Matthew, Merton, and Me: Recollections of a Life of Grace

By Robert Getz

"Matthew, Merton, And Me - Recollections of a Life of Grace" is a story that deserves to be told. The book focuses on the lasting connection forged within the walls of a 103-year-old monastery and the impact it carries today in the monastic heart of Monsignor Robert L. Getz.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Oct 15, 2021
• ISBN: 9781098386627

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Matthew, Merton, and Me

Recollections of a Life of Grace

Copyright @ 2021, Robert L. Getz

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the author’s written permission.

Preregistration Number: PRE000010275

Effective Date of Preregistration: 05/04/2018

Creation commenced 03/01/2015

Working Title: The Cowbarn She Am On Fire

Print ISBN: 978-1-09838-6-610

eBook ISBN: 978-1-09838-6-627

Front and back covers, author’s photo by Dr. J. David McNamara.

Photos by J.D. McNamara, [e-mail],

www.imagesbyjdmcnanara.com

Table of Contents

Other Books by the Author

Dedication

Acknowledgments

PART ONE INTRODUCTION

Preface

The Book

Introduction

Matthew

My First Encounter

Merton

One of God’s Gifts

And Me

From Monk to Monsignor

The Abbey of Gethsemani

Formation

A Monk’s Day

Explanation of the terms used in a Monk’ Day

PART TWO SPIRITUAL REFLECTION

Spiritual Reflection

Brother Matthew’s Correspondence

Elegy for the Monastery Barn

The Cowbarn She Am On Fire

Brother Matthew

Recollection

Humble Thy Heart and Endure

Brother Matthew

Recollection

Gethseminary

Brother Matthew

Recollection

Beachcomber

Brother Matthew

Recollection

Easter Friday

Brother Matthew

Recollection

Fest: St. Stephani, Peace Joy Love

Brother Matthew

Recollection

New Year’s Edition

Get zest, Getz.

Brother Matthew

Recollection

There Also is Thy Heart

Brother Matthew

Recollection

Jesus Be Your Guiding Star

Brother Matthew

Recollection

God Teaches the Soul

Brother Matthew

Recollection

Epiphany

Brother Matthew

Recollection

Peace Joy Paschal Blessings

Brother Matthew

Recollection

Vivere in Verbo

Brother Matthew

Recollection

PART THREE IMAGES

PART FOUR A DAY IN THE LIFE

A Day in the Life

Dom 3 post-Epiph

Brother Matthew

Recollection

Truth and Sincerity

Brother Matthew

Recollection

Quo Vadam et ad Quid

Brother Matthew

Recollection

Gethsummery, The Lord is Not in a Whirlwind

Brother Matthew

Recollection

Gethsemanic, Jesus and Joy in your Soul

Brother Matthew

Recollection

Gethsemanor, Amar a Dios

Brother Matthew

Recollection

Gethsemania, Guadeamus Omnes in Domino

Brother Matthew

Recollection

Gethsemanor, Lex Dei Ejus in Corde Ipsius, Alleluia

Brother Matthew

Recollection

Final Thoughts

Highlights of Brother Matthew’s Journey to Gethsemani

Brother Matthew’s Well-Known Associates

Monsignor Robert L. Getz — At a Glance

Highlights of Priestly Vocation

Monsignor Robert L. Getz’ Books

Other Books

by the Author

Vatican Wealth and a Pope’s Pipe Dreams

The Unique Charism of Diocesan Priestly Spirituality

Dedication

This book is dedicated to Brother Matthew, who genuinely and profoundly touched my life with his mysterious ways and diverse spirituality. I remain deeply moved by his loving, prayerful regard for my education, ordination, and priesthood.

A

cknowledgments

Thank you to Father Lawrence Morey, Archivist of the Abbey of Gethsemani, Dr. P.M. Pearson, Director, Thomas Merton Center at Bellarmine University, and Archivist, and Mark C. Meade, Assistant Director, Thomas Merton Center at Bellarmine University for their direction in researching this book.

Meeting Michael Owen, who is writing a book about Brother Matthew’s friend, the lyricist Ira Gershwin, provided additional insight and clarification.

As always, thank you to my support team. Dr. J.D. McNamara for his wise insight, consultation, and photography, specifically the cover and the author’s photo. Appreciate Olivia McDonald’s assistance in the early work and Karen Billings for her help transcribing Matthew’s letters. I am grateful to Donna Curtiss for her invaluable contribution as researcher and editor of the book.

Most importantly, my sincerest thanks to Brother Matthew, who humorously refers to his correspondence with titles like Geth Homiletic & Hot Stuff Review.

PART ONE

INTRODUCTION

Preface

One singular moment in time powerfully changed my life forever. Overnight, without warning, I found myself abruptly uprooted, transplanted, and living a distinctly different life. Going back was not an option.

Sound familiar?

We all experience life-changing events, singular occurrences that markedly change our lives forever. Our woundedness may differ, taking the form of broken hearts, dreams, bodies, or spirits. However, our genuine healing comes from God championed by our faith and supported by the people He sends to walk with us. The telling of this story calls to mind all of the ways that God leads us to the grace-filled moments in life. So many times, on the other side of disappointing, discouraging times, we realize what we thought was a bad thing, God intended for our good.

I wrote this book because the people involved showed me the kind of grace and love that most people rarely experience — and because their story deserves to be told. The love of family plays a significant role in this story. Not only love from the family obligated to love me as their son and brother, but also my brothers at the monastery.

Fr. Matthew Kelty wrote beautifully in his essay, The Ideal of Monastic Love. ¹ Fr. Kelty, ...The ideal of monastic love is noble and not easily come by. But a community of men with genuine love for one another in Christ is a great joy. It is a profound force in the world, able to move mountains. This kind of love is deeper than smiles and camaraderie. It is a service that lets God in because selfishness is in the process of being driven out.

This story begins with precisely that kind of selfless love. The love, kindness, wisdom shared with me during the first of many transformative events in my life shaped my vocation. By telling others about how I was taught to cope with adversity, I hope the book brings enthusiastic, energetic inspiration for all.

What a comfort that we know God’s intentions towards us remain pure and full of unconditional eternal love.

Matthew, Merton, And Me was more than a simple walk down memory lane. It recalled a way of life before instant messaging, digital photography, and computers. At the heart of the book lies a fierce faith expressed in one-on-one communications of God’s grace and unconditional loving.

Matthew, Merton, and Me is the author’s recollection of time spent at the Abbey of Gethsemani and the ensuing relationships with Brother Matthew McGunigle, O.C.S.O., formerly known as Doc McGonigle, and to a lesser extent, the most famous monk ever to live at the Abbey - Father Louis Merton, O.C.S.O., Thomas Merton. This book tells the story of a lasting relationship forged through our monastic lives and the impact it continues to carry.

The book reflects an era of typewriters, typography, darkroom film development, LPs, and record players. Black and white televisions without a remote control.

When viewing the original correspondence referred to in this book, you see clearly that the letters were typed on an old-fashioned typewriter. We know firsthand that Matthew predominantly composed the letters during the four times of year when the Abbey of Gethsemani permitted letter writing.

The reader will identify several parallels in the recorded history of these letters that prove relevant to today’s headlines.

Following Matthew’s letters are recollection highlights focused on the people God sent to help me heal. This experience led to my daily prayer request, Surprise me, Lord, but be gentle, please.

God’s first vocational call to me was the monastery, my heart’s desire. Without hesitation, I followed the Lord’s direction to the Abbey of Gethsemani in the rolling hills of Kentucky.

At the monastery, Brother Matthew McGunigle, O.C.S.O. (Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance) and I worked together in the photo lab where Father Louis Merton, O.C.S.O., was a frequent visitor.

The photo lab was my favorite assignment. It was the best, not just because we had permission to speak, but also because of the incomparable company I enjoyed there.

Time spent with Brother Matthew McGunigle was a fantastic experience. Prior to entering the Abbey, he was well-known as Doc McGunigle in Hollywood and on the stages of Broadway and London. ²

As if that was not enough, what a blessing it was to spend time in the basement lab with Father Louis Merton. It was my privilege to work with Father Louis as a photojournalist on his book Sign of Jonas (1953).

A naive teenager, I confess I mostly listened (in awe) and learned so much from the other two men’s conversations. In the basement photo lab, relationships developed along with the film.

The cloistered life provided a place of music, poetry, and beauty. We lived in a peaceful space, unlike anything I experienced before in my young life. The Lord Jesus became my constant companion and friend. In the tranquility of simplicity of life, my intimacy with God grew more tangible. I shared everything with Him. I believed it was difficult, but possible, to experience such peacefulness outside this way of life.

In those days, everyone who entered the Abbey passed under a gateway arch inscribed Pax Intrantibus. Peace to all who enter.

Gateway to the Abbey of Gethsemani

Monastic peace is a gift of God; it is not of human manufacture. It is, rather, the fruit of life given entirely to seeking God, the ultimate source of concord and harmony. ³

Matthew, Merton, and I came to the Abbey following unmistakably different pathways. I chose a direct path, while Fr. Louis and Brother Matthew arrived via circuitous routes. Our vocational calling was as personal and unique as Jesus’ call to His Apostles. What we had in common was a genuine desire for the contemplative way of life.

I came to live at the abbey the summer I graduated from high school.

Thomas Merton’s route to the Abbey of Gethsemani was well documented. I like to imagine the number of men Merton led to the monastery, to the Catholic faith.

"Thomas Merton (1915-1968) is arguably the most influential American Catholic author of the twentieth century. His autobiography, The Seven Storey Mountain, sold over one million copies and translated them into over fifteen languages. He wrote over sixty other books and hundreds of poems and articles on topics ranging from monastic spirituality to civil rights, nonviolence, and the nuclear arms race." Source, The Thomas Merton Center at Bellarmine University. ⁴

When we first met in the early 1950s, Brother Matthew was a man of mystery. My understanding of Matthew grew along with our friendship through his correspondence in the years after I left the Abbey. Matthew was unlike anyone I met at 18. I can truthfully say I believe the same is true today at 88 years of age.

Brother Matthew was a varsity football star, a Yale graduate, and a former member of the Whiffenpoofs, Yale’s Collegiate A Capella singing group. ⁵

Matthew’s worldly career included scriptwriting for Broadway and London stages as well as Hollywood movies. Mathew’s letter dated August 25, 1956, mentions he worked on the academy award-winning movie, The Best Years of Our Lives. I believe he was an in-house writer for the studio.

Matthew shared memories and connections with show business greats through the theater, Hollywood, and the Army Air Force. In the Second World War, he was a scriptwriter for the military training films produced in Culver City, California. A list of some of Matthew’s well-known associates can be found at the back of the book.

Much later, while researching this book, I learned he was part of a crew to film the aftermath of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. ⁶ While not well documented, in addition to the reference in Laffey’s book, the Abbey archives contain a script and online sources that reference his participation in a designated film crew.

When my monastic life came to an abrupt halt due to an unexpected medical diagnosis of rheumatic fever in May 1953, God followed with a second decidedly different vocational call. It took some time, deep discernment, to realize God was calling me to the diocesan priesthood.

Leaving the monastery, pursuing the diocesan priesthood was God’s decision, not mine. I never wanted to leave the Abbey. My consolation was I felt the Lord’s hand on me from the beginning to the end of this period of trial in my life.

I went through a lot of soul-searching before entering the seminary, questioning whether I did the right thing in not considering the monastic life again. I experienced a sense of guilt that I was scared to rethink my return to the Trappist community.

The obvious hesitation was my health, monks’ daily workload, and fear of a recurrence of the debilitating disease. These were strong and obvious hesitations that I believe the Lord presented to me, along with looking in other directions.

I considered various Religious communities, especially those of historical monastic history, particularly the Benedictines. I loved the contemplative life and did not hesitate to leave behind everything in this world to enter the stillness and simplicity of monastic life. The Benedictine rule was deeply ingrained in me by God and my early spiritual formation.

Before entering religious life, my thought was to put God first, ahead of the three university scholarships offered to me as valedictorian of my high school class. I believed God did not want me to pursue a second choice. My ultimate consideration was the Presence of God represented by the Holy Mass and Eucharist. Thus, I dedicated my life to these sacred mysteries.

To arrive more quickly at my ordination goal, I decided to forgo Religious Orders as more years would be required. Instead, I chose a diocesan seminary with credit for my years as a Trappist. Once decided, my pathway to the priesthood became clear to me.

One Sunday afternoon at the Philadelphia Public Library, while perusing the Catholic Directory, I took my decision a step further. I determined my next step towards the diocesan priesthood was to serve in areas of the country that had few priests.

The Brownsville and El Paso areas of Texas showed the fewest priests per Catholic. Those areas topped my list. I sent several letters explaining my health and history and waited to field the replies.

Diocesan priests do not live a cloistered life. Instead, we live among our people where following Jesus, we leave sacred footprints in earthen dust and the hearts and lives of the people we serve. I wrote at length about the diocesan priesthood in my non-fiction, self-published book, The Unique Charism of Diocesan Priestly Spirituality.

As I continued to pray, I realized the added benefit of choosing the southwest was a warmer climate, sunshine, and deserts more in line with my health and monastic experience.

The God of surprise was taking me into a new land that I could not imagine. I likened it to Abraham’s setting forth.

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¹ The Ideal of Monastic Love, www.trappist.net/ideal-monastic-love, accessed January 27, 2021

² Bruce Laffey, Beatrice Lillie, The Funniest Woman in the World, (New York, New York: Wynwood Press, 1989), 86-87.

³ Monks Road, Gethsemani Into the Twenty-First Century, From Desert to Cloister by Michael Casey, O.C.S.O., March 2015, Abbey of Gethsemani, copyright 2015.

⁴ The Thomas Merton Center at Bellarmine University accessed: December 31, 2020. http://merton.org/chrono.aspx

⁵ Rupert McGunigle, Whiffenpoofs Alumni, Inc. Accessed, November 23, 2020. https://www.whiffalumni.com/whiffs/person.php?personID=700

⁶ Bruce Laffey, Beatrice Lillie, 141.

The Book

The book has four parts, Introduction , Spiritual Reflection , Images , and A Day in the Life . Brother Mathew’s letters and specific excerpts of his correspondence were used with the permission of the Abbot of the Abbey of Gethsemani, coordinated by Father Lawrence Morey.

There are several ways to spell the last name of McGunigle, including McGonigle, MacGunigle, and more. We present the surname spelled in the ways we encountered it. Matthew used Fr. Matthew McGunigle, O.C.S.O.; at the same time, he used pen names, like Matt, Matthew Scott, and M. Matthew Scott. First name references, in addition to Matthew, include Rupert and Robert. He mentions in his correspondence that his family knew him as Monkle.

We could not provide a complete list of his literary work due to Matthew’s various pen names during his screenwriting days and his writing from the abbey.

In his eulogy for Matthew, Father Timothy Kelly touches on the issue, Brother Matthew was known as Matthew Scott when he was really Rupert McGunigle. ⁷

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⁷ Brother Timothy Kelly, O.C.S.O, Brother Paul Quenon, O.C.S.O., Brother Guerric Plante, O.C.S.O., Holy Folly, Short and Tall Tales from the Abbey of Gethesmani, Black Moss Press, 1998, 78.

Introduction

A