Thomas Merton’s Holistic Spirituality

Patrick F. O'Connell; Foreword by Bonnie B. Thurston

eISBN: 9798400802690, E02690

Details: 232 pgs,
Publication Date: 02/15/2026

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“Pat O’Connell’s synthesis of Merton’s spirituality offers us a hope-filled book when hope is in short supply.” – From the Foreword by Bonnie B. Thurston

In Thomas Merton’s Holistic Spirituality, renowned Merton scholar Patrick F. O’Connell shares the fruit of decades of reading, reflecting, speaking, and writing about this captivating monastic figure. He explores the full range of the prolific Cistercian’s diverse contributions to contemporary Christian life and thought, unified by his conviction that “We must contain all divided worlds in ourselves and transcend them in Christ.” This commitment to integrating seemingly disparate concerns and interests, the historical with the contemporary, the spiritual with the secular, contemplative prayer with prophetic critique, monastic stability with life-long pilgrimage, constitutes what O’Connell names as Merton’s holistic spirituality.

Drawing on both well-known and relatively little-studied sources, this book explores key themes and motifs that exemplify Merton’s commitment, never fully realized yet never relinquished, to what he called “final integration,” an inner unity grounded in the experience of divine love that extends to embrace the entire human community and all creation.

Patrick F. O’Connell, emeritus professor of English and theology at Gannon University, Erie, Pennsylvania, is a founding member and former president of the International Thomas Merton Society, longtime editor of The Merton Seasonal, and copy editor of The Merton Annual. He has edited sixteen volumes of Merton materials, including twelve volumes of Merton’s monastic conferences (2005–2022) as well as Selected Essays (2013) and Merton and Confucianism (2021). He is also co-author with Christine M. Bochen and William H. Shannon of the award-winning Thomas Merton Encyclopedia (2002).

eISBN: 9798400802690, E02690

Details: 232 pgs,
Publication Date: 02/15/2026

Reviews

“One of the best short introductions to the spirituality of Thomas Merton that I have ever read: wise, grounded, thoughtful, incisive and, best of all, well written.”

James Martin, SJ, author of Jesus: A Pilgrimage and In All Seasons, For All Reasons

“Thomas Merton’s Holistic Spirituality is one of the best books about Merton ever written. Patrick O’Connell’s achievement is to have created a masterpiece through nine chapters that are a magisterial integration of themes at the heart of Merton’s theology and lived experience. With his extraordinary grasp of the meanings inherent in the entire corpus of Merton’s legacy, O’Connell argues for the monk’s ‘catholicity’ in finding unities that transcend all dualisms. His book invites readers to appreciate, appropriate, and apply the values of Merton’s integrating vision, which posits that the history of religious traditions is perennially dynamic and remains vital for our times.”

Jonathan Montaldo, co-editor with Patrick Hart of The Intimate Merton: His Life from His Journals

“Steeped in fifty-plus years of reading, writing, and reflecting on Thomas Merton, Patrick O’Connell is well-equipped to provide an incisive, and comprehensive analysis of Merton’s spirituality and evolving thought. The author’s ability to juggle pertinent sections of multiple Merton passages demonstrates not only his academic acumen but also his prayerful interaction with the texts. The Paschal Mystery, central to Merton’s incarnational, sacramental view of the Christian life, is here illuminated through a prism of lenses with depth, and clarity. If you have room on your bookshelf for only one more interpretation of Merton’s work, this book is the one to read and savor.”

Monica Weis, SSJ, emerita professor of English, Nazareth University, author of The Environmental Vision of Thomas Merton and Thomas Merton and the Celts

“Only a truly comprehensive scholar could render such a comprehensive synthesis of the kaleidoscopic genius of Thomas Merton. That seasoned scholar is none other than Patrick O’Connell, the ‘summa cum laude’ of Merton studies, whose latest contribution elucidates the unified wisdom of a modern spiritual master.”

Kathleen Noone Deignan, CND, professor emerita of religious studies, Iona University, New York

“In a time of cultural, political, and even religious polarization and fragmentation, spiritual seekers need resources that are grounding and integrating. Patrick O’Connell’s latest book on the holistic spirituality of Thomas Merton arrives at just the right time! O’Connell, widely recognized as the unofficial ‘Dean of Merton Studies,’ brings his encyclopedic knowledge of Merton’s life and work to many of the spiritual questions of our time in a thorough yet accessible manner. Readers familiar with Merton already will appreciate the way this book synthesizes many of the monk’s disparate interests and insights, while those new to him will find no better introduction to Merton’s spirituality than this book!”

Daniel P. Horan, professor of philosophy, religious studies, and theology, Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame, Indiana

“Writing from a position of authority, after devoting a lifetime to the careful study of Thomas Merton's work, Patrick O'Connell imparts to the fortunate reader a compassionate and comprehensive, wise, and winsome account of Merton's complex and yet elegantly simple spirituality. This is a rare book, ideal for both the expert and the novice—a study that is steeped in scholarship and arcane knowledge of theological and spiritual thought yet is also accessible to the common reader who may be encountering Merton for the first time. O'Connell's book is as compelling as his subject, Merton himself, unfolding like a well-told tale that kept this reader engrossed from start to finish.”

Angela Alaimo O'Donnell, author of Flannery O'Connor: Fiction Fired by Faith and Radical Ambivalence: Race in Flannery O'Connor