Rena Niles was the wife of John Jacob Niles, the composer of the Niles-Merton Song Cycle, with poetry by Merton and music by John Jacob Niles. She writes from their farm in Lexington, Kentucky.
Keiji Nishitani was Editor of «The Eastern Buddhist», a magazine founded by D. T. Suzuki to promote East-West understanding. Nishitani asks for Merton's contribution for a memorial issue on Dr. Suzuki. Keiji Nishitani writes from Kyoto, Japan.
Fr. Gregory Norris was Benedictine priest writing from Saint Gregory's Priory in Three Rivers, Michigan.
Thomas J. O'Brien served with John Paul Merton (Thomas' younger brother) in the Royal Air Force (RAF) in Canada and instructed John Paul in flying. Later, O'Brien applied for entry to the Trappists at Gethsemani, but was denied entry. Merton mentions him as a postulant at Gethsemani in November of 1958. He responds to a letter from O'Brien in 1961 (O'Brien's letter not extant) suggesting other monasteries that might be better for O'Brien. O'Brien lived at St. Joseph's House of Hospitality in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1958 to his death in 1980, later becoming its manager.
Celina Agnes O'Shea was 72 at the time of writing. She was preparing materials for a book about enfolding events supporting the Fatima prophecies, the apparition of the Virgin Mary claimed to be seen by girls in Portugal in 1917.
Dorothea Olmstead was one of the children of Beatrice Olmstead (see "Olmstead, Beatrice" file).
Lenore Olmstead was one of the children of Beatrice Olmstead (see "Olmstead, Beatrice" file).
Nadia Osman writes from Nîmes, France.
Marco Pallis was a mountain climber, scholar on Tibetan Buddhism, and author of books about his travels, Eastern religions, and the Buddhist-Christian dialogue. He is most known for his book, «Peaks and Llamas». Pallis was born of parents of Greek origin, but was born in England. George Zournas, a friend of Pallis, put him in touch with Merton. Pallis helped Merton prepare for his journey to the Asia and provided contacts and suggestions. (Source: «The Hidden Ground of Love», pp. 463-464.)
Leilani Bentley, at the time of writing, was composing a freshman English class paper on a comparison between Merton and Dag Hammarskjold on the topic of contemplation and peace. He writes from Mulliken, Michigan.
Marina de Berg was a dancer and an actress in Paris. Born in Helsinki, Finland to parents of French and Russian orgin, she was orphaned at a young age. She achieved fame early in life as a ballerina and dancer and then as an actress primarily in the latter half of the 1940's. In the early 1950's and some professional setbacks, she questioned her place in the what she called the "wild frivolities" of life in the arts in Paris at the time. She recounts her decision to try a religious vocation with the Trappistine nuns in an autobiographical work, Trois ans à la Trappe in 1959 (translated into English as Heaven by the Hems: From Stage to Cloister, published by Sheed and Ward in 1961). She entered the Abbaye Notre-Dame de Saint-Joseph d'Ubexy, Charmes, France, in August of 1952. After a period of ill health and struggle with the rigors of the lifestyle, she left the nuns and began writing.
Hedy Bergida is writing as Senior Editor of Hawthorn Books of New York.
Berval is writing on behalf of «France-Asie: Biligual Review of Asian Culture and Problems».
Miss Biegansho is writing from Poland.
Hector Black is writing on behalf of Plough Publishing House. It was affiliated with the Society of Brothers, a Bruderhof Community, in Farmington, Pennsylvania.
Judy Blanchard desired to become a hermit sought the help of Dom Jacques Winandy, a hermit from Canada, whom Merton had recommended to her.
Sr. Bogdana is writing from the Congregation of the Sacred Heart in Krakow, Poland.
Paul Hyde Bonner's letterhead states he is writing from "The Teacherage" in Summerville, South Carolina.
Fr. Maurice Boscher is writing from Tahiti.
Russell Bourne was an editor working for Time-Life Books in New York. He follows up Abraham Heschel's inquiry about writing an essay for the Time-Life Illustrated and Annotated Bible.
Fr. Bousquet is writing from Nice, France.
Alda Lee Boyd was Publicity Director for the Seabury Press in 1967.
Mrs. Pauline B. Boyd is writing from St. Charles, Missouri.
Mother Benedicta Brennan was writing from Monroe, Michigan, a Sister Servant of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Sr. Bridget was an Anglican religious writing Merton from the Convent of St. Helena in Versailles, Kentucky. By her 1973 correspondence with the Merton Center, she was with the Convent of the Incarnation (Community of the Sisters of the Love of God) in Oxford, England.
Besmilr Brigham was born in Pace, Mississippi in 1923. Although spending much in her life traveling to places such as France, Central America, and Mexico, she was living in Horatio, Arkansas, the home of her parents, at the time of correspondence with Merton. She now lives with her daughter and son-in-law, the poet Keith Wilson, in New Mexico. In 1971, she published the book «Heaved from the Earth». Merton had many good things to say about another book she was attempting to publish at the time of writing entitled «The Tiger» (Source: The United States of Poetry website, a program produced by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting [http://www.worldofpoetry.org/usop/word.htm]).
Terry F. Brock was the Editor of the «Catholic Book Annual», published by the Thomas More Association.
John Pairman Brown was Professor of Christian Ethics and New Testament at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley, California. He was a member of the Episcopal Peace Fellowship and an author.
Jane Browne was the Assistant Managing Editor of Hawthorn Books in New York and a friend of another Merton correspondent, Anne Perkins.
Frank Bruce was head of the Bruce Publishing Company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
The Western Union Telegram from "A BRYAN" was sent from Clayton, Missouri.
Fr. R. Bùi-bàng-Hiên was writing from Saigon, South Vietnam.
At the time of writing, Br. Gabriel Bunge was a Benedictine monk of Chevetogne Abbey, a monastery known for seeking reconciliation between Western and Eastern Christianity. He was later ordained as a monk, lived as a hermit in Swiss mountains from the 1980's, and was received into the Orthodox Church as a monk in 2010.
Professor Herbert Burke was teaching English at St. John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota.
Dan Burns was writing from Boystown in Miami, Florida.
Suzanne Butorovich was a high school student from Campbell, California. This is one of the longest know series of correspondence he had with a young person. Merton had dinner with her and her family while visiting California on October 3, 1968.
Grace Byrne writes from the offices of Curtis Brown publishers in New York.
Esther de Cáceres was a poet from Uruguay, whose poetry has been described as both modernist and mystical.
Merton writes to Roger Caillois, who was in Buenos Aires at t he time of writing.
Sr. Annice Callahan corresponded with Merton about the instruction of novices given the changes to religious life in the 1960's. She would later, in 1984, teach a course on Thomas Merton. She writes from the Convent of the Sacred Heart in Albany, New York.
Angus Cameron is writing on behalf of Alfred A. Knopf publishers from New York.
In 1960, Monsignor Loris Capovilla (later an archbishop) served as a secretary to Pope John XXIII and writes from Vatican City. He sent a stole worn by John XXIII upon becoming Pope as a gift to Merton through Capovilla's friend Dr. Barbato in 1960.
Barrie Peterson writes Merton from Princeton Theological Seminary about the idea of forming a "'radical Community' or commune".
Fr. Callistus Peterson was a Trappist monk, originally from Gethsemani Abbey. In the early letters, he was studying in Rome. Later, he was sent to the Trappist foundation in Las Condes, Chile.
Valerio Cardinal Valeri was Prefect of the Roman Curia's Congregation of the Affairs of Religious, currently known as the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. He writes from the Vatican.
Sr. Mary Catherine was with the Sister Adorers of the Precious Blood at the Monastery Precious Blood - Mount St. Agnes, in Peterborough, Ontario.
Fr. Patrick Catry was a Trappist monk writing on behalf of the «Bulletin de Spiritualité Monastique», which appeared in «Collectanea Cisterciensia». He writes Merton from the Abbey of Sainte-Marie-du-Mont in Godewaersvelde (Mont des Cats), France.
Sr. Cecilia was a Trappist nun of Redwoods Monastery in California and was secretary to Mother Myriam Dardenne.
Hervé Chaigne was writing on behalf of the bi-monthly publication «Fréres du Monde» from Bordeaux, France.
Born in India, Dr. Amiya Chakravarty was a well-traveled scholar and professor of philosophy and religion who had the opportunity to meet many great people of his time, including Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, the Indian poet Dr. Rabindranath Tagore, Albert Schweitzer, Boris Pasternak, Albert Einstein, and met Merton during his Asian journey. While in correspondence with Merton, he held professorships at Boston University, Smith College and later the State University of New York at New Paltz. In addition, he served as a delegate to the United Nations for India (Source: «The Hidden Ground of Love», pp. 112).
Charles Luc Chambost writes from Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume, Var département, France.
M. R. Chandler wrote for the San Francisco Examiner.
Sr. Marie de la Redemption Chantal was a Carmelite nun writing from La Tronche, France.
Msgr. Josiah George Chatham was a priest from Jackson, Mississippi, who had known Merton since their meeting at Gethsemani in 1940. They became friends and discussed Chatham's opposition to the war, his protests of nuclear weapons, and his support of Civil Rights in the South.
Fr. Serge Choupner writes from the Monastery of the Franciscan Fathers in Rennes, France.
Christine Bochen describes Napoleón Chow as "belong[ing] to the circle of Nicaraguan poets that included Ernesto Cardenal, Pablo Antonio Cuadra, Angel Martinez, José Coronel Urtecho, and others" (Source: «The Courage for Truth», pp. 167).
Marie Therese Christie writes from London.
Br. Chrysostom was a monk of Gethsemani at the time of writing.
Fr. Basilio Colasito was a Benedictine monk writing from Montserrat Abbey in Manila, Philippines.
Fr. Brendan Connolly was Director of Libraries for Boston College at the time of correspondence.
Séamus Cooney was a professor at the Indiana University Department of English in 1968.
Miss Cuccia seems to be from New York from a geographical reference Merton makes in the letter.
Merton mentions that Eileen Curns was a papal volunteer in Brazil. After returning from the trip from Brazil, she attempts to publish an account of her trip, delivers speeches, and does typing for Merton. She writes from Waukegan, Illinois.
Fr. John Daly was President of Songang Jesuit College and an admirer of Merton's writings.
Henri Daniel-Rops was the author of a number of books, especially focusing on faith history.
Mother Myriam Dardenne founded Redwoods Abbey, a Trappist community of women, in White Thorn, California. Merton met her on her way to found it in 1962. Later, he visited Redwoods before continuing his trip to Asia. They discuss Merton's travel plans and arrangements for a meeting of contemplative religious at Redwoods Monastery.
Fr. Hubert Daubechies is a Jesuit and chief editor of «Revista Mensaje» and wants to translate Merton's "The Black Revolution" article into Spanish for his magazine. He writes from Santiago, Chile.
Arthur J. Davidson writes from New York.
Mary Ann Davis and Donna Gunty write from Chicago, Illinois.
Richard De Martino was writing from the Temple University Department of Religion in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Along with Abe Masao and Nishitani Keiji, he was involved in the return in 1965 of «The Eastern Buddhist», which was originally started in 1921 by D. T. Suzuki and which featured articles on Buddhism and Buddhist texts in translation.
