Thomas Merton
Thomas Merton (1915-1968), perhaps Catholicism’s greatest 20th century spiritual writer, captivated a generation with the story of his conversion and journey into monastic life, The Seven-Storey Mountain.
During his years in the Trappist monastery of Gethsemani in Kentucky, Merton returned to writing, winning readers everywhere with his poetry, his meditations on the spiritual life and contemplation, his growing concern in the 1960s for a socially just Christian witness, and, at the end of his life, his interest in the religions of Asia, particularly Zen Buddhism.
Pope Francis praised Merton in a speech to Congress in 2015, saying, “Merton was above all a man of prayer, a thinker who challenged the certitudes of his time and opened new horizons for souls and for the church. He was also a man of dialogue, a promoter of peace between peoples and religions.”
Articles
Why women deacons could enrich the church
If the church discerns it enjoys the freedom to admit women to the diaconate, should we?
Vatican announces commission on women deacons
The commission includes six women among its twelve members, including Phyllis Zagano, who has written widely on the subject of women deacons.
Why Not Women? A bishop makes a case for expanding the diaconate.
The ordination of women to the diaconate is separate from the question of the ordination of women to the priesthood.
