Owensboro, Ky., -- The International Bluegrass Music Museum will host a film screening and open discussion Wednesday, March 11, with Kentucky film maker Morgan Atkinson, for his latest project, The Many Storeys and Last Days of Thomas Merton.
Thomas Merton was an American Catholic writer, mystic and Trappist monk of the Abbey of Gethsemani, Kentucky. A poet, social activist, and student of comparative religion, Merton wrote more than 70 books, mostly on spirituality, social justice and a quiet pacifism, as well as scores of essays and reviews. Among Merton's most enduring works is his bestselling autobiography The Seven Storey Mountain (1948), which sent scores of World War II veterans, students, and even teenagers flocking to monasteries across the US.
The Many Storeys and Last Days of Thomas Merton is the story of Merton in the last year of his life, embarking on his greatest journey. It's a story of adventure and search that takes the viewer from his home at the Abbey of Gethsemani, across America in the turbulent year of 1968 and finally to Asia for meetings with the Dalai Lama and other spiritual seekers. The purpose of the journey, as always with Merton, was to seek a fuller union with God. He believed serving as a bridge between west and east was one way in which his call could be lived out. The Many Storeys and Last Days of Thomas Merton celebrates the triumph of all that was gained by his journey, reflects on the tragedy of what was lost with his death and considers why Merton's life and work challenges us today.
The producer Morgan Atkinson is a documentary producer based in Louisville, KY. In a career spanning more than 30 years he has focused on people or groups seeking meaning through a spiritual search. His earlier work on Thomas Merton entitled Soul Searching: The Journey of Thomas Merton was aired nationally on PBS in 2007. He has produced feature-length documentaries focusing on other aspects of spiritual seekers titled Gethsemani, Poetry of a Soul: A Monk's Story and Uncommon Vision: The Life and Times of John Howard Griffin.
The International Bluegrass Music Museum is located at 117 Daviess Street. Doors open at 6:30 pm, the film begins at 7:00 pm, followed by a Q&A with Morgan Atkinson. Tickets are $10 each and are available online (www.bluegrassmuseum.org) or by calling the Museum - 270-926-7891.
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International Bluegrass Music Museum
Documentary
Film
Thomas Merton
Event