Peace Smiles: Rediscovering Thomas Merton

Covers Thomas Merton’s childhood and rather turbulent adolescence, to his conversion to Roman Catholicism. Peace Smiles traces Thomas Merton’s fascinating and sometimes troubled life from a disrupted childhood and rather turbulent adolescence, to his conversion to Roman Catholicism, his ordination in 1949 and his life in the Trappist Monastery of Gethsemani. It was there that Merton’s prophetic voice began to emerge. Bishop Monahan explores Merton as artist, social critic and ecumenist, his anti-war and anti-racism stances until his untimely death at the age of fifty-three. Bishop Monahan shows us, above all, that a profound hope breathes within Merton’s writing that we too can find our way home by remaining authentic and true to ourselves. This quest for authenticity and truth became a life-long search for Merton. AUTHOR: Fintan Monahan is the Catholic Bishop of Killaloe, based in Ennis, Co. Clare. His previous book, A Perfect Peace: Newman, Saint for Our Time, is published by Veritas Publications.