Like Saint Francis of Assisi, although to a secondary extent, Merton has mentored Gerry’s spiritual exercises of remembering, of being awed by, and of obeying the commands of God’s love, received throughout his community’s days at the Santa Chiara Children’s Center. His prose is undergirded with the poetry of his longing for God’s presence in and for Haiti hour by hour. Gerry’s prose and life resonate with Merton’s texts. This book befriends Merton’s own searching for God. Straub and Merton sing together, adding their voices to the chorus of God’s beloved community in Haiti.
—From the Introduction by Jonathan Montaldo
His new book, Reading Thomas Merton and Longing for God in Haiti: Learning Wisdom in the School of My Life, shares what he has learned spiritually over the last eight years of growing Santa Chiara's Children Center into a refuge of love and safety for children born into in a land of poverty and violence. You can purchase your copy at Amazon.