The Thomas Merton Center at Bellarmine University



Advanced Search 


Miscellaneous Merton Center Collections

Sub-Section H.16: Ann Skakel Papers



This Sub-Section includes papers collected by Ann Brannack Skakel. She was the mother of Robert F. Kennedy's widow, Ethel Skakel Kennedy. Ann Skakel volunteered her time for Merton as a typist during the early 1950's. Most of the files herewith are related to Merton's "Monastic Orientation" classes. There is also a manuscript for "The Cloud and the Fire" (early draft of The Ascent to Truth), and a number of copies of "'The Sacrament of Advent' in the Spirituality of St. Bernard." See also the "Skakel, Ann" file in Merton's correspondence, Section A; "Conferences on St. Bernard of Clairvaux" in Section C.2; and The Sign of Jonas in Section C.3.

This Sub-Section retains the original order, but similar items were grouped into folders. The folders are grouped into Series.


#Series
1 Correspondence and essay, "The Character and Spirit of St. Benedict from St. Gregory's Dialogue"
2 The Character and spirit of St. Benedict from St. Gregory's Dialogue II - Revised draft copies
3 Miscellaneous untitled notes, pp. 6-57a.
4 Typists notes and fragments of inserts
5 "Special problems in obedience" and "The degrees of humility" - corrected typescripts
6 Monastic orientation, Part II, Monastic precursors in the West
7 "Inclina aurem cordis" and "obedience" - fragments of corrected typescripts
8 "The Sacrament of Advent" in the Spirituality of St. Bernard
9 "St. John the Baptist and his ideal." [Fragment]
10 Monastic Orientation: Lectures given to the choir novices, Abbey of Gethsemani, 1950
11 Monastic Orientation 1951: Notes of conferences given to the scholastics at the Abbey of Gethsemani, during the year 1951
12 The Cloud and the Fire by Thomas Merton, O.C.R. [manuscript of The Ascent to Truth]
13 The Character and Spirit of St. Benedict from St. Gregory's Dialogue II
14 "The Sacrament of Advent" in the Spirituality of St. Bernard