Anthony de Mello

For the cricket administrator, see Anthony de Mello (cricket administrator).

Anthony de Mello
225px
Born	(1931-09-04)4 September 1931 Bombay, British India
Died	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 retreats and conferences. He continues to be known for his unconventional approach to the priesthood and his storytelling which drew from the various mystical traditions of both East and West.

Life and work

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. He was raised in a Catholic family and dreamed of one day joining the Jesuit order. As a teen, he entered the Society of Jesus in Bombay. He was ordained into the priesthood in March 1961.

De Mello was first attracted to the Jesuits for their strict discipline. Those who knew him during his earlier years in the order described him as somewhat conservative in his theology and reluctant to explore other religions. According to Malcolm Nazareth, a fellow Bombay Jesuit:

Tony's theology of religions was primitive at that time. Having made my preliminary explorations into Hindu religion and spirituality, I approached him with my questions about Christology. [Tony] provided me with a set of answers that were most unsatisfactory. I told him so. I walked away from him knowing that Tony hadn't yet dared to encounter any non-Christian religion with openness and vulnerability. His Catholic Christian theological conditioning was blocking his spiritual progress, if I may presume to say so.

It was sometime in the mid-'70s that Tony opened his heart and mind to vipassana meditational practice. I'm inclined to think that this was a major turning point for Tony as he slowly began to move into a [new] phase. After seriously practicing vipassana and thus exposing himself to Buddhist spirituality, Tony dared to confront the theology which he had learnt in theological school with, what now seem to me to be the vital existential questions for our time.

De Mello's first published book, Sadhana - A way to God, was released in 1978. It outlined a number of spiritual principles and "Christian exercises in eastern form" inspired by the teachings of Saint Ignatius. 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.

Death and posthumous controversy

De Mello died suddenly of a heart attack in 1987, aged 55, in New York City.

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 (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, they determined some of his positions to be "incompatible with the Catholic faith". In response to the statement, 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 Asian Church.

Bibliography

A number of de Mello's works were published posthumously as collections or based on notes or recordings of his conferences.

• 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.

External links

• 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"
• 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.