October 28, 2026 — Before host Mike Jordan Laskey hit “record” during a recent conversation with the Thomas Merton scholar Dr. Patrick O’Connell, he told Pat that the way he writes about the famed theologian, author and Trappist monk feels like Pat is writing about a friend. Even though they never met before Thomas Merton died tragically in 1968, Professor O’Connell didn’t dispute this characterization. There’s something about Merton’s work, the combination of spiritual depth and insight, the clarity of expression, the vulnerability, that can make even relative newcomers to his work feel like they really know this man.
And Pat O’Connell is no newcomer. He’s one of the world’s leading experts on Merton’s work. An emeritus professor of English and theology at Gannon University in Erie, Pennsylvania, Pat is a founding member and former president of the International Thomas Merton Society, longtime editor of The Merton Seasonal and copy editor of The Merton Annual. He has edited 16 volumes of Merton materials, and his latest book is titled “Thomas Merton’s Holistic Spirituality.” It was published earlier this year by Liturgical Press.
In this interview, Mike asked Pat how he came to be so interested in the life and work of Thomas Merton, and what this prophet of the mid-20th century might have to say to us today. Pat reflected on some of the key themes from his book, including Merton’s theological thought on the self and the world, plus his deep concern for ecological justice. It was a lovely conversation that will help you get to know Merton’s work better.
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Media Lab, which is a project of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.