Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Sydney (Agenzia Fides) - During Lent the Church in Australia will remember "one of the greatest voices of the Church of modern age, the Trappist monk, mystic and writer, Thomas Merton, for the hundredth anniversary of his birth". This was reported by "Catholic News", information service of the Australian Bishops' Conference, sent to Fides. The life and writings of Merton "are not only historically important, but they offer a prophetic witness of a vision that shows a path towards the future", said Christine Hogan, director of "Catholic News".
Kerrie Hide, a scholar of the "Commission for Catholic women," recalls that "the poetic language of Merton introduces a contemplative knowledge of the sacredness of the present moment". "We live in the presence of God, a God who calls us to live an uninterrupted dialogue, in intimacy, in union with him".
Merton was born on January 31, 1915 in France and died in 1968 in Thailand, he was a model of monasticism, supporter of a simple life, of a "school of charity" able to give witness of mercy and compassion. (PA) (Agenzia Fide 06/02/2014)
