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 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.
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.
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