Survival or Prophecy?: The Correspondence of Jean Leclercq and Thomas Merton (Volume 17) (Monastic Wisdom Series) - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 087907017X ISBN 13: 9780879070175

Publisher: Liturgical Press, 2008

Synopsis

The twenty-year correspondence between Jean Leclercq, a French Benedictine monk and scholar, and Thomas Merton, an American Cistercian monk, provides a fascinating record of their common yearnings. What is a monk?" is the question at the center of their exchange, and they answer it with great aplomb, touching on the role of ancient texts and modern conveniences, the advantage of hermit life and community life, the fierce Catholicism of the monastic past and a new openness to the approaches of other traditions. These letters 'full of learning, human insight, and self-deprecating humor 'capture the excitement of the Catholic Church in the era of the Second Vatican Council.

About this title

About the Author:

Patrick Hart, OCSO, a native of Green Bay, Wisconsin, entered the Abbey of Gethsemani in 1951 and served as secretary to Thomas Merton during the last year of his life. He has edited many books by and about Thomas Merton during the thirty-eight years since the latter's death on December 10, 1968. He has served on the board of directors for Cistercian Publications for the past thirty years.

Review:

Recommended for Merton fans and theological libraries.Catholic Library World

. . . provides a valuable evaluation of the dilemmas of Leclercq and Merton in the light of monks’ and nuns’ situation in the twenty-first century.Revue d’Histoire Ecclesiastique

A timely republished book which with the new afterword enables us not only to gain a deeper insight into Merton and Leclercq’s dialogue, but also into ecclesial issues about charism and institution which are always around us.Cistercian Studies Quarterly

This book will appeal primarily to fans of Thomas Merton and historians of post-Vatican II monasticism.Liguorian

A timely republished book which with the new afterword enables us not only to gain a deeper insight into Merton and Leclercq’s dialogue, but also into ecclesial issues about charism and institution which are always with us.CR

About this edition

• Publisher: Liturgical Press
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 087907017X
• ISBN 13: 9780879070175
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 184
• Editor: Hart OCSO Patrick