Click any image to view larger.
To hear 30-second samples on your Windows Media Player, just click on SAMPLE.
Dawn
Sunday (SAMPLE)
Monday (SAMPLE)
Tuesday (SAMPLE)
Wednesday (SAMPLE)
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Dusk
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Thomas Merton
Thomas Merton (1915-1968) was arguably the most influential American Catholic author of the twentieth century. His autobiography, The Seven Storey Mountain, has sold over one million copies and has been translated into over fifteen languages. He wrote over sixty other books and hundreds of poems and articles on topics ranging from monastic spirituality to civil rights, nonviolence, and the nuclear arms race.
Merton was born in Prades, France to a New Zealand-born father and an American-born mother, who were both artists. After a rambunctious youth and adolescence, Merton converted to Roman Catholicism and on December 10th, 1941 he entered the Abbey of Gethsemani, a community of monks belonging to the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance (Trappists).
The twenty-seven years he spent in Gethsemani brought about profound changes in his self-understanding. This ongoing conversion impelled him into the political arena, where he became a prominent voice in the peace movement of the 1960s. Referring to race and peace as the two most urgent issues of our time, Merton was a strong supporter of the nonviolent civil rights movement, which he called "certainly the greatest example of Christian faith in action in the social history of the United States." For his social activism Merton endured severe criticism, from Catholics and non-Catholics alike, who assailed his political writings as unbecoming of a monk.
Schola Ministries: New Rochelle, New York
Kathleen Deignan, CND is a theologian and sacred songwriter who translates Christian mystical tradition into a vibrant new repertoire of sacred song. She is co-founder and composer in residence of Schola Ministries, a project in service to the liturgical and contemplative arts that has produced her nine CDs to date. She has composed nearly two hundred songs for worship and contemplation based on the mystical texts of the Jewish and Christian traditions and her own prayer poems. Her music has been celebrated by audiences and congregations in the United States, Canada, Ireland and Palestine. She sings with several ensembles, most notably, Anima Schola, the liturgical ensemble she co-founded at the Benedictine Grange in West Redding, CT. Theirs is a unique sound that blends the Celtic lyricism and fluidity of Sister Kathleen's soulful compositions, the multi-layered textures of rich vocal harmonization, and the tribal spirit of Middle Eastern drumming.
A professor of Religious Studies at Iona College, she also writes and lectures on classical and contemporary spirituality, particularly the legacy of Thomas Merton. She is the founder and director of the Iona Spirituality Institute.
|
