Thomas Merton, whose religious name was M. Louis, was an American Trappist monk, theologian, mystic, poet and social activist who lived from 1915 to 1968. He was a professed member of the Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani near Bardstown, Kentucky, living there from 1941 until his death. Over 27 years he wrote more than 50 books, mostly on spirituality, social justice and pacifism, along with scores of essays and reviews; his best known work is the bestselling autobiography The Seven Storey Mountain, published in 1948. Merton was a keen proponent of interfaith understanding, exploring Eastern religions through study and practice, and he pioneered dialogue with prominent Asian spiritual figures.
Facts
Classification
Veneration StatusHistorically Significant but Not Venerated 1 Life
Lifespan or Floruit Manner of DeathDied by accident or misadventure 2 Attestation
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Entity-backed identity for the revered-in enum value this member already carries, resolved by exact or single-candidate near-exact live entity name match against a same-atlas religion, denomination or organization entity, per the phase 3 revered-in pilot (docs\design_entity_backed_browse_buckets_20260928.md, owner decision 2026-09-28, w-bucketpilot-reveredin-0929). The revered-in fact itself, with its own citation, remains on the member entity unchanged; this relationship only adds the durable entity identity the enum value already names.
In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Thomas Merton, Structured Record (Wikidata Q335011)
2. Wikipedia: Thomas Merton
WikipediaNationality, from source article
Thomas Merton, religious name M. Louis, was an American Trappist monk, theologian, mystic, poet, and social activist.
lead paragraph
(January 31, 1915, December 10, 1968)
page categories
Category:Accidental deaths by electrocution
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