Our 2015 Festival of Faiths, Sacred Journeys, went back to our roots with a deep look at the life and legacy of Thomas Merton.
The Center for Interfaith Relations sits at the corner of Fourth and Walnut streets in Louisville, the exact spot where on March 18, 1958, Merton had the epiphany that we are “all walking around shining like the sun.” Thomas Merton’s dialogue between other faiths, especially his conversations with the Dalai Lama and interest in Tibetan Buddhism, have served as the model for inter-religious conversations for the Center.
The 20th annual festival began with a divine reading by a student of Merton’s, Brother Paul Quenon of the Abbey of Gethsemani. Theology professor Dr. Chris Pramuk spoke on topics of race and religion in the writings of Merton, and Buddhist teacher Roshi Jones Halifax discussed living Merton’s legacy in a compassionate city.