Become a Friend of The Institute

Give to our Annual Campaign. Gifts to the Annual Campaign support The Institute's programs and operating expenses. Contributions can be made online.

Make a Special Gift. Donations and grants can be made to support specific programs, events, and projects such as Bridges To Contemplative Living and Bethany Spring, The Merton Institute Retreat Center, the Contemplative Leadership program, and the Contemplative Family Program.

Establish an Endowment. Gifts to the Endowment Fund create annual revenue that supports the Institute's programs and operations. For information about Special Gifts, the Endowment Fund, and Naming Opportunities, e-mail Vanessa Hurst or call her at (502) 899-1991.

The ultimate perfection of the contemplative life is not a heaven of separate individuals, each on viewing his own private intuition of God; it is a sea of Love which flows through the One Body of all the elect...

I will have more joy in heaven and in the contemplation of God, I you are also there to share it with me; and the more of us there will be to share it the greater will be the joy of all. For contemplation is not ultimately perfect unless it is shared.

Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation