I think it would be too easy to identify Winson's monastic model of manual labor, rustic simplicity, as what some people have hinted at, a spiritual analog to the counterculture of the 1960s. Some of you remember that counterculture of the 60s. There was, without doubt, an idealistic tinge to Winson. the founder and fosterer of a more authentic monasticism. That's a word that recurs consistently in both their writings, authentic. Winston expected monks who would enter such a community to embody principles that would be signs of contradiction to the wider culture. In that, he captured, I think, much of the idealism of American Catholic life in the 50s and 60s. But there was always the realist at work in his effort to implement his ideals. Winston knew the demands of quotidian monastic life, and he knew it would require an astute discernment of those entering the community and a well-grounded understanding of how to keep it solvent.

[01:09]

You know, we speak of business startups. Well, this was a Semabitic startup, and it had all the attendant problems associated with it. Finally, I want to say a little bit about the contributions of these two figures. You can call it an assessment if you will. But I think it's important that we look upon them now with a certain historical distance and begin to appreciate what they did. And to do that, I think we have to avoid some of the traditional weights and measures we use for evaluation. For example, Burton's impact on monastic life in the United States needs to be kept distinct from the sheer weight of his published material and his fan base that just seems to keep on growing. His status will remain as an icon, as I've said. Winston's status as founder and monastic theorist requires a different assessment as well.

[02:11]

One that goes beyond counting the numbers of monks at Mount Savior, or his influence as a spiritual guru in the eyes of so many. What I would claim as a singular and successful accomplishment for both men was their capacity to hone a voice, a voice that was emblematic of the times in which they lived. How many people I know who read Burden just knew this was the person that was speaking a language they could understand? And it was a voice that registered far beyond the accustomed boundaries of monastery and even religious denomination. If you read Burton and Winston, you see they create a language of spiritual freshness and it struck a chord with a diverse group of people. The young and the middle-aged, those on the margins, those residing within the inner circle of church authority, all were able to be captivated

[03:14]

by the message of their monastic vision. And even when that message provoked and engendered different opinions, it engaged the listener in a serious and searching re-examination about the fundamentals of monasticism and the search for an authentic response to Christ. And that's what always should happen. Even those people who wanted to take up some type of different opinion from Merton were forced to formulate why they did it. Part of the prophetic mission of these two figures was also their unique ability to chart a new monastic geography for American monasticism at a juncture when the old institutional framework was no longer capable of maintaining its relevance. I think Damascus Winston had an advantage here because in his early years at Maria Locke, he had already gone through an experience of renewal of monastic life. He had been energized by that.

[04:18]

And he began to adapt this to an American scene that he knew by the second half of the 20th century was ripe for change. Merton's metamorphosis from a convert's embrace of traditional monastic forms to a radical critic of custom and conservative structures hints at how much of a pathfinder he had become by the time he made his last Asian pilgrimage in 1968. Any judgment of the impact of these two men must take into account not only the appeal and attraction of their person and their message, but also what I alluded to previously, the manifest difficulty they had in converting their vision into reality. They were both reminded at regular intervals of their own shortcomings, not only by superiors who wanted to keep in check their provocative ideas, but by their own fragile health and staying power. Their individual resolve to persevere in their monastic commitment at a time when other prophetic figures chose other paths deserves commendation.

[05:28]

In all this, they were unflagging in their desire to hold up for many the prospect of a new and challenging model of monastic life. They certainly reflect that wish Benedict gives us at the end of the prologue to persevere in the monastery until death. Although there were alternate models of monastic life available to monastics in mid-20th century America, they usually were tied to the presumed paradigm of work and common prayer. What Merton and Winston were able to construct was a model that went further. They introduced what I would call a mystical element to the enterprise of institutional monasticism. And I don't want to make this too esoteric, you know. We speak of mystical from mysterion, the Greek word. It's mystery, and it really applies today to those who have a special spiritual meaning that derives from prayer or deep thought.

[06:35]

You only have to peruse the variegated writings of Burton and the personal reflections of Winson to realize that they combined to create a new vocabulary of monastic identity and practice. And they did it out of the experience of deep reading and listening that had characterized their lifelong pursuit of the holy. In that respect, they left as a legacy to subsequent monastic generations The monastic equivalent of what their contemporary prophetic voice Karl Rahner had said in his famous statement that in the future, we must all be mystics or nothing at all. For someone looking at the landscape of monasticism in North America today, the case could be made that there are no dominant voices on the scale of a Merton, no pioneering figure comparable to Winston. The singularity of both of these men is affirmed by the timelessness of much of their message, along with the acuity and relevance of their critique of the society they inhabited.

[07:45]

In this respect, the highest compliment I can deliver to their lasting witness is that they have taken their place in a long line of monastic forebears. They include the first Desert Fathers and some of the giants of that tradition, If you look at them and search them out, you can see elements of Bernard of Clairvaux, Edward of Reveaux from the Middle Ages, Lambert de Baudouin, Jean Leclerc of our own times. There is, I think, an unmistakable sense that Winsden and Merton served to shape a new monastic culture and that the imprint they left on it remains more than just a museum piece. That's because they wrestled with the essential spiritual questions of monastic life. And they insisted that monasticism by turns communicate with and confront the society in which monasticism had a place. Whatever the individual flaws that marked their earthly pilgrimage, today they retain a status as monastic icons who can still serve us well.

[08:55]

If only we have the resolve to retrieve their message and reflectively listen to their wisdom. That's my part. Now you get to react in ways that I hope will maybe spur some further ideas. And that certainly is my desire that this will lead you to both read Burton and Winston, you know, I'm working with generations and you say, read, and they give this question mark, what? Where's the screen that I can look at? No, I mean, read some of the text. If you need a computer screen, fine, but go back to them. They're worth the effort. But I wanted to engender some response on your part, too. There are people here who knew of Adamasis. Did anyone ever meet Burton here? or outside that generation.

[10:00]

I was with a large group of Catholics the other day, and somehow Mother Teresa and Dorothy Day came up. And I've had the good fortune, old as I am in the tooth, that I met both of them at a certain stage in my life. And there were a lot of older people there, and no one, and these were Midwest people who were engaged. I said, oh boy, we are passing, you know? But anyway, questions or comments on at least either what I said here or some other things you might want to bring up. Now is not the place for humility. You have to be able to be prophetic. Yes. There was a aesthetic that people had in beauty, in spirit and development. I had the privilege of working with Benjamin on this very small thing, and his contemplation on song.

[11:06]

And we kept talking about typography. And it was the main thing, the knowledge he had of the printed book and typography. But I think his sense of beauty is reflected in a lot of the artifacts that are here. And Burton, of course, So, both men had this sense and understanding that we in this...

[11:31]

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