"No despair of ours can alter the reality of things,
or stain the joy of the cosmic dance which is always there."
- Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation

Thomas Merton — Trappist monk, social activist, creative thinker, poet, photographer, naturalist, and prolific author — left a legacy of spiritual guidance influencing countless people in the Christian contemplative tradition, the interfaith movement, and secular peacemaking culture.

We could not ask for a more skillful, scholarly, sensitive person with whom to approach Merton's wisdom teachings than Kathleen Deignan, CND, President-Emerita of the International Thomas Merton Society and Professor of Religious Studies at Iona College. You may already know Kathleen through her exquisite books When the Trees Say Nothing, the first collection of Merton's writings on nature, and Thomas Merton: A Book of Hours, a daily breviary for engaged contemplatives. You may also know her through her uplifting repertoire of sacred songs, her lectures on classical and contemporary spirituality, or her work as founder and director of the Iona Spirituality Institute. To be with Kathleen is not only to assimilate knowledge about Thomas Merton, but also to feel that he is near in spirit and as vibrant and thoughtfully probing as ever.

In this exclusive e-course developed for Spirituality & Practice, Kathleen draws from the rich diversity of Merton's legacy. The course covers such themes as:

  • Awakening to Living Presence: Fostering the Contemplative Mind
  • Learning to Live in The Presence: Cultivating the Contemplative Heart
  • A Vow of Conversation: Engaging Contemplative Practice
  • Being a Gardener of Paradise: The Flowering of Contemplative Vocation

You will receive:

  • 12 emails in which Kathleen offers passages for reflection from Merton's writings and her own lovingly cultivated wisdom about their relevance to our lives.
  • MP3s of some of Kathleen's resonant, celebrative chants. Visit her website, Schola Ministries, if you would like to enjoy a taste in advance.

There is no better time to dig into "the reality of things" as Merton discovered them. As we do so, we will more fully discover our own place in the joyous cosmic choreography. (4 CEHs for chaplains available.)

Available On-Demand
(choose your own start date and frequency)

$49.95

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