Thomas Merton (1915-68)

Historical marker location:

Louisville, Kentucky

( 461 Fourth Ave., Louisville)

Trappist monk, poet, social critic, and spiritual writer. Born in Prades, France. After education at Cambridge and Columbia Univ., he entered Abbey of Gethsemani, Trappist, Ky., 1941; ordained as priest, 1949. His autobiography, The Seven Storey Mountain (1948), earned international acclaim. He is buried in abbey cemetery.

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A Revelation - Merton had a sudden insight at this corner Mar. 18, 1958, that led him to redefine his monastic identity with greater involvement in social justice issues. He was "suddenly overwhelmed with the realization that I loved all these people...." He found them "walking around shining like the sun." Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander.

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