Identity elements
Reference code
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Title
Date(s)
- 1950-1973 (Creation)
Extent
1 folder(s), 30 item(s), 69 page(s)
Name of creator
Biographical history
Fr. Barnabas Ahern was a Passionist priest involved in a new Catholic Bible translation effort. He offered Merton advice on biblical instruction, instruction of novices, and reviewed Merton's early manuscripts and books. See the following link for more information on Fr. Ahern: https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=92274263.
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
This encompasses an earlier era of correspondence than the majority of the collection. The correspondence is almost all from Ahern to Merton, except one letter by Merton from 1953, which was published. It is unfortunate that more of Merton's responses are not extant because he reviewed Ahern's biblical translations while Ahern reviewed Merton's early manuscripts and books. There is also early dialogue about Merton's restlessness at Gethsemani, talk about whether he would leave, and discussion about living the life of a hermit at Gethsemani.
System of arrangement
Records are arranged chronologically. Records are not divided into Series.
Conditions of access and use elements
Conditions governing access
Regulations governing use of the collection can be found here: (‹https://bellarmine.libraryhost.com/index.php/rules›).
Technical access
Conditions governing reproduction
Languages of the material
Scripts of the material
Language and script notes
Finding aids
Acquisition and appraisal elements
Custodial history
Immediate source of acquisition
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information
Accruals
Related materials elements
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related archival materials
See one published letter from Merton to Fr. Ahern in «The School of Charity» (‹https://bellarmine.on.worldcat.org/search?queryString=no%3A26858206›), pp. 50-52; and see one letter in the "Censors Reports" file (1952/August/25).