One of those who has already agreed to be with us for the ITMS General Meeting at Sacred Heart University is Ilia Delio, who is a senior fellow at Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University.
Her new book, The Emergent Christ just got a wonderful review in America magazine (subscription required).
Thanks to the hospitality of Michael Higgins and his staff at Sacred Heart University and the thoughtful ideas of our Program Committee, we have released a Call for Papers for our 2013 general meeting and conference in Connecticut.
Should you have an interest in Merton that fits the theme of our conference, please submit your idea! Please pass this along to any other readers, instructors or those who might enjoy sharing what they’ve gained from their study of TM.
Living Together with Wisdom:
Merton’s Call to Transform Our Hearts and Lives
The Thirteenth General Meeting of the International Thomas Merton Society
June 13-16, 2013
at Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, Connecticut
In a letter to Abdul Aziz Thomas Merton spoke of “the hour of dawn when the world is silent and the new light is most pure,” as “symbolizing the dawning of divine light in the stillness of our hearts.” At that virgin point of the new day, Merton writes in Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander, the dawn deacon cries “wisdom” but “we do not attend.” Merton’s call to wisdom in all areas of our lives – personal, political, social and environmental – echoes through the years. The wisdom Merton discovered in the bible, the fathers of the church, the great mystics, and his own contemplative practice; in philosophers and thinkers; and in the world of literature challenges us continually to a radical change of heart and life.
Proposals are invited for presentations on Merton’s life and work, particularly those related to the conference theme on topics such as (but not limited to) Merton and: New England writers and poets; wisdom themes in the bible, the fathers and in literature; spirituality and humor; the vision of Sophia; social justice and ecology; the culture of media, technology and language; education and young people; and, in the light of its fiftieth anniversary, the vision of the Second Vatican Council.
Session formats include:
1. Scholarly Papers designed for presentation in twenty minutes (8-10 double-spaced pages, maximum).
2. Workshops designed to involve audience participation.
3. Creative/Dramatic Presentations using music, poetry, dance or other media to provide insight into aspects of Merton’s life or work.
4. Guided Meditation/Prayer Sessions, particularly those using Merton’s own writings as a framework for prayer and meditative reflection.
Please note: Workshops, Creative/Dramatic Presentations, and Guided Meditation/Prayer Sessions should be designed for a ninety-minute session.
Proposals of no more than 250 words, accompanied by a short biographical identification (1-2 sentences), should be submitted by May 15, 2012 by e-mail attachment to: merton2013@bellarmine.edu; or by mail to ITMS 2013, Thomas Merton Center, Bellarmine University, 2001 Newburg Road, Louisville, KY 40205. USA.
Your Program Committee met this evening at Sacred Heart University, thanks to the assistance of our Site Coordinator, Michael Higgins.
We discussed a number of ideas for a theme, but haven’t settled on one yet.
A lot of work still to be done, and only one day left! It will be a full day Saturday 
While preparing a story for my TV station’s website, I scanned the list of theologians who signed a petition, calling for the U.S. government to ban the death penalty.
As I did, I recognized quite a few names, including a number of ITMS members:
After a brief respite, it’s time to begin work on the next General Meeting and Conference of the International Thomas Merton Society, which will be held at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut in 2013.
Any campus that has a dorm named after Merton, in a diocese that has a family center named after Merton, has its heart in the right place
Our program committee will be meeting this coming weekend on campus to come with a theme for the meeting, conduct a site visit and brainstorm.
Feel free to let us know!
If you’d like to read the 2011 Presidential address, looking at the impact of Thomas Merton and Archbishop Fulton Sheen, and what needs to be done to introduce Merton to young readers, click here to go to the ITMS website.
If you attended the ITMS General Meeting in Chicago, you probably saw Peter Jordan.
Peter is an ITMS member who is also a professional photographer. Now, he is sharing his talents with all of us, and we are grateful!
Click here to go to his website to look at the pictures he took, which you can download free!
Thank you Peter for your wonderful work!
I’m happy to welcome the new officers and members of the Board of Directors of the International Thomas Merton Society.
They are:
President: Sr. Kathleen Deignan
Vice President: David Belcastro
Treasurer: Paul Pearson
Secretary: Andrea Neuhoff
Board members are:
Br. Dan Horan
Meghan Robinson
Br. Paul Quenon
Judith Hardcastle
Sr. Monica Weis
Chris Pramuk
Program Committee members for the 2013 General Meeting at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut are:
Robert Grip, Chair
Michael Higgins, Site Coordinator
Kathleen Deignan, President
Paul Pearson, Treasurer
Christine Bochen
Monica Weis
June-Ann Greeley
Christopher Kelly
Jeff Kiernan
