Judith Valente - In Their Own Words: The Monks Who Knew Merton

About this episode

Judith Valente interviews monks who personally knew Thomas Merton, sharing their vivid memories and reflections on his life.

JUDITH VALENTE - In Their Own Words: The Monks Who Knew Merton. There are only a few remaining monks at the Abbey of Gethsemani who knew Thomas Merton personally. One is now 103 years old. ITMS President (2023-2025) Judith Valente spent time interviewing those monks about their encounters with Merton. Their memories are vivid and entertaining. Not surprisingly, Merton remains a complex figure for many of them. They talk frankly about his relationship with M. and his fierce opposition to the abbey's mail order businesses, but also his ability to relate to struggling monks, his humor, and his capacity to admit a mistake. The monks also share memories of those fateful days after Merton's body was returned from Bangkok and his brothers had to bring him to his final rest. Judith Valente worked as a staff writer for The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal and as an on-air correspondent for national PBS-TV, Chicago Public Radio and GLT Radio, the National Public Radio affiliate in central Illinois where she lives. She is the author of three collections of poetry and six spirituality books, including How to Live: What The Rule of St. Benedict Teaches Us about Happiness, Meaning…

People in this episode

Guest: Judith Valente

Topics covered

• humor
• complex relationships
• Thomas Merton
• monastic life
• spirituality
• interviews
• memory

Keywords

• Thomas Merton
• Judith Valente
• monks
• Abbey of Gethsemani
• spirituality
• interviews
• humor
• memory

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: International Thomas Merton Society

Books & works: How to Live: What The Rule of St. Benedict Teaches Us about Happiness, Meaning and Community, The Art of Pausing: Meditations for the Overworked and Overwhelmed, How to Be: A Monk & A Journalist Reflect on Living & Dying, Purpose & Prayer, Friendship & Forgiveness

Places: Abbey of Gethsemani, Bangkok

More episodes of Tuesdays with Merton Podcast

• Jessica Sun - Rain and the Rhinoceros: Advent in Palestine and Journeying with Justice · May 14, 2026 · 1h 19m
• Byron D. Wratee - The Sound of the Genuine "True Self": Thomas Merton, Howard Thurman, and Mystical Anthropology · April 15, 2026 · 1h 4m
• John Dickerson - Finding Thomas Merton on the Campaign Trail · March 19, 2026 · 1h 31m
• Megan Way - Economics and Merton, Developing the Negatives · February 11, 2026 · 1h 12m
• Jordan T. Jones - Thomas Merton meets James Cone: A Conversation That Never Happened · January 14, 2026 · 1h 12m
• Harley Matthews - Merton and the Protestant Tradition · November 14, 2025 · 1h 14m