time to retire to the hermitage for greater prayer. Cunningham says Merton was one of the first Trappists to ever retire to a hermitage because he wanted more time for solitude, meditation, and writing. Cunningham says that although hermits are rare, it is a natural progression from being in the monastery and argues that although Merton was an imperfect hermit, his years in the hermitage were not a farce. Cunningham talks about how Merton's life was full of paradoxes, and as soon as he decided to simplify one thing, he suddenly had a mania for it.

Keywords: Desert Mothers; Eremitic Lifestyle; Monasticism; Patmos; Restlessness

Subjects: Authors; Desert Fathers; Eremitic life; Greece; Hermitages; Hermits.; Meditations; Merton, Thomas, 1915-1968.; Monasteries; Monasticism and religious orders.; Monks; Paradoxes; Prayer; Saints; Trappist (Ky.); Trappists.

Partial Transcript: This may be tough to do in a bullet point, but his love for the des--for the desert fathers and mothers, uh, talk about that.

Segment Synopsis: Cunningham talks about how Merton was a pioneer in rediscovering ancient monastic literary traditions. He says that Merton was very interested in bringing interest in monastic literature back.

Keywords: Basil Pennington; Bernard of Clairvaux; Cistercian Mystics; Desert Mothers; Jean Leclercq; Latin; Latinists; Monastic literature

Subjects: Bernard, of Clairvaux, Saint, 1090 or 1091-1153.; Cistercians; Classicists; Desert Fathers--Quotations.; Desert Fathers.; Latin language--Church Latin; Latin language.; Liturgical language--Latin; Merton, Thomas, 1915-1968.; Pennington, M. Basil

Partial Transcript: Um, is there any validity at all in the rumors around his death?

Segment Synopsis: Cunningham debunks the rumors that Merton was murdered by the CIA. He says that this rumor is the byproduct of a paranoid imagination, and the most logical explanation is that Merton had a heart attack. Cunningham also rejects the idea that Merton was burnt out toward monasticism. He says that around the time Merton died, despite immersing himself in other religions, he was carrying relics and was very much still a traditional monk. Cunningham says that people look at the journals and lose themselves in the heat of the moment. He says that the world was crazy in the 1960's, and everyone was infected by the craziness, including Merton.

Keywords: Benedictine Sisters; Brievary; CIA; Catholicism; First Class Relics; Heart Attacks; Journaling; Latin Liturgies; Rosaries; Sherlock Holmes; Traveling

Subjects: Buddhism; Catholic Church.; Catholics; Civil rights Movement; Diaries--Authorship.; Electrocution; Hinduism; Jesus Christ--Relics.; Journals; Merton, Thomas, 1915-1968.

Partial Transcript: Uh, why was Saint Anne's so important to him?

Segment Synopsis: Cunningham talks about how Merton found solitude at Saint Anne's. He talks about how the monastery was very crowded because the monks were not allowed to go outside the walls. Cunningham tells a story of how he talked to an monk who was reminiscing about how he was not allowed to go as far as the road when he was younger. Cunningham talks about how Merton loved Saint Anne's because he was desperate for some space in a crowded place.

Keywords: Cloisters; Monasticism; Saint Anne's; St. Anne's

Subjects: Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani (Trappist, Ky.); Cloisters (Architecture); Merton, Thomas, 1915-1968.; Monasteries.; Monasticism and religious orders.; Monks; Monks.; Trappists.