Anthony de Mello

Book authored by the priest.

Anthony "Tony" de Mello (4 September 1931, Bombay, British India – 2 June 1987, New York City) was a Jesuit priest and psychotherapist who became widely known for his books on spirituality. An internationally acclaimed spiritual guide, writer and public speaker, de Mello hosted many spiritual conferences. See below for the names of these programs which are available on audio CD and film. He traveled to many countries to study and later to teach, most notably Spain and the United States.

The few talks which he allowed to be filmed, such as "A Rediscovery of Life" and "A Way to God for Today," have inspired many viewers and audiences since being released; and have been viewed by hundreds of thousands of TV watchers throughout the United States, Canada, and Central America; in colleges, universities, Newman centers, and communities. De Mello established a prayer center in India. He died suddenly of a heart attack in 1987, at age 56.^[1] His works are readily available and additional writings were published after his death.

Controversy

A review of de Mello's work by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith prompted the group to release 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'.^[2] In an opinion dated June 24, 1998 Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who later became Pope Benedict XVI, wrote from the Congregation (and approved by the Pope John Paul II):

"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." ^[3]

His quite controversial paradigm for Catholic dogma is mainly because many of his ideas were influenced by Thai Buddhist teacher and founder of monasteries Ajahn Chah - who, some^[who?] say, was a kind of teacher to him. Despite the church's condemnation, his works are popular, especially among those interested in Ignatian spirituality.^{[citation needed]}

Some editions of de Mello's 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." ^[4]

Bibliography

Not all the works of Father de Mello were submitted for publication by the author himself; some were published posthumously as collections, or based upon notes or recordings of his conferences.^[5] Below are the most recent list of available publications:

• Wake Up! Spirituality for Today, 90 minutes of talks given before a live audience.
• The Song of the Bird, 1984. ISBN 978-0-385-19615-4
• Sadhana: A Way to God, 1984. ISBN 978-0-385-19614-7
• Wellsprings, 1986. ISBN 978-0-385-19617-8
• One Minute Wisdom, Image, 1988. ISBN 978-0-385-24290-5
• Awareness, Image,1990. ISBN 978-0-385-24937-9
• Taking Flight, 1990. ISBN 978-038-541-3mjml
• The Way to Love, 1992. ISBN 978-0-385-24939-3
• The Heart Of The Enlightened, Image, 1994. ISBN 978-0-517-11474-2
• Awakening, Image, 2003. ISBN 978-0-385-50995-4
• Contact with God, Image, 2003. ISBN 978-0-385-50994-7
• One Minute Nonsense
• The Prayer of the Frog Vol. 1 & Vol. 2. In the English printing, these are titled "Taking Flight" and "The Heart of the Englightened."
• Praying Naked: The Spirituality of Anthony de Mello (by J. Francis Stroud, S.J.), Image

References

External links

• De Mello Spirituality Center website
• Online de Mello resource including videos and 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
• Spiritual Stories from Anthony de Mello
• Anthony de Mello quotes
• Rediscovery of Life, a conference by de Mello in five parts