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Pennington, M. Basil (1931 July 28-2005 June 3)

 Person

Dates

  • Existence: 1931 July 28 - 2005 June 3

Biographical Note

Scholar and Trappist monk M. Basil Pennington was born in Queens, New York, in 1931. He entered the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance (OCSO, also known as Trappists) at the Abbey of Our Lady of Saint Joseph in Spencer, Massachusetts in 1951, and professed as a monk in 1953, and was ordained as a priest in 1957. He earned an S.T.L. from the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas and a J.C.L. from the Gregorianum. With Thomas Merton, Pennington started Cistercian Publications in 1968, and the Institute of Cistercian Studies at Western Michigan University at Kalamazoo in 1973. Pennington published nearly 60 books and numerous articles throughout his career, including books about Thomas Merton, Bernard of Clairvaux, and other Cistercian fathers; books about ecumenical monastic tradition; and books about Centering Prayer. He died in 2005.

Social Networks and Archival Context (SNAC) Identifier

Found in 1 Collection or Record:

M. Basil Pennington papers

 Collection
Abstract

Papers document twentieth-century scholar and Trappist monk M. Basil Pennington's writings and teachings, especially about Centering Prayer, Cistercian history, and Thomas Merton. Includes articles written by and about Pennington, book manuscripts, correspondence, event ephemera, and reviews of Pennington's work.

Restrictions on access

Collection is closed for reprocessing. Videocassette has been digitally copied; all original media were retained, but may not be played due to format. Digital use copies can only be accessed in the Burns Library Reading Room.

Dates: 1949-2003