Workshop On Merton Concludes With Silent Retreat
Father Henry Kuykendall, retired priest of the Diocese of Evansville, and Deacon Jay Van Hoosier of St. John the Baptist Parish in Newburgh recently completed an eight-week workshop called “Bridges to Contemplative Living with Thomas Merton” at St. John the Baptist. The series ended with a three-day-weekend, silent retreat on Merton at the Abbey of Gethsemane Trappist Monastery in Bardstown, Ky., Trappist Brother Paul Guenon, who lived with Merton 50 years ago, gave talks during the retreat.
Thirty-five men and women from St. John the Baptist and other parishes across the Diocese of Evansville attended.
Following are the comments from a some of the attendees:
Karen Lance: “I learned more about my faith and spirituality and loved the Monks singing the Psalms, the poems of the Church. The only problem was that I had to come back.”
Bill and Sue Hall: “Loved the quiet, Statue Hill and Merton’s Hermitage. It quieted our souls, and the talks by Father Carlos on Resurrection and Suffering opened the spirit world to us.”
Joe Dickinson: “I met Thomas Merton and Father Louis 60 years ago. We drove into Bardstown to the Post Office, then got a six-pack of beer and, with two other friends, we sat on a hill overlooking a lake and enjoyed the afternoon. I remember only a few quotes from Merton, “Men and women are like sheep. Somebody comes up with a new philosophy and everybody runs to him. Then somebody else comes up with a new something and everybody runs to him. I don’t like singing that much. I don’t like the Vietnam war.”
Debbie Jandt: “The eight-week workshop challenged me as a “Cradle Catholic.” The people at my table, including my husband, made me want to be a Catholic all over again. I had never been to a monastery before or on a silent retreat. It was so quiet, and I love to talk. I want to explore more sacred spaces and learn more about my faith.”
Rodney Jandt: “Spectacular eight-week workshop. We just moved here from Chicago and got to know members of our community. I loved the Merton Hermitage and the talk by Brother Paul, who lived with Merton 10 years before he died. It was grace-filled to be in sacred space with the Monks as they sang the Psalms.”
Robin Dugan: “The eight-week program taught me much about Contemplative Living. I think the retreat gave me an opportunity to listen to the Holy Spirit surrounded by silence. It’s just you and the Creator staring and relating to one another. I did not want to leave. You are alone but surrounded by smiling faces.”
The next eight-week workshop, “Advent and Christmas: Bridges to Contemplative Living with Thomas Merton,” also will be held at St. John the Baptist Parish. Offered at 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Central Time on Tuesdays from Sept. 25 to Nov. 20. A 2019 Lenten workshop also is in the works.
Call Father Kuykendall or Deacon Van Hoosier on Tuesdays at 812-490-1000 for information and to register. Cost is $10.00 for the book. Another silent retreat will be offered at Gethsemane in May 2019.
