Merton, but so much more

By Michael Patrick O’Brien–

(Editor’s note: In 2023, the Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky celebrates its 175^th anniversary.)

Gethsemani Abbey near Louisville, Kentucky celebrates its 175th anniversary this year. For many visitors, famous monk/writer Thomas Merton defines the place. Yet, Merton was there for only about 15% of the monastery’s long history.

Certainly, Merton was a remarkable presence at the abbey. From 1941 to 1968, he authored over sixty books on spirituality, Cistercian history, social justice, and interreligious dialogue. He wrote scores of essays and reviews. He even has a society named for him, where many still study his words today.

Merton’s bestselling autobiography The Seven Storey Mountain is ranked one of the best nonfiction books of the last century. In his 2015 speech to Congress, Pope Francis noted how Merton promoted interfaith understanding, including with Eastern religions. Merton also corresponded with many political and cultural icons. 

I felt Merton’s spirit at Gethsemani too, during my first visit in October 2022. My wife and I went there because I grew up at a now-closed Trappist monastery founded in 1947 by the Kentucky monks (for details, see my memoir Monastery Mornings, Paraclete Press 2021).

When I was at Gethsemani, Merton’s books dominated a corner of the monastery’s bookstore. Flowers and a white scarf decorated the simple cross marking his grave, perhaps a lingering reminder of a 1997 visit from the Dalai Lama. Yet, my own visit reminded me that while Gethsemani is Merton, it also is so much more.

The rest of the quiet cemetery makes this point quite well. There are a couple hundred other men buried there too—rows and rows of white crosses. Most of these dearly departed devoted men were/are exactly what Merton’s principal abbot (James Fox, buried next to Merton) wanted his monks to be: “unknown, unheralded, and unsung.”

Fox also was a remarkable man. He was a Harvard Business School student and U.S. Navy veteran. Fox led the abbey during a time of great growth, and managed the strong personalities of not just Merton, but Gethsemani’s other prolific writer of the time, Father Raymond Flanagan (see: Of monks and men).

A few feet from Fox’s burial site, I stumbled upon Brother Patrick Hart’s grave. Hart was a monk for six decades. He was Merton’s personal secretary and literary executor, and helped publish Merton’s journals and letters. Yet, he also was an editor for Cistercian Studies Quarterly, secretary to several Gethsemani abbots, and a founder of New Clairvaux Abbey in Vina, California.

There’s much to say too about the monks still living at, or as part of, Gethsemani Abbey.

The very kind Brother Columban (“Colombo”) Weber gave my wife Vicki and me some good tips before our Kentucky visit. Brother Colombo—the first Gethsemani monk we met—has read and commented on several of my writing projects. He worked in Rome for many years assisting the leadership of the worldwide Cistercian order.

During our recent visit, I saw Brother Paul Quenon chanting in the abbey church. His 2019 memoir In Praise of the Useless Life won numerous awards. Brother Paul provides one of the best descriptions I’ve heard of the purpose of life, whether in or out of a monastery: “The purpose of life is to live your life.”

We also saw current Gethsemani leader Father Elias Dietz in the monk choir. His is a quiet and guiding hand during a time of great difficulty for many American monasteries. Father Elias showed great grace and dignity helping my beloved Utah monks close their Holy Trinity Abbey in Huntsville. He also is an artisan who restores old books.

The utterly delightful Brother Luke Armour served as our unofficial Gethsemani host, gifting us with several hours of his time, and posing for the memorable photo that illustrates this post. Not only is he a wonderful conversationalist, stellar tour guide, and fantastic organist, Brother Luke also devotes many hours to helping people in his ever-growing community of friends and neighbors.

During our tour, Brother Luke introduced us to Father Timothy Kelly, recently back from Rome. Elected at age 37, he served as Gethsemani’s abbot from 1973 to 2000. His time in leadership is considered one of the finest in Trappist history. Afterwards, Father Timothy served for another twenty years as the main intermediary between the Trappist order and the Vatican.

In the guesthouse reception area, we met Brother Gerlac O’Loughlin, a Gethsemani monk for almost 70 years. A former novice master—among many other jobs—he now diligently collects and posts daily recollections of the deceased abbey brothers and priests on the anniversary of their passing.

Apart from these fine folks, there also are so many words and phrases that define Gethsemani without even mentioning Merton. Some of my favorites are silence, bells, chant, stone walls, fascinating history, spectacular grounds, birds, autumn leaves, gorgeous gingko tree, knobs, hikes, statues on hills and under trees, hospitality, bourbon fudge, fruitcake, peace, respite, harmony, and beauty.

I am happy I’ve read some of Merton’s books, essays, and journals. 

I was blessed to pray and pay respects in the serene spot where Merton has his final rest. 

I am grateful, however, that I also encountered everyone or everything else that makes Gethsemani Abbey such a lovely and special place.

*Mike O’Brien (author website here) is a writer and attorney living in Salt Lake City, Utah. Paraclete Press published his book Monastery Mornings, about growing up with the monks at the old Trappist monastery in Huntsville, Utah, in August 2021. The League of Utah Writers chose it as the best non-fiction book of 2022.