Anthony de Mello (Jesuit)

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Anthony de Mello (4 September 1931, Bombay, India - 2 June 1987, New York) was a Jesuit priest and psychotherapist who became widely known for his books on spirituality. He hosted many spiritual retreats and was considered by some a gifted public speaker. He traveled to many countries to study and later to teach, most notably Spain and the United States.

De Mello established a prayer center in India. He died suddenly in 1987. His works are still in print and additional writings were published after his death.

In 1998, some of his opinions were condemned by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who later became Pope Benedict XVI, wrote for the Congregation:

'But already in certain passages in [his] early works and to a greater degree in his later publications, one notices a progressive distancing from the essential contents of the Christian faith. ... With the present Notification, in order to protect the good of the Christian faithful, this Congregation declares that the above-mentioned positions are incompatible with the Catholic faith and can cause grave harm.' ^[1]

His quite controversial paradigm for Catholic dogma is mainly because much of his ideas were influenced by Ajahn Chah - who, many say, was a kind of teacher to him. Despite Church's condemnation, his works are very popular especially among those interested in Ignatian Spirituality.

Some editions of his books have since been supplemented with the insertion of a caution: 'The books of Father Anthony de Mello were written in a multi-religious context to help the followers of other religions, agnostics and atheists in their spiritual search, and they were not intended by the author as manuals of instruction of the Catholic faithful in Christian doctrine or dogma.' ^[2]

Regardless, his writings are available in some Catholic book shops.

[edit] Bibliography

• The Song of the Bird, 1984. ISBN 978-0385-19615-4
• Sadhana: A Way to God, 1984. ISBN 978-0385-19614-7
• Wellsprings, 1986. ISBN 978-0-385-19617-8]
• One Minute Wisdom, Image, 1988. ISBN 978-0-385-24290-5
• Awareness, Image,1990. ISBN 978-0385-24937-9
• Taking Flight, 1990. ISBN 978-0-385-41371-8
• The Way to Love, 1992. ISBN 978-0385-24939-3
• The Heart Of The Enlightened, Image, 1994. ISBN 978-0-517-11474-2
• Awakening, Image, 2003. ISBN 978-0385-50995-4
• Contact with God, Image, 2003. ISBN 978-0385-50994-7
• One Minute Nonsense
• The Prayer of the Frog
• Praying Naked: The Spirituality of Anthony de Mello (by J. Francis Stroud, S.J.), Image 2005. ISBN 978-0385-51314-2

[edit] References

1. ^ EWTN Global Catholic Network. Retrieved on 2006-11-24.
2. ^ T.K. Thomas (April 1999). The Prayer of the Frog Called into Question at Findarticles.com. The Ecumenical Review. Retrieved on 2006-11-24.

[edit] External links

• Official de Mello site
• Online de Mello resource including Videos & MP3s
• Summary of his writings
• Notification Concerning the Writings of Fr. Anthony de Mello, SJ
• Tony de Mello, S.J.: A Short Biography, by Bill De Mello (brother)
• Here & Now with Anthony de Mello, a 2001 workshop presentation by Malcolm Nazareth
• Anthony de Mello quotes