Here is Thomas Merton's biography of Mother Berchmans (1876-1915), a French Trappistine. He had been inspired by her strength of spirit that enabled her to leave behind beloved home in France in order to help grow the struggling Our Lady of the Angels Abbey in Hakodate, Japan.

About the Author

Thomas Merton (1915-1968) was born in France and came to live in the United States at the age of twenty-four. One of the most influential Catholic authors of the twentieth century, he received several awards for his contribution to religious study and contemplation. He was a tireless advocate for social justice and wrote more than 70 books. Merton was also a proponent of interreligious dialogue, engaging in spiritual dialogues with the Dalai Lama, Thich Nhat Hanh and D. T. Suzuki. His life and career were suddenly cut short at age fifty-three when he died in 1968.