B5. Thomas Merton and Billy Collins: Theological Poems

Start date: November 03, 2026

Time: 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM

Location: AU Kennedy 119

Category: WISE Class

Event Summary:

This is a five-week class that will meet in-person on the Assumption campus; meeting dates are Tuesdays, November 3, 10, 17, 24, December 1

Event Description


Class dates: Tuesdays, November 3, 10, 17, 24, December 1  (5 weeks)

Class time: 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm

Location: Assumption, Kennedy 119

Week 1: What is Poetry: The Perspectives of Merton and Collins

Week 2: Theological Poems I: Death

Week 3: Theological Poems II: Elegies

Week 4: Theological Poems III: The Afterlife

Week 5: Theological Poems IV: Summary and Guidelines for Living

Recommended reading:

Aimless Love , Billy Collins, Random House Trade Paperbacks, 9780812982671, 2014

Instructor: Tom Brennan previously taught several WISE courses - Robert Moses, and two courses on the poetry of Thomas Merton. He studied Merton’s writings in college at the Catholic University during the early 60s and received a degree in Theology from Manhattan College in 1969.