under the patronage of St Joseph and St Dominic

By the rivers of Babylon there we sat and wept, remembering Zion;
on the poplars that grew there we hung up our harps. . . Ps 136

THOMAS MERTON

First Mass

Here is an extract from Thomas Merton's compelling autobiography, 'The Seven Storey Mountain', in which he relates his experiences as he attended his first Mass. more

The Tragedy of Thomas Merton - Part I

Thomas Merton's book, The Seven Storey Mountain (Elected Silence), dealing with his conversion to Catholicism and his entry to a Trappist monastery, was one of the publishing wonders of the twentieth century. Yet the book was to present great problems for the monastery as well as for the monk himself. more

The Tragedy of Thomas Merton - Part II

This is the second part of a short study on the life of the Trappist monk, Thomas Merton, tracing the falling away from his vocation, and his abrupt end. more