"In order to find God in ourselves, we must stop looking at ourselves, stop checking and verifying ourselves in the mirror of our own futility, and be content to be in Him and to do whatever He wills, according to our limitations, judging our acts not in the light of our own illusions, but in the light of His reality which is all around us in the things and people we live with."
- Thomas Merton in No Man is an Island

Thomas Merton was one of the most famous American Roman Catholics of the 20th century. Born to a well-traveled, artistic family, Merton gradually shifted to Roman Catholicism from agnosticism and chose to become a Cistercian monk for the discipline of silence and solitude. His extensive writings reached well beyond the monastery walls, and his social criticisms on racism, economic injustice and militarism burned deeply into the public awareness. He was a pioneer in exploring the similarities between Christian and Eastern mysticism. Fr. Patrick Collins will lead an exploration of four major themes from the extensive writings of Thomas Merton. They are: the journey from false to true self, contemplation, prayer, and silence and solitude. There will be presentations, discussions and experiences of contemplative prayer.

Fr. Patrick W. Collins, Ph.D., is an outstanding author, preacher, musician and university professor. He senses that his principal vocation is to contemplative living-out of which his various ministries flow. In addition to numerous books and articles, Fr. Collins has produced 45 TV programs, and a number of videos, among them Thomas Merton: Man, Monk, Myth with Music. Fr. Collins presents various kinds of retreats, missions, and workshops, including what he calls "spiritual concerts" which combine texts and tunes for spiritual insight and growth. This approach gives an emotional dimension to the meaning of the words and connects head with heart, reason and imagination. He calls it "Music with a Message."