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Bill Manning writes from Hopkins, Minnesota.

Fr. Marcellus was a Trappist monk of Holy Spirit Abbey in Conyers, Georgia.

Gladys Marcus was the sister of Merton's close friend Bob Lax. Merton got to know her and her husband, Benji Marcus, in the summer of 1938. Merton was having some difficulty in getting in touch with her brother Robert and asks her for assistance in 1967. She writes back informing him that he will be coming back to the United States. In addition, she informs Merton of the death of her husband.

Sr. Maria da Concricão da Virginem Dolorosa writes from the Carmelite convent of St. Teresa in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Sr. Marie of the Eucharist was a Carmelite nun.

Sr. Marie Pius writes from the Monastery of Saint Clare in New Orleans, Louisiana. She was the first African-American admitted to the Poor Clares in the United States. She was suffering from a terminal illness at the time of writing to Merton.

Br. Marie-Bernard was a Trappist monk, possibly of Gethsemani Abbey.

Sr. Marie-Bernarde was a Dominican sister of the Sacred Heart Dominican College in Houston, Texas.

Jacques Maritain was a philosopher and Catholic humanist writer who was quite influential in 20th century "new scholasticism", taking the writings of Thomas Aquinas and applying them to modern societal issues in philosophy and science. Born in Paris, he attended the Sorbonne and married Raïssa Oumancoff (1883-1960), who was a Jewish emigrée from Russia. Raïssa Maritain later achieved notoriety as a mystical poet and philosopher. Influenced by Léon Bloy, they were both baptized Catholic in 1906. A few years later, after having studied biology and mathematics at the University of Heidelberg, Jacques Maritain returned to France and discovered Aquinas' «Summa Theologica», which helped launch the direction of his writing. He would go on to write a number of influential books
Merton was first met Maritain at a lecture Maritain delivered at Catholic Book Club, where Dan Walsh introduced them. During Maritain's time as a professor at Princeton from 1948-1960, Merton and Maritain first wrote to each other. In 1949, Merton was struggling with thoughts of leaving the Trappists and joining the Carthusians. In Merton's later life, after he had achieved his desire for more solitude at a hermitage at Gethsemani, Maritain visited him at the hermitage in 1966. Since 1961, after Raïssa's death the previous year, Jacques Maritain had been living with the Little Brothers of Jesus in Toulouse. He took vows with them in 1971 and died there in 1973. (Sources: «The Courage for Truth», pp. 22-23; and "Maritain, Jacques." World Authors." 1996. Wilson Biographies Plus. Online. H.W. Wilson. Bellarmine University Library, Louisville, KY. 30 Nov. 2005. ‹http://vnweb.hwwilsonweb.com›.)

Sr. Mary John Markey was a School Sister of Notre Dame from Omaha, Nebraska, at the time of writing to Merton.

Dom Marie-Joseph Marquis was Abbot of Notre Dame de Grâce in Bricquebec, France, from 1940-1981.

As described by William H. Shannon, Marty was a "[w]ell-known author in the field of religious literature and longtime associate editor of «Christian Century»" (source: «The Hidden Ground of Love», pp. 454-455).

Mother Mary Margaret was the Anglican abbess of Holy Cross Convent in Sussex, England. She discusses ecumenical dialogue between Catholics and Anglicans and broader topics of ecumenism.

Sr. Mary Margaret is a Redemptorist nun of the Monastery of St. Alphonsus in Liguori, Missouri.

Archimandrite Elie Mastroyanopoulos writes from Athens, Greece.

Richard Matthews was Editor of the first edition of the «Florida Quarterly», from University of Florida in Gainesville. Martin Lee Curry took over as General Editor for the next issue.

Fr. Francesco Mattesini, from the journal «Vita e Pensiero» in Milan, Italy, writes to Robert MacGregor of New Directions publishing in New York. MacGregor makes a note on the letter and forwards it to Merton.

Sr. Mary Maurice and Sr. Lillian were Felician Sisters of the St. Teresa of Avila Convent in Akron, New York.

Leonard F. X. Mayhew was Publicity Editor for Sheed and Ward in New York.

Eoin McCarthy writes from London, England.

Bishop William Joseph McDonald (at the time of writing to Merton, Msgr. William J. McDonald) was Editor-in-Chief of the «New Catholic Encyclopedia» and asks Merton to contribute. Merton sends an article on spiritual direction. McDonald writes from Washington, D.C.

Vincent F. McGee writes from New York.

Peggy McKenna was a homemaker writing from Orange, Texas.

Henry A. McKervey writes to the editor of «Harper's» from Spokane, Washington, in response to "Apologies to an Unbeliever", published in the November 1966 issue of «Harper's Magazine» (and later appeared with a related article in the book Faith and Violence).

Fr. John McNearney was a doctoral student at Catholic University in Washington, D.C., and was writing a dissertation called "The Relation between Prayer and Involvement in the World". He asked if Merton would send him a bibliography of his works so he could include some of it as source material.

Robert F. W. Meader was Director of the Shaker Museum Foundation in Old Chatham, New York.

Sr. Xristine Anne Marie van der Meer de Walcheren was a Benedictine religious sister writing from Notre Dame Abbey in Oosterhout, the Netherlands.

Gianni Menarini was Editor of «Il Tarocco», an Italian magazine of literature and art. He asks Merton for a poem and a statement on the relationship between religion and poetry.

Robert Menchin was working on a project involving career change and asks Merton's input on the subject. While the decision to go to a monastery is somewhat different, Merton describes his vocation to the monastic life and the thoughts he went through as an aspiring writer who may have had to give up that life.

Agnes Gertrude Stonehewer Merton, Thomas Merton's Aunt "Kit", was Owen Merton's sister, and she lived in New Zealand. Thomas Merton met her twice: once coming with her mother Gertrude Hannah Merton to Flushing, New York, in 1919; and once visiting him at Gethsemani in 1961. She suffered a tragic death aboard the ferry «Wahine», which sank between New Zealand's largest islands. (Source: The Thomas Merton Encyclopedia, p. 293).

Percyval Tudor-Hart was the art teacher and mentor of Thomas Merton's father, the painter Owen Merton.

See also, Merton's manuscript essay "Two Comments: 'SENSITIVITY TRAINING' [BY CHARLOTTE BUHLER] AND 'THE AVANT GARDE IN THE ARTS' [BY HENRY WINTHROP AND GERALD SYKES]."

Rhoda Rissin was Assistant to James Laughlin, head of New Directions publishers from Norfolk, Connecticut.

Mery-Lú Sananes was a student in the Facultad de Humanidades y Educación at the Universidad Central in Caracas, Venezuela, as were the others that signed his initial letter to Merton: Jaime López-Sanz, Irene Flores, and Ramón Montiel. They write to inform Merton that LAM, a student literary group, translated his poem "Original Child Bomb" into Spanish (as "Niña Bomba Original"). Sananes and López-Sanz did the translation.

Philip Griggs writes to Merton from Carmichael, California. He later joined the Ramakrishna Vedanta Center in London, England. Between his correspondence in 1965 and 1971, he had taken the name Swami Yogeshananda. He was in his later years the director of the Vedanta Center of Atlanta.

A. Philip Randolph was in the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement for African Americans, a socialist and union leader fighting for workers writes and equality. Born in Florida, he moved to Harlem in 1911 to get into theater. Enrolling at the City College of New York, he changed life plans and majored in politics and economics. Together with Columbia University student Chandler Owen, he founded the radical magazine, The Messenger, in 1917. He organized a union called the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters in 1925, the Pullman Company being a major employer of African Americans. He was a supporter of non-violent means of protest and generally anti-war, fighting discrimination in the armed forces during the 1940's. During the 1950's and 1960's, he served as vice president of the AFL-CIO unions. Along with Bayard Rustin and Martin Luther King, Jr., he helped organize the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963. The following year, he was given a Presidential Medal of Freedom. (Source: "A. Philip Randolph." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 9 Feb 2006, 04:34 UTC. 15 Feb 2006, ‹http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=A._Philip_Randolph&oldid=38873488›.)

Vera Zorina (born Eva Brigitta Hartwig) was a dancer and actress born in Berlin in 1917. In 1933, she was discovered in London by representatives of the Ballet Russe, Leonide Massine and Colonel de Basil, who gave her stage name. The Goldwyn Follies in 1938 launched her movie career. She was at one time married to famous ballet choreographer George Balanchine. She writes to Merton under Brigitta Lieberson (the last name was of her second husband, Goddard Lieberson). She sends Merton a recording she did of Hérodiade, but is concerned that it is not appropriate for a monastic audience. Merton expresses his enjoyment in the recording and continues to correspond with Zorina.

Richard Meyers would later become a significant figure in punk rock under the name Richard Hell.

All files under “Beecher, John”.

Fr. Terence Connolly was Director of Libraries for Boston College from 1944 until 1959, succeeded by Brendan Connolly. He obtained a copy of a manuscript for «The Seven Storey Mountain» in the late 1940's.

Raymond A. DeSutter, II was a novice at Gethsemani under Merton. His name in religion was Fr. Robert and was at Gethsemani Abbey from 1957-1963.

Merton wrote the foreword to Sally Donnelly's master's thesis at Smith College entitled "Marcel and Buddha : a metaphysics of enlightenment." This later became Merton's essay entitled "Nirvana," which was included in his book «Zen and the Birds of Appetite». Merton's friend and Smith professor Amiya Chakravarty sent it to Merton.

Ira Gershwin was an American lyricist and brother of composer George Gershwin.

Herman Hanekamp was born in Oldenburg, Germany in 1884. After immigration to the United States in 1904, not much is known other than a couple of years he spent as a cowboy in Texas before riding a horse to Gethsemani when he entered in 1912 (account by Raymond DeSutter [formerly Fr. M. Robert in religious life during his time at Gethsemani]. Hanekamp had taken simple vows but was dismissed in 1917. After leaving vowed religious life, he contnued to live near the monastery. Whether Hanekamp was officially given land that was later reaquired by the abbey is uncertain. He had a small dwelling and raised crops, goats, and pigs. He died in 1958.

The sculptor Marc Hénard writes to Merton from Saint-Léger-Vauban, a town in Burgundy, France, which is also the home of the Benedictine Abbey of Pierre Qui Vire. He sends Merton some photographs of his work at Pierre Qui Vire and a photograph of a tower at the monastery at the request of Dom Angélico Surchamp, O.S.B., of La Pierre-qui-Vire Abbey. The material on sacred art is for "Art and Worship," an unpublished manuscript of a book Merton planned to publish on sacred art.

Br. Irenaeus was a tailor at Gethsemani Abbey.

Frank Jones owned property along the northern California coast at Bear Harbor. While visiting Redwoods Abbey in the spring of 1968, Merton met him and his wife and inquired about land for a new hermitage. By September, Jones agreed he was interested in selling; however, by that time, Merton was considering hermitage locations in Asia.

Br. Fidelis Kerekes was a monk of Gethsemani Abbey.

Beatrice Lillie was a Canadian-born, British actress. She achieved fame in Britain after World War I and international stardom after success in the United States in 1924. She was primarily known as a brilliant comedienne, often playing in musical productions. She became Lady Peel after marriage in 1920 to the Honourable Robert Peel of Staffordshire, England. During the time Merton sent her his book, Lillie performed cabarets and benefits while hosting two series on American television. (Source: "Lillie, Beatrice." Biography from Current Biography. 1964. Online. H.W. Wilson Company. Bellarmine University Library, Louisville, KY. 11 July 2007, ‹http://galenet.galegroup.com›.)

Sister M. Lois was an Ursuline Sister teaching at Angela Merici Hight School in Louisville, Kentucky.

Dr. R. Meulet was part of a faculty of medicine in radiology in Bordeaux, France.

Donna Mae Miller was the Editor of «Quest», a scholarly publication that was sponsored by two associations of physical therapy on college campuses. Miller writes from the University of Arizona.

Frank Miller was an editorial cartoonist for the «Des Moines Register and Tribune» in Iowa. Inspired by «The Seven Storey Mountain», he was taking instructions as a Catholic. From his recommendation, the editorial page at his newspaper ran quotes from «Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander» with his illustrations, originals of which he sends as thanks to Merton.

Lawrence K. Miller was Editor of «The Berkshire Eagle» of Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Miller's wife was involved in the restoration of the Shaker village of Hancock, Massachusetts. Lawrence Miller is interested in reprinting one of Merton's articles on the Shakers in his newspaper.

Samra Hicks (later Mims) was, at the time of Merton's message to her, assistant to Sr. Anna Louise, Dean of Students of Catherine Spalding College in Louisville, Kentucky.

Dom Peter Minard was a French Benedictine monk and founder of the Holy Mother of God Monastery in Oxford, North Carolina, a contemplative Benedictine foundation that later was turned over to the Trappists.

Elsie Mitchell is a Buddhist scholar, originally from Boston, who has published books on Zen Buddhism and art. She was founder of the Ahimsa Foundation, which supports humane societies and organizations for the protection of wildlife; and she was co-founder of the Cambridge Buddhist Association. Dom Aelred Graham spent the summer of 1968 with Elsie and her husband John Mitchell. Elsie Mitchell writes from Cataumet, Massachusetts.

Gwynedd Monroe was Associate Secretary of the Department of Christian Social Relations of the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church in New York.

Hiromu Morishita was president of the Senior High School Teachers' Society and the Hiroshima Peace Education Institute in Japan. He was a survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and led a group of survivors, known as the Hibakusha, on a world tour for peace. On May 16, 1964, the group visited Merton and stayed at Gethsemani. Merton read Morishita his poem, "Paper Cranes" (the paper crane is a Japanese symbol of peace). (Source: «The Hidden Ground of Love», pp. 458-459.)

James Morrissey was an editor and staff writer for the «Louisville Courier-Journal» in Kentucky.

John Morrissey writes on behalf of «The Catholic News», the Catholic newspaper of New York.

Dom John Morson was a Trappist monk of Mount St. Bernard's Abbey in Leicester, England. He served as Trappist Definitor for England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. He was a regular contributor to «Cistercian Studies». He writes from Rome. (Source: «The School of Charity», p. 330.)

Elizabeth Mowat writes from the Translation Department of the publishing firm Curtis Brown in regards to foreign rights to Merton's books overseas and in translation. She writes from New York.

Fr. Michael Moylan was a Discalced Carmelite of Mount Carmel in Oxford, England.

Fr. Thomas A. Mullaney was a Dominican priest from Washington, D.C. and writes in response to «Seeds of Contemplation».

Michael Murphy writes from the Esalen Institute, located in San Francisco and Big Sur, California.

A. J. Muste was born in Holland, moved with his family to the United States at six, and later attended Union Theological Seminary and became a minister in the Dutch Reformed Church. He was a pacifist and life-long advocate for peace and civil rights, working with such groups at the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR), the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), and the War Resisters League. Even in his later years, he continued his opposition to war in resisting United States involvement in Vietnam.

Jude Patrick Dougherty was writing from Bellarmine College in Louisville, Kentucky.

Dom Pierre Doyère was a Benedictine monk of the Abbey of Saint-Paul de Wisques in France.

Camille Drevet writes from Paris. She was part of Les Amis de Gandhi (Friends of Gandhi), a group founded by Louis Massignon. She was author of the book Par les routes humaines. (Source: «Witness to Freedom», p. 97.)

Sr. Diane Du Christ was from the Dominican monastery at Dax in southwestern France.

Professor Eleanor Duckett writes from Northampton, Massachusetts.

Joseph Duffy was publishing director for P. J. Kenedy and Sons publishers in New York.

Fr. George Dunne was a Jesuit priest at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

Suzanne Edgell was a teacher with the United States Department of Defense and stationed in the Philippines.

Sr. Karen Edmund was a Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet from Binghamton, New York.

Sr. Mary Elizabeth of the Trinity was sub-prioress and novice mistress of the Monastery of Discalced Carmelites in Boston, Massachusetts.

Elisabeth G. Ellis was writing on behalf of Naomi Burton Stone with some editorial questions about «Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander».

Dorothy Emmet was the author of a number of books on philosophy and helped found the department of philosophy at the University of Manchester, where she served as head of the department. After retiring from her professorship, she settled in Cambridge in 1966. There she became the first editor of the journal «Theoria to Theory», to which Merton was a contributor. She was interested in philosophy's application to political and social issues and "taught Plato to unemployed Welsh miners" (source: «Obituary: Dorothy Emmet». 25 September 2000. «The Guardian». Accessed 2 December 2004. ‹http://books.guardian.co.uk/news/articles/0,6109,373005,00.html›).

Ricardo Espinoza writes from Lima, Peru.

Yara Esteves writes from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

James M. Ethridge was editor of «Contemporary Authors», which compiles reference volumes on biographical information about authors.

Hermene Evans writes from Chicago on behalf of the Peace Study Union.

Fr. Illtud Evans was a Dominican priest and popular retreat master from Cambridge, England. He did editorial work for «Blackfriars» (after 1964, «New Blackfriars»), a publication of the English Dominicans. Many of Evans' letters speak of his travels for the retreats he was giving, including a trip to the Holy Land. In 1966, he moved to St. Albert's College in Oakland, California. (Source: «The School of Charity», p. 196.)