Ethelmary Oakland writes from Olean, New York, sending a poem of Merton's friend Robert Lax, "A Song for Our Lady Notre Dame de la Garde Marseille". (Poem not extant in file.)
Thomas O'Brien was a religion teacher at Brother Rice High School in Chicago, Illinois. He was working on a graduate degree in education at this time. He asks Merton's advice for a paper he was writing for a course. O'Brien entitled his paper: "Catholic Church Non-Involvement in Ghetto Areas, and Consequent Adverse Effect on Negro Acculturation". (Source: «The Road to Joy», pp. 364.)
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.
Thomasine ("Tommie") O'Callaghan was a close friend of Merton's through much of the 1960's. They met through a mutual friend and former professor, Daniel Walsh, whom Merton knew from a graduate course at Columbia University and O'Callaghan knew through the College of the Sacred Heart at Manhattanville, Purchase, New York. Merton became an adopted part of the O'Callaghan family in Louisville, getting to know Tommie's husband Frank and becoming "Uncle Louie" to the seven O'Callaghan children. Sometime Merton would visit the O'Callaghan's in conjunction with doctor's visits in Louisville. Tommie O'Callaghan also planned some picnics for Merton at Gethsemani. Merton chose her as a local member of the trustees of his literary estate in addition to the others from the publishing world in the northeast, Naomi Burton Stone and James Laughlin. (Source: The Thomas Merton Encyclopedia, pp. 340-341.)
Victoria Ocampo was a prolific author, essayist, biographer, publisher who became a feminist heroine challenging the limited roles of women in the Victorian world of the early twentieth century and in Argentine society. She came from a wealthy family, was well traveled and received an international education. She published the journal «Sur» ("the South"), which bridged North and South American culture and the best minds of Europe. She included Merton among the many diverse authors she published and translated. (Source: «The Courage for Truth», pp. 207-208.)
At the time of writing to Merton, Nancy Occhineri was in her senior year at Northwest Catholic High School in West Hartford, Connecticut. She had just read Thomas Merton's «The Seven Storey Mountain». After leaving the area for graduate studies, she returned to Hartford and served as a teacher in the urban area for over 30 years. She remains an avid reader of Merton's work.
Valerio Ochetto writes from Radiotelevisione Italiana on behalf of Giorgio La Pira. He invites Merton to appear on an interview concerning the atomic bomb.
Barbara O'Connell was an eighth grade student from Arlington, Massachusetts. She was to write a class paper about a famous writer and chose Merton. She asks for some information about himself and his writing.
Fr. Gabriel O'Connell was a Trappist monk of the Abbey of Our Lady of the Valley in Valley Falls, Rhode Island.
Walter O'Connell writes from Waco, Texas.
James O'Gara was editor of the «Commonweal» in New York from 1952-1984. A Catholic, born in Chicago's South Side, he had an early interest in the Catholic Worker movement. He later became assistant director of the Catholic Worker House of Hospitality and associate editor of the «Catholic Worker» newspaper. After fighting in the infantry in the Second World War in the South Pacific, he contracted malaria and was sent home. He married Joan F. Smith in 1946, who was secretary for the head of the Chicago Interstudent Catholic Action Movement. He co-founded Today, a Catholic student magazine circulated nationally. Later he worked for «Voice of St. Jude», which became the current magazine «U.S. Catholic». During his tenure at «Commonweal», he defended a liberal Catholic voice in journalism. When Daniel Berrigan submitted an article while hiding from the federal authorities during the Vietnam War, O'Gara was approached by the FBI, but was said by his daughter to have told them to "get out". (Source: Toomey, Shamus. "James O'Gara, 85, editor for leading Catholic lay magazine." Chicago Sun Times [online]. 30 Oct. 2003. x000D
Obituaries. 13 Jan. 2006. ‹http://www.chicagosuntimes.com/output/obituaries/cst-nws-xogara30.html›.)
Ned O'Gorman was a poet and, at the time of writing, on the editorial staff of the Catholic magazine, «Jubilee». His poetry has been described as having "bejeweled" language and baroque imagery, influenced by his Catholic faith. He was also interested in social justice, starting a library and school serving primarily African-American children in Harlem in 1966. (Source: "O'Gorman, Ned." World Authors. 1975. Wilson Biographies Plus. Online. H.W. Wilson. Bellarmine University Library, Louisville, KY. 13 Jan. 2006. ‹http://vnweb.hwwilsonweb.com›.)
Barbara O'Grady of Framingham, Massachusetts, writes to express her joy at reading the galleys of «Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander» sent by John Delaney at Doubleday.
Griselda Ohannessian was on the editorial staff of New Directions publishers in New York. She later became president of New Directions.
John O'Keefe seems to have been an aspiring writer from Dublin, Ireland. He asks Merton's advice to a writer.
Sr. Maria Blanca Olin was a Benedictine nun of the Monastery of St. Benedict (Monestir de Saint Benet) in Montserrat, Spain.
Patricia W. Oliver (Patricia Welsh) was reference librarian at Bellarmine College and cataloged and maintained the Thomas Merton collection in the Library. Merton and Ms. Oliver developed a friendship over meetings in the library and correspondence relating to the collection.
Beatrice Olmstead wrote to Merton after reading «The Seven Storey Mountain», and she and her family became for Merton like an adopted family.
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).
Terence Olmstead was one of the children of Beatrice Olmstead (see "Olmstead, Beatrice" file).
John O'Neil was co-founder and co-editor of «The Pope Speaks: The American Quarterly of Papal Documents», published in Washington, D.C.
Jack O'Neill was an ex-novice of Gethsemani Abbey.
Fr. Joseph E. O'Neill was a Jesuit priest and Editor of «Thought», a quarterly review published at Fordham University in New York.
Joel Orent was an ordained Jewish rabbi who writes to Merton about the possibility of exploring Buddhist and Catholic monastic traditions. He made some inquiries into living with some Catholic monastic communities. He first writes to Merton from New York, and later from Hollywood, California.
Michael Ortwein was an ex-novice of Gethsemani Abbey.
At the time of writing, Mother Mary Angela Osak was the Superior of the Redemptoristine Nuns in Keswick, Ontario, Canada.
Arthur Osborne was an Oxford graduate of history who taught at Chulongkorn University in Bangkok before moving to Tiruvannamalai, India, with his family to become a devotee of Ramana Maharshi. Taking up residence at the Ashram of Maharshi, he was well-known as the founder and editor of «The Mountain Path», a quarterly journal published by Sri Ramanasramam. (Source: Osborne, Arthur. "The Teachings of Ramana Maharshi in His Own Words." Sri Ramanasramam. Tiruvannamalai, India: 1996. Back cover.)
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.
E. J. Oshier writes to Editor of «Harper's Magazine» regarding Merton's article in the November 1966 issue entitled, "Apologies to an Unbeliever". Oshier states that Merton "made the point that, while God may or may not be dead, Gobbledgook prevails in strength."
Nadia Osman writes from Nîmes, France.
Fr. Pachomius was a monk of Benedictine monastery of Erlach in Niederwaldkirchen, Austria.
Fr. Gustave Pairoux writes from the Desclee Company publishers to ask if Merton would write a preface to Fr. William Johnston's «The Mysticism of the Cloud of Unknowing». He writes from Rome, Italy.
John Palcewski was Editor of «Don Quixote». He wanted his friend Allen Schaaf to interview Merton for his magazine.
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.)
Fr. Palumbo writes from Caserta, Italy.
George A. Panichas was an associate professor in the English Department of the University of Maryland in College Park at the time of writing to Merton. In addition, he was the an essayist, biographer and author of a number of books on politics, history and religion.
A Cypriot by birth, Costas Papademas first writes after meeting Merton at Gethsemani, In 1963, while he was a professor in the Journalism Department of Indiana University in Bloomington. He came with a delegation of journalist from around the world (see a letter to Merton from October, 21, 1963 signed by all the foreign journalists). When unrest broke out in Cyprus in 1964, he returned to his native country. Later, he served as Cyprian ambassador in London and in Washington, D.C.
Jan Papanek was Chairman of the International League for the Rights of Man and writes to ask Merton's signature on a statement condemning human rights violations in the Vietnam War. Merton notes that he will sign the statement.
Fr. Etienne Pâris was a Trappist monk from the abbey of Sainte-Marie-du-Mont at Mont-des-Cats in France.
Nicanor Parra distinguished himself as the most prominent Chilean poet, or antipoet, of the Generation of 1938. In 1935, he and friends started «Revista Nueva». The surrealism of Pablo Neruda and the writing of Garcia Lorca among others influenced his first book of poetry, published in 1937. Parra became a professor of mathematics and theoretical physics Universidad de Chile in Santiago from 1951-1991 after his graduate studies at Brown University in Rhode Island and Oxford in England. The direction of his poetry changed in the 1960's, inventing a new poetic form called antipoetry. He published a number of volumes of poetry and influenced many other poets, including Merton, who translated a number of his poems. Parra along with James Laughlin visited Merton at Gethsemani Abbey in May of 1966. (Source: "Parra, Nicanor." Spanish American Authors. 1992. Wilson Biographies Plus. Online. H.W. Wilson. Bellarmine University Library, Louisville, KY. 26 Jan. 2006. ‹http://vnweb.hwwilsonweb.com›.)
Linda Parsons, born Miroslav Prozak (also spelled Miroslava Projak), was a Catholic convert in her thirties who underwent powerful ecstasies of religious experience. Parsons and Martha Crampton of McGill University in Montreal, Canada, organized the R. M. Bucke Memorial Society for the study of religious experience. She began a correspondence with Merton, and, after his death, founded a Thomas Merton Retreat Center at Lake Magog, near the Benedictine monastery of St. Benoît du Lac. Later, she married Peter Sabbath who became the retreat center's director, which later moved to Montreal. (Source: «The Hidden Ground of Love», p. 516.)
Marie-Antoinette Pasco writes from Perpignan, France.
Boris Pasternak was the Russian novelist and poet best known for «Dr. Zhivago». This novel earned him the Nobel Prize for Literature, but, after the nomination, he was forced to leave the Soviet Writers' Union.
