Deep background on my characters, chapter 1

stories behind the story of Rev. Paul Bennett, from The Book of Christmas Joy

One of my favourite characters in the world of Rev. Thomas Book is the Rev. Paul Bennett. The photo above is of Thomas Merton, who was an inspiration for him.

The photo is pretty much how I envision Rev. Paul, even though he’s in his eighties, and Merton only lived to be 53.

Thomas Merton was a prolific writer whose work did much to bring monastic life and spiritual practices to the attention of people beyond the cloistered world of convents and monasteries. He was also a complicated and imperfect human, which makes him all the more interesting.

There is a lovely mystery by John Straley, part of his Cold Storage Alaska series, which features a character called Brother Louis. Louis was the name Thomas Merton took when he made his final monastic vows to become part of the Trappist Community at Gethsemane in Kentucky.

Straley imagines that Merton stopped in Cold Storage, Alaska on his way to Asia for a religious conference.

The Merton character in Straley’s book has a bit of mischief in him. I see that slightly irreverent and dangerous glint in the photo of Merton I chose for this post.

The Paul Bennett character is, as I mentioned earlier, in his ninth decade, but still has a lot of energy, and a spark of playfulness in him. He’s a bit like what I imagine Merton could have been in his old age.

(Merton died on December 10, 1968, near Bangkok, Thailand, during the religious conference referenced in Straley’s book. The circumstances of his death could inspire a mystery novel in their own right, and have spawned many wild conspiracy theories. Merton was active in the anti-war efforts against American involvement in Vietnam. It’s been speculated that he was murdered by the CIA, because of his connections both to the opposition to the Vietnam War, and his ties to Martin Luther King Jr and the civil rights movement.)

Abbey of the Arts commissioned artist Marcy Hall to create icons depicting various monks, mystics, and saints. Many of them, like Merton, are not “officially” revered as saints. The above image is in my writing room, and was visible to me through the writing of The Book of Christmas Joy.

But back to Rev. Paul Bennett. Paul was the supervising minister when Tom did an internship at Saint Mungo’s Church as part of his training. This is the same church Tom later served as an assistant pastor, but long after Paul Bennett had retired.

In The Book of Answers, Tom reminisces about Sunday night suppers at Paul’s house, prepared and served by Mavis, Paul’s mother. Roast beef with all the fixings was followed by long conversations by the fireplace, during which Paul listened as Tom wrestled with his questions about life.

Early in The Book of Answers Tom and Michael Powers, the enigmatic, not quite retired undercover cop are called upon to search the home that once belonged to Rev. Paul and his mother. Tom shows Michael a secret compartment Mavis had built into the woodwork under the mantle, that she called her “hidey-hole”. There is much more to this woman than roast beef and Yorkshire pudding.

Paul was a good friend and mentor to Tom. Years later, Paul became Tom’s spiritual director. In that role he walked with Tom during his wife’s bouts with cancer and her eventual death.

When Tom’s life went off the rails in the aftermath of his mother’s death, Paul was one of the people Tom relied on.

In The Book of Christmas Joy, we see that after Paul’s own mother died, he retired from pastoral ministry. He established a retreat house on the shore of Lake Erie not far from Sun Parlour, where Tom now serves as the pastor of Sharpe Street United Church.

Paul plays a pivotal role in Tom and his daughter Hope’s efforts to offer support to a young couple who have been secretly taking shelter in the church building. Marta and Estrella, and their newborn are offered refuge at the retreat.

Paul named his retreat house The Quiet Centre. The name comes from one my favourite hymns, with lyrics by Shirley Erena Murray. The first verse is a good description of Paul’s vision for the place.

Come and find the quiet centre

in the crowded life we lead,

find the room for hope to enter,

find the frame where we are freed:

clear the chaos and the clutter,

clear our eyes, that we can see

all the things that really matter,

be at peace, and simply be.

Here’s a great recording of this hymn, by the combined choirs of Bothell High School, in Bothell, Washington.

The next installment of the Rev. Thomas Book Mysteries is in the works. I’ll dive back into writing in the new year, after the happy busy-ness of the Christmas season. That one is currently called “The Book of Strong Suggestions”.

A lot of the action will happen at the retreat house, and I’ll be revealing a lot more about Rev. Paul Bennett, his mother Mavis, and the secret mission of the Quiet Centre.