John Smelcer 
Enacting Love 

Thomas Merton has been called ‘An American Prophet’ and ‘The Conscience of America.’ Throughout the tumultuous 1960s, Merton was a vocal advocate for the civil rights and peace movements. Merton was the first major religious figure in America to come out against the Vietnam War. He convinced Martin Luther King, Jr. to add his voice to the cause. In the fall of 1968, Merton left the safety of the Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani monastery in Kentucky to go on what would be known as his Asian Journey. He could not have known at the time that he would never leave

Southeast Asia alive.

Or did he?

Judiciously researched and revealed by the man who discovered Merton’s worldly possessions-removed from the abbey on orders of the abbot after Merton’s death and safeguarded by a fellow monk and a nun who had been Merton’s friend and acolyte. Half a century since her friend and teacher died, the nun revealed Merton’s secret. Here is her incredible story about Merton’s daring plan that might have saved tens of thousands of lives.

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