Charter, Customs, and Constitutions of the Cistercians

As master of novices for ten years (1955–1965) at the Cistercian Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani in Kentucky, Thomas Merton was responsible for the spiritual formation of young men preparing for monastic profession. In this volume, three related sets of Merton’s conferences on ancient and contemporary documents governing the lives of the monks are published for the first time:  • on the Carta Caritatis, or Charter of Charity, the foundational document of the Order of Cîteaux • on the Consue