On Tuesday, June 29, 2010, thirty people gathered at St. Scholastica Monastery for a morning reflective retreat on “A Walk with Thomas Merton on His Journey Home ( 1915-1968).” The retreat was facilitated by Sarah O’Malley, OSB.
The retreat looked at Merton’s life in terms of his journey to the Catholic faith, as well as his life as a Trappist monk, a teacher, and a prophet for our times. His personal and family background deeply influenced his life. It is accurate to say that Merton was an “orphan” having lost his mother at the age of 6 and his father at the age of 16. He felt a deep need to belong, to be loved, and to experience healing and wholeness in his life. One participant at the retreat said, “I didn’t know some of these things about Merton’s life and it gives me a deeper understanding of him.” Another stated ,”I want to read more of Merton now.”
Sister Sarah is a Benedictine from St. Scholastica Monastery of Duluth who has been doing these retreats for over 20 years. She is currently the Director of Ministry of Care at Most Holy Trinity Parish in Phoenix, Arizona. Sister Sarah’s next retreat, Glimpsing the Heart of God: The Lives of St. Francis de Sales and Pope John XXIII, will be on Friday, July 16th, 9:00 – 11:30 a.m. at McCabe Renewal Center. For more information see McCabe Programs and Retreats.