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A McConnell Center Seminar (Sept. 10, 2010)
By Kurtis Frizzell (Class of 2012, McLean County)
Thomas Merton is internationally known for his writings on peace and justice and spent many years in Our Lady of Gethsemani Abbey in Kentucky. During his lifetime, Merton composed over 70 books and journals. The McConnell Scholars had the privilege of traveling to The Thomas Merton Center at Bellarmine University, which houses much of Merton's written works and artifacts. Father George Kilcourse Jr. led a seminar discussing Thomas Merton’s life and works.
By considering sections of The Seven Storey Mountain, first hand letters and a couple of poems, the Scholars were able to distill Merton's philosophical viewpoints. Several Scholars enjoyed Merton’s literary focus, discussing famous literary figures as Aldous Huxley and William Blake. The interesting firsthand account of Merton’s struggle, criticism and comments on the writings helped shape his philosophy. He tells of his journey in religion and how he decided to become Catholic. Many of the Scholars commented on how easy the writing flowed because he was writing in first person, allowing the reader to struggle with Merton through deep philosophical thought and decision making.
Scholars learned of Thomas Merton's humorous side, as well as his passion for social change. One story that stands out is whenever he came to the Thomas Merton Center, dressed in his normal attire (similar to that of a farmer, not a scholar), he was turned away by the people at the reception desk. Merton did not put up a fight because he was so focused on what he was about to write or research, but one of the administrators who recognized him ran after him. The administrator had a pass made for him so the mistake would not be made again. This shows the light heartedness and focus of Merton.
Anyone who visits The Merton Center will notice that Merton’s books line the walls. In little black bindings, next to Merton’s works, were just as many bindings of thesis papers written about Merton and his philosophy. The sheer impact Merton has had upon society is remarkable after seeing all the papers written about him. Merton is a man who stood for peace and justice and serves as a role model for McConnell Scholars and any others who strive for self-education on major philosophical thought.