The Voice of the Stranger


 "God speaks, and God is to be heard, not only on Sinai, not only in my own heart but in the voice of the stranger ... God must be allowed the right to speak unpredictably."

Conference papers presented at the Seventh General Meeting of the Thomas Merton Society of Great Britain and Ireland
held at Oakham School, Oakham from 4th - 6th April, 2008.

Various conference papers from the Seventh General Meeting were subsequently published in editions of The Merton Journal and other places.


Main Conference Addresses:

James Conner, OCSO - The Voice of the Stranger – A Manifesto for the 21st Century.”

David Scott - The Poet as Stranger.”

Bonnie Bowman Thurston - Brothers in Prayer and Worship: The Merton/Aziz Correspondence, An Islamic-Christian Dialogue.”


Concurrent Session Papers:

Mario Aguilar - "Towards a Common Contemplation: The Stranger in Thomas Merton and the 14th Dalai Lama."

William Apel - "Learning to Listen: Merton, Chakravarty and the Smith College Students."

Tony Bannon - "The Contemplative Vision of Thomas Merton."

Kathleen Deignan - "Thomas Merton and the Shakers."

David Golemboski - "Life of a Stranger: How Thomas Merton Pitched In By Dropping Out."

Daniel P. Horan, OFM - "'Those Going Among the Saracens and Other Non-believers: Thomas Merton and Franciscan Interreligious Dialogue."

Erlinda Paguio - "Merton and the Stranger at Emmaus."

Paul M. Pearson - "Hospitality to the Stranger: Thomas Merton and St. Benedict's Exhortation of 'Welcome the Stranger as Christ'."

Gosia Poks - "Between Estrangement and Familiarity: Meeting at Unplanned Crossings."

Concluding Homily:

James Conner, OCSO -Eucharistic Homily.”



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