Identity elements
Reference code
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Title
Date(s)
- 1952-1973 (Creation)
Extent
3 folder(s), 83 item(s), 123 page(s)
Name of creator
Biographical history
Fr. Paul Bourne was the head censor (now called "reader") of the Cistercian Order and needed to approve of Merton's writings before he received the «Imprimi Potest», or permission to publish, from his Order and the Church. He was more considerably more friendly with Merton and more lenient of his works than other censors. Fr. Paul was at Our Lady of the Holy Ghost Abbey (now called the Monastery of the Holy Spirit) in Conyers, Georgia. (Source: «The School of Charity», p. 168.)
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
Fr. Paul Bourne seemed to be in the difficult position of liking Merton and his works, and serving the official function as head censor for the Order, holding responsibility for objectionable works of Merton's going to publication. The two men struggle with what can and cannot be published by Merton on the topics of war, nuclear proliferation, Vietnam, and race relations. They also discuss other matters not related to Fr. Paul's work as a censor, including the monastic life, novitiate manuals, chapter meetings for the Order, changing worship to the vernacular, allowing conversation among monks, etc.
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 published letters from Merton to Bourne in «The School of Charity» (‹https://bellarmine.on.worldcat.org/search?queryString=no%3A26858206›), pp. 168-170 and 335-336. See also related information on censorship and Fr. Paul Bourne in the "Censors Reports"; the "Fox, James"; the "Sortais, Gabriel"; and the "Gillet, Ignace" files.