Editing Thomas Merton (section)

==Legacy==
[[File:Thomas merton sign.jpg|thumbnail|Marker commemorating Thomas Merton in Louisville, Kentucky]]
Merton's influence has grown since his death, and he is widely recognized as an important 20th-century Catholic [[mysticism|mystic]] and thinker. Interest in his work contributed to a rise in spiritual exploration beginning in the 1960s and 1970s in the United States. Merton's letters and diaries reveal the intensity with which their author focused on social justice issues, including the civil rights movement and [[Proliferation of nuclear weapons|proliferation of nuclear arms]].<ref>{{cite journal| last=Farrell| first=James J.| title=Thomas Merton and the Religion of the Bomb| url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1123966| journal=Religion and American Culture| publisher=University of California Press| date=1995| volume=5| number=1| pages=77–98| doi=10.2307/1123966| jstor=1123966| s2cid=170922796| access-date=July 7, 2021| archive-date=July 9, 2021| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709235612/https://www.jstor.org/stable/1123966| url-status=live}}</ref> He had prohibited their publication for 25 years after his death. Publication raised new interest in Merton's life.<ref>{{cite journal|last= Pearson|first= Paul M.|title= Thomas Merton, Archivist : Preserving His Own Memory|url= https://www.jstor.org/stable/25154852|journal= Memory and History|publisher= Catholic University of America Press|date= 2003|volume= 21|number= 2|pages= 47–62|jstor= 25154852|access-date= July 7, 2021|archive-date= July 9, 2021|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210709224943/https://www.jstor.org/stable/25154852|url-status= live}}</ref>

The [[Abbey of Gethsemani]] benefits from the royalties of Merton's writing.<ref>{{cite news |author=[[Robert Giroux]] |title=Thomas Merton's Durable Mountain |url=https://www.nytimes.com/books/98/10/11/bookend/bookend.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=October 11, 1998 |access-date=February 20, 2017 |archive-date=March 1, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180301092208/http://www.nytimes.com/books/98/10/11/bookend/bookend.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In addition, his writings attracted much interest in Catholic practice and thought, and in the [[Trappists|Trappist]] vocation.

In recognition of Merton's close association with [[Bellarmine University]], the university established an official repository for Merton's archives at the [[Thomas Merton Center (Louisville)|Thomas Merton Center]] on the Bellarmine campus in [[Louisville, Kentucky]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=November 11, 2012|title=Merton Center in Louisville|url=https://www.ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/merton-center-louisville|access-date=June 2, 2020|website=National Catholic Reporter|language=en|archive-date=October 24, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201024231703/https://www.ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/merton-center-louisville|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[Thomas Merton Award]], a peace prize, has been awarded since 1972 by the [[Thomas Merton Center for Peace and Social Justice]] in [[Pittsburgh]], Pennsylvania.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Thomas Merton Award goes to climate change activist|url=https://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2013/11/05/Thomas-Merton-Award-goes-to-climate-change-activist/stories/201311050133|access-date=June 2, 2020|website=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|language=en|archive-date=August 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200812121514/https://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2013/11/05/Thomas-Merton-Award-goes-to-climate-change-activist/stories/201311050133|url-status=live}}</ref>

The 2015, in tribute to the centennial year of Merton's birth, The Festival of Faiths in Louisville Kentucky honored his life and work with ''Sacred Journey’s the Legacy of Thomas Merton''.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Elson|first=Martha|title=20th Festival of Faiths honors Merton|url=https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2015/05/11/festival-faiths-examine-sacred-journeys/27132373/|access-date=June 2, 2020|website=The Courier-Journal|language=en|archive-date=May 31, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240531065641/https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2015/05/11/festival-faiths-examine-sacred-journeys/27132373/|url-status=live}}</ref>

An annual lecture in his name is given at his alma mater, [[Columbia University]] in which the Columbia chaplaincy invites a prominent Catholic to speak.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Columbia250 Celebrates Colmbians Ahead of Their Time|url=https://c250.columbia.edu/c250_celebrates/remarkable_columbians/thomas_merton.html|access-date=July 6, 2021|website=Columbia University|language=en|archive-date=June 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210612071737/http://www.c250.columbia.edu/c250_celebrates/remarkable_columbians/thomas_merton.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The campus ministry building at [[St. Bonaventure University]], the school where Merton taught English briefly between graduating from Columbia University with his M.A. in English and entering the Trappist order, is named after him. St. Bonaventure University also holds an important repository of Merton materials worldwide.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://web.sbu.edu/friedsam/archives/mertonweb/index.html| title = index1| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130511215042/http://web.sbu.edu/friedsam/archives/mertonweb/index.html| archive-date = May 11, 2013}}</ref>

[[Bishop Marrocco/Thomas Merton Catholic Secondary School]] in downtown [[Toronto, Ontario]], Canada, which was formerly named St. Joseph's Commercial and was founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph, is named in part after him.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Robert|first1=Grip|last2=Gary|first2=Young|title=Two Merton Schools|url=http://merton.org/ITMS/Seasonal/16/16-1Grip-MertonHigh.pdf|access-date=July 6, 2021|website=merton.org|language=en|archive-date=July 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709190141/http://merton.org/ITMS/Seasonal/16/16-1Grip-MertonHigh.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

Some of Merton's manuscripts that include correspondence with his superiors are located in the library of the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in [[Conyers, Georgia]]. [[Antony Theodore]] has provided details of his encounters with Asian spiritual leaders and the influence of [[Confucianism]], [[Taoism]], [[Zen Buddhism]] and [[Hinduism]] on Merton's mysticism and philosophy of contemplation.<ref>{{cite book | first= Antony | last= Theodore | url= https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/30320691 | date= January 1, 1993 | access-date= July 6, 2021 | title= Thomas Merton's Mystical Quest for Union with God | pages= 88–92 | oclc= 30320691 | archive-date= May 31, 2024 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240531065643/https://search.worldcat.org/title/30320691 | url-status= live }}</ref>

Merton was one of four Americans mentioned by [[Pope Francis]] in his speech to a joint meeting of the [[United States Congress]] on September 24, 2015. Francis said, "Merton was above all a man of prayer, a thinker who challenged the certitudes of his time and opened new horizons for souls and for the Church. He was also a man of dialogue, a promoter of peace between peoples and religions."<ref>{{cite web | url= https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2015/september/documents/papa-francesco_20150924_usa-us-congress.html | date= September 24, 2015 | access-date= September 24, 2015 | title= Address of the Holy Father | website= The Vatican | archive-date= September 25, 2015 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150925134238/http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2015/september/documents/papa-francesco_20150924_usa-us-congress.html | url-status= live }}</ref>

In 2023, Columbia University opened the Thomas Merton Institute for Catholic Life at the [[Church of Notre Dame (New York City)|Church of Notre Dame]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Vance |first=Shea |title=Columbia Catholic Ministry opens University's first Catholic center – Columbia Spectator |url=https://www.columbiaspectator.com/news/2023/02/13/columbia-catholic-ministry-opens-universitys-first-catholic-center/ |access-date=April 1, 2023 |website=Columbia Daily Spectator |archive-date=April 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230401194504/https://www.columbiaspectator.com/news/2023/02/13/columbia-catholic-ministry-opens-universitys-first-catholic-center/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=February 16, 2023 |title=Columbia University gets its own Catholic center |url=https://aleteia.org/2023/02/16/columbia-university-gets-its-own-catholic-center/ |access-date=April 1, 2023 |website=Aleteia — Catholic Spirituality, Lifestyle, World News, and Culture |language=en |archive-date=April 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230401194425/https://aleteia.org/2023/02/16/columbia-university-gets-its-own-catholic-center/ |url-status=live }}</ref>