Thomas Merton Thomas Merton was born on January 31, 1915. As Merton grew he had a sense of pride in the fact that both of his parents were artists. Merton’s spiritual journey began to develop and he became conscious of the link between art and spirituality. Thus Thomas Merton is arguably the most influential American Catholic author of the twentieth century. Although during most of his youth, Merton led a rambunctious life. It was not until 1941 …showed first 75 words of 1253 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1253 total…no business in world affairs. Merton sought all information in all worldviews that interested him. That is how Merton would die, Merton died during his trip to a conference on the East-West monastic dialogue that happened on December 10, 1968. Merton was victim of an accidental electrocution. The twenty-seven years Merton spent in Gethsemane brought about profound changes in his self-understanding. He sought out knowledge from many different worldviews and would in turn help his fellow man.