W.L. Lyons Brown Library 

Thomas Merton Center

Bellarmine University

With Roots in Eternity:
Merton, the Desert and the City

Speakers

Douglas Burton-Christie.

Dr. Douglas Burton-Christie is the author of the award winning book, The Word in the Desert, the editor of the journal Spiritus, and teaches in the area of Christian Spirituality.

James Conner, OCSO.

James Conner, OCSO, is a monk of Gethsemani Abbey, was a student of Merton and acted as chaplain to the Benedictine Community of Osage Monastery, Oklahoma. He worked with Merton as under-master for novices. For five years, in the late nineties her served as Abbot of Assumption Abbey in Missouri. He was 4th President of the ITMS and had written on Thomas Merton in Cistercian Studies, The Merton Annual, and in the volume Thomas Merton Monk: A Monastic Tribute.

Martin E. Marty.

Martin E. Marty serves as the Fairfax M. Cone Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus at the University of Chicago, where he has taught primarily at the Divinity School for over 35 years. Marty has written over 50 books, including Righteous Empire, winner of the National Book Award, the three volume, Modern American Religion, The One and the Many: America's Search for the Common Good and The Mystery of the Child.
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Robert F. Morneau.

Bishop Robert F. Morneau has served as auxiliary bishop of the diocese of Green Bay since 1979. He is the author of several books including The Color of Gratitude: And Other Spiritual Surprises, Pathways to Relationship, and A Retreat with C. S. Lewis. His articles appear frequently in many periodicals. He is very popular as a retreat director and lecturer throughout the United States.

Esther de Waal.

Esther de Waal is an Anglican scholar of the Benedictine and Celtic traditions of Christian spirituality. Her published work includes The Way of Simplicity: The Cistercian Tradition, Seeking God: The Way of St. Benedict, Seeking Life: The Baptismal Invitation of the Rule of St. Benedict,  A Seven Day Journey with Thomas Merton, and God Under My Roof: Celtic Songs and Blessings. She lives in Hereford near the Welsh border.

Robert Grip.

Robert G. Grip, news anchor at WALA television in Mobile, AL, has served as an ITMS Board member, treasurer and vice president. He has also been program chair for the ITMS Fifth General Meeting and chair of the ITMS membership committee and has regularly presented the “First-timer’s Session” at ITMS General Meetings.