Thomas Merton (1915-1968), Catholic convert, Cistercian monk and hermit, poet, contemplative, social critic, and pioneer of interreligious dialogue, was a seminal figure of twentieth-century American Christianity.Patrick F. O’Connell is professor of English and theology at Gannon University in Erie, Pennsylvania. A founding member and former president of the International Thomas Merton Society, he edits The Merton Seasonal and is coauthor of The Thomas Merton Encyclopedia. He has edited eight previous volumes of Thomas Merton’s monastic conferences for the Monastic Wisdom Series, most recently The Cistercian Fathers and Their Monastic Theology (2016), and he is also editor of Merton’s Selected Essays (2013) and Early Essays: 1947–1952 (2015).

• Table of ContentsPreface   viiIntroduction    xiiiAn Introduction to the Life of the Vows   1Appendix A: Textual notes   491Appendix B: Table of Correspondences   544Appendix C: For Further Reading   549Index   551

While written prior to Vatican II with an emphasis on external observances, Merton addresses his novices in a refreshingly direct way. His comments on chastity and poverty are still valuable for today and helpful for any newcomer to the life discerning lifetime commitments.Br. Placid Morris, Vocation Director, Abbey of New Clairvaux, Vina, CA