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Theodore Roszak writes from London, England, as the editor of «Peace News».

Gerald P. Roucoulet was a college seminarian in his early twenties studying for the diocesan priesthood at Christ the King Seminary in St. Bonaventure, New York. He was considering the monastic life and asks for Merton's advice.

Fr. Richard W. Rousseau was a Jesuit priest and associate professor of theology at Fairfield University in Connecticut.

Paul Rowland was a retired English professor living in Maryville, Tennessee. He was interested in some of Merton's essays on Boris Pasternak.

Gail Rubin was assistant to Robert MacGregor, publisher at New Directions.

Abbot Leo Rudloff was a Benedictine monk and superior of Weston Priory in Vermont. He invites Merton to come to Weston to speak to the community.

John Rusnak writes from Chicago, Illinois.

Ota Lee Russell was from the Section on Stewardship and Benevolence from the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. She writes from New York.

Br. James Ryan was a choir monk in simple vows at Our Lady of the Genesee Abbey in Piffard, New York, at the time of writing to Merton.

Mouni Sadhu, born in Poland as Mieczyslaw Demetriusz Sudowski. Although he published a number of books, the details of his life are sketchy. He was known variously as an occultist and a practicing Catholic to his death and a bridge-builder between Christian and Hindu traditions. As a young man, he fought for Germany during World War I. He married in 1936, but his wife was said to have died in a German bombing of Poland in 1939. He fought against the Germans in World War II, was captured and imprisoned until liberated by the Allies in 1945. He then went first to France and after another year to Brazil. There, he wrote his first book (in Portuguese), «Quem Sou Eu?». Thence, he spent a year studying under Sri Ramana Maharshi before permanently residing in Australia. He writes to Merton from Box Hill, Victoria, Australia, asking Merton to write a Foreword for a planned book, «Contemplation: an Outline for Practical Study» (published under the title «Meditation: an Outline for Practical Study«). (Source: Pugsley, Tim. "Mouni Sadhu - Information." Website. Accessed 2006/03/15. ‹http://www.mounisadhu.com›.)

The Rev. Dr. Howard Schomer was a Congregationalist minister and President of Chicago Theological Seminary. He was a Delegated Observer of the Second Vatican Council, representing the International Congregational Council. He was an anti-war activist and took part in some of the Civil Rights Movement's demonstrations with Martin Luther King, Jr.

Mother M. L. Schroen was a Religious of the Sacred Heart of Manhattanville and writes from the General Headquarters in Rome, Italy.

The Rev. John Whitman Sears was a psychologist and Universalist minister. He was born in Lawrence, Kansas, but moved with his family to California. He returned to the University of Kansas for college and was afterward ordained a minister. His ministry led him to North Carolina and back to Kansas where he left the ministry for social work. During the Great Depression, he moved with his family to San Carlos, California, studying psychology. He later moved to San Mateo where he joined his brother in a business of counseling and psychology, and from there he writes to Merton. (Source: "In Memoriam: Unitarian Universalist Ministers 2000-2001." Website of the Unitarian Universalist Association. Accessed 21 April 2006. ‹http://www.uua.org/programs/ministry/news/obituaries2001.html›.)

Robert D. Sharp served in a number of missions in the military in the Second World War. He sends his mission card to Merton, detailing 35 missions from 1944-1945. He read Merton's letter in the April 2, 1965 issue of «Commonweal» and said that he "wept over the part I played in that war."

In 1962, Dan Shay was a 34-year-old carpenter's apprentice, a member of a number of Catholic organizations, and a conscientious objector from St. Louis, Missouri.

Richard E. Sherrell was Managing Editor of «The Christian Scholar», a publication of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.

Paul K. T. Sih was an author of histories of China and translator of Chinese classics. Sih was born near Shanghai, China. Nominally a Buddhist from a family that did not stress religion, he was exposed to Christianity through earning a doctorate in Rome, Italy, and though a Chinese government position in Rome. Through this job, he met Merton's friend John C. H. Wu, who was Chinese ambassador to the Vatican. Wu, having bridged connections between Christianity and Taoism, was a factor in Sih's conversion to Catholicism. In 1959, Sih became a professor of history and Director of the Center for Asian Studies at St. John's University in New York. It was here he began his correspondence with Merton. (Source: «The Hidden Ground of Love», pp. 548-549.)

Clara Silva was a poet who sends Merton an incribed copy of her book.

Andrew Sinclair was from Lorrimer Publishing Limited in London, England.

Fr. Baldwin Skeehan took over from Thomas Merton as novice master at Gethsemani Abbey after Merton retired to his hermitage in 1965. He served as novice master until 1968 and was later Prior of Gethsemani. He would later leave monastic life.

Irene Skolnick was Managing Editor of «The Hudson Review» in New York at the time of correspondence with Merton.

John H. Slate was a classmate of Merton's at Columbia University. He was a lawyer with the firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher and Flom in New York, and specialized in aviation law. In addition, he contributed humorous pieces to «Fortune», «The Atlantic Monthly», and «The Saturday Evening Post». Merton had heard reports about Slate from other Columbia alumni friends, but had not been in direct contact for many years. Slate died of a heart attack later in that same year they were in contact concerning the literary estate.

William Milligan Sloane was a publisher (William Sloane Associates) writing from New York. He also was an author of mysteries and science fiction.

Anne Smith was married to another Merton correspondent, Carleton Smith. She sends Merton some photographs taken by her husband.

Catherine Smith writes from Escanaba, Michigan. She seems to have been an artist working in a variety of media, including pottery, sculpture and fabrics. She seems to have met or known Merton's friend Sr. Thérèse Lentfoehr, who tells Merton of seeing Smith in Escanaba.

Grover Cleveland Smith writes from Durham, North Carolina. At the time, he was an English professor at Duke University.

Fr. Thomas Fidelis Smith was a Trappist monk of the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers, Georgia.

Sociologist and economist Dallas Walker Smythe was born in Regina, Saskatchewan, and moved to the United States in 1918. He was a life-long pacifist. In the late 1930's, he became a civil servant in Washington, D.C. In 1948, he joined the new Institute of Communications Research at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It is from here, he writes to Merton and Merton responds. (Source: Gourlie, Michael; Caitlin Webster; Frances Fournier; and Enid Britt. "Dallas Smythe fonds". Jan. 1998. Website of Simon Fraser University Archives. Accessed, 9 May 2006: Bellarmine University Library. ‹http://www.sfu.ca/archives/F-16/F-16fonds.html›.)

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.

Remi J. De Roo was Bishop of Victoria, British Columbia in Canada. He gave permission for Dom Jacques Winandy, O.S.B. to establish a "community" of hermits, the Hermits of St. John the Baptist, in his diocese in 1964. The hermits lived and prayed independently, but were in proximity to each other and under the guidance of an elder or superior.

Mara de Sylva was a woman who had been nearly blind for 80 years. She writes to Merton to pray for her son, Joaquim Oscar de Sylva, who is suffering health problems from fumes he was exposed to at work.

Poet and writer Catherine de Vinck was born in Belgium. She was married to Baron José de Vinck in 1945, and they moved to the United States in 1948. A Catholic, she has authored a number of books of mystical and devotional poetry and other spiritual works. She writes from Allendale, New Jersey.

Fr. Edwin Deane was a Franciscan priest and master of cleric novices at St. Anthony Friary in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Br. Alberic Delaney was a monk of Gethsemani.

Angelo Cardinal Dell'Acqua writes on behalf of three Popes as "Sostituto", similar to an interior minister for Vatican City.

Barbara Deming writes from Cape Cod, Massachusetts. She was an American author and activist interested in non-violence, war resistance, civil rights, feminism, and gay and lesbian rights. (Source: Biography from «Deming, Barbara, 1917- . Papers, 1908-1985: A Finding Aid» (MC 408), Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University. Accessed 11 March 2009. ‹http://oasis.lib.harvard.edu/oasis/deliver/findingAidDisplay?_collection=oasis&inoid=2145›.)

Ruby Dennison was originally from Ireland and working with the Legion of Mary in South Africa.

Fr. Placide Deseille was a Trappist of the Abbey of Bellefontaine in France.

Don Devereux translated "Nocturne" by late 19th Century minor French poet, Jules Tellier, which appeared in the third edition of «Monks Pond». Devereux moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, in 1962 where he worked with programs to assist migrant workers. He was also an art and literary contributor to «The Christian Century».

Professor Leslie Dewart was born in Spain, raised in Cuba, and moved to Canada in 1942 to serve as pilot in the Royal Canadian Air Force. He later spent a long career in the philosophy and religion departments of St. Michael's College at the University of Toronto. His writings blended religion. law and language studies. At the time of correspondence with Merton, he was writing a book called «Christianity and Revolution: The Lesson of Cuba», which studied the connection between the Catholic Church and the Cuban Revolution (source: «Witness to Freedom», p. 282).

Frank G. Dickey was president of University of Kentucky at the time of correspondence with Merton.

Mr. L. T. Dickson was bookstore manager at the University of Delaware.

Dorothy Dohen was a sociologist, author and professor at Fordham University in New York.

Irene Dohmen was the editor of a high school newspaper.

Leon Driskell was in the Department of English faculty at University of Louisville.

Dom Frederic Dunne was abbot of the Abbey of Gethsemani in Merton's early years at the monastery.

Mother Benedict Duss was a Benedictine Abbess of Regina Laudis monastery in Bethlehem, Connecticut.

Diana Eck was a student of Amiya Chakravarty at Smith College and writes to express her praise for Merton's book «Gandhi on Non-Violence». Dr. Eck has gone on to earn degrees from the University of London and Harvard and to write books about the religious traditions of India, religious pluralism and Christianity's encounter with other religions.

Eileen Egan was a primary figure in the Catholic peace movement. She was a cofounder of the organization American PAX, which became Pax Christi-USA, a branch of the international movement. She worked with and wrote books about Dorothy Day and Mother Theresa of Calcutta. With Dorothy Day, Gordon Zahn, Jim Douglass and Richard Carbrey, she advocated for the strong language against war and in support of conscientious objection in teaching of the Second Vatican Council.

Sr. Mary Egan (known in Merton's correspondence as Sr. Lidwina) was of the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Loretto Convent in Guelph, Ontario.

"Father English was a native New Yorker who spent his younger years as a supporter and collaborator in the Catholic Worker Movement in New York with Dorothy Day. [In 1952,] he came to Georgia to serve the Lord and the Church as a Trappist monk in Conyers." (Source: Sanches, Joseph. "The Death Of A Monk" 21 Dec 1972. «The Georgia Bulletin Online Edition: The Newspaper of the Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta». Accessed 3 Dec 2004. ‹http://www.georgiabulletin.org/local/1972/12/21/c/›.)

Ted Enslin writes from the isolated area of Temple, Maine. He is a poet and hermit who has published a number of books of poems and whose work has appeared in literary magazines. Despite this, his lifestyle has allowed him to remain out of the spotlight. Merton published a poem of his in the third volume of «Monks Pond».

Fr. Ermin writes from Germany.

Merton writes to Fr. J. Whitney Evans in Duluth, Minnesota.

Br. George Every, a lay brother of the Society of the Sacred Mission, writes first while visiting Berkeley Divinity School in New Haven, Connecticut, and later from the Anglican College at Kelham, England, where he taught. He covered monastic topics for Dorothy Emmet's journal «Theoria to Theory», to which Merton was a contributor.

Sr. Peter Eymard writes from St. John's Hospital in Fargo, North Dakota.

Charles P. Farnsley served as Louisville mayor from 1948-1953. Merton asks his help in obtaining books about American democracy in preparation to obtain U.S. citizenship.

Edward Farrell was coordinator of a workshop arranged by the San Francisco Planning and Urban Renewal Association (SPUR).

Richard Felciano was Ford Foundation composer-in-residence for the Detroit Public Schools at the time of correspondence. He wanted to use Merton's poem, "The Captives - A Psalm" for a setting for chorus and orchestra. He later became professor of music at the University of California at Berkeley.

Fr. Anastasius Fettig was Prior at Gethsemani at the time of this correspondence. He was reacting to the negative response among some about Merton's pamphlet he distributed before the 1968 abbatial election, "My Campaign Platform for Non-Abbot and Permanent Keeper of Present Doghouse".

George L. Fields was in medical school at the University of Kentucky in 1968 while writing to Merton.

James Fitzsimmons was editor of «The Lugano Review» and writes from Switzerland.

Archbishop George Bernard Flahiff, elevated to Cardinal in 1969, was bishop of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. At the Second Vatican Council, he was involved in what was known as Schema 13, which became «Gaudium et Spes», the Pontifical Constitution on the Church in the Modern World. Merton was particularly interested in the sections on peace, war, and how it would address nuclear weapons.

Charles Fogarty was a high school student considering a vocation to the priesthood or religious life and asks Merton whether the vocation of a Trappist fulfills "Our Lord's Commandment to go and preach the Gospel to every living creature."

Claude Forcellino writes from La Borie Noble, one of the Communautés de l'Arche of Joseph Jean Lanza del Vasto in France.

Jack Ford was a philosophy professor at Bellarmine College during his correspondence with Merton and who later taught at University of Louisville. He and Merton met around 1960 and later developed a friendship.

Dom James Fox came to Gethsemani in 1927. He was serving as guestmaster when Merton's younger brother, John Paul, visited the monastery, and Fox made arrangements for John Paul's baptism. In 1948, Fox was elected abbot after the death of Dom Frederic Dunne. Fox had a keen business sense, a graduate of Harvard Business School prior to entering Gethsemani, and helped Gethsemani support itself financially through mechanization of the farm and through establishment of a mail order cheese and bourbon fruit cake business. Merton was not a fan of this mechanization, the cheese business, and had other philosophical differences with Fox. Although much has been written about their rocky relationship at times, Fox went out of his way to ensure that Merton had greater solitude in his later years, a decision which likely kept Merton at Gethsemani. He had enough faith in Merton to appoint him as his novice master and as Fox's personal confessor. Fox would eventually step down as abbot in 1967 to pursue to live as a hermit as Merton had done. (Source: The Thomas Merton Encyclopedia, edited by William Shannon, Christine Bochen, and Patrick O'Connell, pp.160-161.)

Fr. Matthew Fox (Br. Matthew in his letter to Merton) was a Dominican priest who stirred up quite a following and much controversy over his ideas about creation spirituality, denial of original sin, interfaith unity and ecological Christianity. The Vatican had him silenced and he was dismissed from the Dominicans. In 1994, he was accepted by an Episcopal bishop in California. At the time of writing to Merton, he was still in his graduate studies with the Dominicans.

Archbishop Theodore Labrador Fraile was a Dominican later ordained archbishop in Foochow, China.

Merton writes to Mrs. John T. Francis of Louisville, Kentucky.

Fr. François de Ste. Marie was a Carmelite priest and editor of «La Vigne du Carmel: Collection de Spiritualité».

Anne Freedgood was editor in the Anchor Books division of Doubleday publishing in New York. She was also the wife of Merton's Columbia friend Seymour Freedgood.

Br. Roger Frety was from the Little Brothers of Jesus in Detroit, Michigan.

Jacqueline Frieder was Contributing Editor to «American Dialog», a literary magazine with a politically progressive bent and a strong group of contributors that was active from 1964-1972. Frieder writes from New York.