Merton is way too Catholic for some Christians although The Seven Story Mountainwent on to sell millions and apparently still sells today. While he was encouraged to keep writing, at first publication of The Seven Story Mountain had some glitches with his monastery review.

After Merton was “turned down” by the Franciscans, he was accepted by the Trappists. Merton went from non-belief (as we used to say in the 70s) to becoming a Catholic and then a priest. Merton also kept company with creative, artistic people. Unlike many conversions stories you hear today, Merton was a substantial sinner. Seven Story Mountain was Merton’s conversion story. Here was a highly intelligent and gifted man who found truth in our faith after “looking in all the wrong places” for fulfillment. He was certainly a prolific writer.įor Catholics after the war, Merton’s fascinating story helped assure them about their faith after the godless attacks by our enemies in World War II on the world. One comical-yet-critical comment suggested that Merton had put down his every thought. He found some peace in a Trappist Monastery, but he continued to write and communicate with his intellectual and literary world. Merton kept writing and seeking throughout his entire life. Merton’s story had a plot that was Saint Augustine like. I remember post-war practicing Catholics like my parents watching Bishop Sheen on television and reading the Seven Story Mountain by Thomas Merton. The great Catholic author, Thomas Merton, was one of those. Some people, perhaps many, spend a lifetime seeking truth. It seems natural that today’s young people, who spend so much time getting fit and healthy, would look to combine their pilgrimage journey with the old-fashion rigors that seekers experienced centuries ago all over Europe and beyond. It was also interesting to see how today’s young seekers like to get on their hiking boots and make the tough physical pilgrimages like the Way of Saint James. Pilgrimage is one of our Sports and Faith Series books. Our book covers many sites in a concise way that I don’t think most readers will find anyplace else. It was instructive to look at the various Christian pilgrimage sites that our author, Patrick McCaskey, discussed in the book. When we published Pilgrimage I got a sense that many people were seekers, looking for truth and God, but also wanting a better understanding of themselves.

The seven story mountain