Anthony de Mello
| Anthony de Mello | |
|---|---|
| Born |
4 September 1931 Bombay, British India |
| Died |
2 June 1987 (aged 55) New York, New York |
| Occupation | Jesuit priest, author |
| Known for |
Spiritual writings and teachings Ignatian spirituality |
Anthony "Tony" de Mello (4 September 1931 – 2 June 1987) was an Indian Jesuit priest and psychotherapist. A spiritual teacher, writer and public speaker, De Mello wrote several books on spirituality and hosted numerous spiritual conferences.
Early life
De Mello was the oldest of five children born to Frank and Louisa née Castellino de Mello. He was born in Bombay, British India on 4 September 1931.[1]
As a teen, De Mello joined the Jesuit Order of Bombay.[2]
Work
De Mello was ordained into the priesthood in March 1961.[2]
His first published book Sadhana - A way to God was released in 1978. It outlined a number of spiritual principles and exercises inspired by the teachings of Saint Ignatius.[3] Other books published during his lifetime include The Song of the Bird, One Minute Wisdom and Wellsprings. The first two were collections of stories and the last a collection of exercises similar to Sadhana.
In 1972, he founded the Institute of Pastoral Counselling, later renamed the Sadhana Institute of Pastoral Counseling, in Poona, India.[2][4]
Death
De Mello died suddenly of a heart attack in 1987, at age 55 in New York City.[5]
Posthumous controversy
In 1998, 11 years after de Mello's death, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, under the leadership of its Cardinal-Prefect, Joseph Ratzinger[6] (who later became Pope Benedict XVI), conducted a review of de Mello's work and released a lengthy comment expressing their theological concerns. While the group showed appreciation for many of de Mello's writings, some positions were found to be "incompatible with the Catholic faith".[7][8] However the Indian magazine Outlook claimed it was an attempt by Rome to undermine the clergy in Asia and indicative of widening fissures between Rome and the Eastern Church.[9]
Bibliography
A number of de Mello's works were published posthumously as collections or based on notes or recordings of his conferences.[10]
- Sadhana: A Way to God, 1978. ISBN 0-385-19614-8
- Wake Up! Spirituality for Today, 90 minutes of talks given before a live audience.
- The Song of the Bird, Image, 1982. ISBN 0-385-19615-6
- Wellsprings, 1984. ISBN 978-0-385-19617-8
- One Minute Wisdom, Image, 1985. ISBN 0-385-24290-5
- The Heart Of The Enlightened, Doubleday, 1987. ISBN 0-385-24672-2
- Taking Flight, Image, 1988. ISBN 0-385-41371-8
- Awareness, Image,1990. ISBN 978-0-385-24937-9
- Contact with God, Loyola Press, 1991. ISBN 0-8294-0726-X
- The Way to Love, 1992. ISBN 978-0-385-24939-3
- One Minute Nonsense, Loyola University Press, 1992 ISBN 0-8294-0742-1
- More One Minute Nonsense, Loyola University Press, 1993 ISBN 0-8294-0749-9
- Call to Love, Gujarat Sahitya Prakash, 1996.
- Rooted in God, St Pauls, 1997.
- Awakening, Image, 2003. ISBN 978-0-385-50995-4
- A Way to God for Today, RCL Benziger, 2007
- Seek God Everywhere, Image, 2010 ISBN 978-0-385-53176-4
- The Prayer of the Frog Vol. 1 & Vol. 2. In the English printing, these are titled Taking Flight and The Heart of the Englightened.
References
- ↑ de Mello, Bill (2013). Anthony Demello SJ: The Happy Wanderer. Orbis Books. p. 8. ISBN 9781626980204.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Kononenko, Igor (2010). Teachers of Wisdom. Dorrance Publishing. p. 344. ISBN 9781434954107.
- ↑ Traub, George W. (editor) (2008). An Ignatian Spirituality Reader. Loyola Press. p. 113. ISBN 9780829427233.
- ↑ Wicks, Robert J. (1994). Handbook of Spirituality for Ministers, Volume 1. Paulist Press. p. 274. ISBN 9780809135219.
- ↑ Biography, by Bill deMello
- ↑ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/charles-j-reid-jr/the-last-20th-century-pope_b_2669582.html
- ↑ "Vatican: the Holy See - Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith - NOTIFICATION CONCERNING THE WRITINGS OF FR. ANTHONY DE MELLO, SJ". Retrieved 29 December 2010. The Specific quote being, "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.". Check date values in:
|accessdate=(help) - ↑ "EWTN Global Catholic Network". Archived from the original on 15 November 2006. Retrieved 24 November 2006.
- ↑ http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?206551
- ↑ http://www.ewtn.com/library/CURIA/CDFDEMEL.HTM
External links
 |
Wikiquote has quotations related to: Anthony de Mello |
- Tony de Mello, S.J.: A Short Biography, by Bill De Mello (brother)
- De Mello Spirituality Center website
- Online de Mello resource including videos and MP3s
- "Notification Concerning the Writings of Fr. Anthony de Mello, SJ"
- Here & Now with Anthony de Mello, a 2001 workshop presentation by Malcolm Nazareth
- Spiritual Stories from Anthony de Mello
- Quotes by de Mello
- "Rediscovery of Life", a conference by de Mello in five parts
- "Remembering Anthony DeMello", Humankind Public Radio program recorded at a retreat held at Fordham University shortly before his death.