MAY 19, 2014
New Age fair at Mount St. Mary Convent, Mumbai
Hoping that the Archbishop’s House would intervene and stop the programme, Mr. Alan Lopes, a Catholic from Mumbai, contacted the Archbishop’s House by email as soon as he found the above flyer in his morning newspaper, the Times of India. The reply from the Archbishop’s Office was almost immediate, but the New Age programme went ahead.
From: "Alan Lopes" <> To: < Date: May 17, 2014 10:07 AM
Subject: Sale of Occult products propagated at Mount Mary's convent hall today.
Dear Fr. Jarvis,
As discussed, please see attached flyer. If there is anything I can do to prevent this, please let me know right away as it is today from 12 noon onwards. Thx.
Alan Lopes
From: "Archbishop Bombay" < To: "Alan Lopes" <
Date: May 17, 2014 10:39 AM Subject: Re: Sale of Occult products propagated at Mount Mary's convent hall today.
Dear Mr Lopes,
I write to acknowledge the receipt of your email.
Thanking you
Yours sincerely
Fr Jervis D'Souza
I wrote to Fr. Jervis D’Souza enquiring if the show was eventually conducted, or cancelled; there was no reply**:
From: Michael Prabhu To: Archbishop Bombay Sent: Monday, May 19, 2014 2:22 PM
Subject: Re: Sale of Occult products propagated at Mount Mary's convent hall today.
Dear Fr. Jervis D'Souza,
With reference to the letter of Mr. Alan Lopes, I would like to know if this New Age programme was stopped by the archdiocese, or if the nuns were allowed to go ahead and use a Catholic premises for the propagation of spiritual error.
Michael Prabhu
Catholic apologist
However, a call made by me to the convent (022-2642 2036) at 4:10 pm today, was answered by a nun who confirmed to me that the programme was held at their hall on Saturday the 17th of May.
The Archbishop’s House did not act on Mr. Alan Lopes' timely information and ask the nuns to stop the programme.
The convent is run by the Franciscan Hospitaller Sisters of the Immaculate Conception.
Mr. Alan Lopes had contacted Sr. Victoria Gonsalves who apparently gave the permission for the event to be held in their convent hall. She told him that the convent grounds is a private ground and so she could let it out as she pleases, Mr. Lopes noted that "as a nun, she never opened her heart to whether it was against the Catholic faith or not."
Apparently anything -- even overtly New Age events -- can be held on the premises of a Catholic institution, or religious order, and the Church hierarchy has no power to control or bring cessation to these activities.
See ANUGRAHA-NEW AGE WITH THE FRANCISCAN CAPUCHINS (DINDIGUL)
http://ephesians-511.net/docs/ANUGRAHA-NEW_AGE_WITH_THE_FRANCISCAN_CAPUCHINS.doc,
FR ADRIAN MASCARENHAS-YOGA AT ST PATRICK'S CHURCH BANGALORE
http://ephesians-511.net/docs/FR_ADRIAN_MASCARENHAS-YOGA_AT_ST_PATRICKS_CHURCH_BANGALORE.doc,
FR JOHN FERREIRA-YOGA, SURYANAMASKAR AT ST. PETER’S COLLEGE, AGRA
http://ephesians-511.net/docs/FR_JOHN_FERREIRA-YOGA_SURYANAMASKAR_AT_ST_PETERS_COLLEGE_AGRA.doc,
FR JOHN VALDARIS-NEW AGE CURES FOR CANCER (TAMIL NADU)
http://ephesians-511.net/docs/FR_JOHN_VALDARIS-NEW_AGE_CURES_FOR_CANCER.doc,
FR PAUL VAZ-ENNEAGRAM WORKSHOPS AND EARTH CENTRED HEALING RETREATS (MUMBAI/GOA)
http://ephesians-511.net/docs/FR_PAUL_VAZ-ENNEAGRAM_WORKSHOPS_AND_EARTH_CENTRED_HEALING_RETREATS.doc,
FR RONNIE PRABHU-NEW AGE PRIEST (BANGALORE)
http://ephesians-511.net/docs/FR_RONNIE_PRABHU-NEW_AGE_PRIEST.doc,
FR VARGHESE ALENGADEN-UNIVERSAL SOLIDARITY MOVEMENT (INDORE)
http://ephesians-511.net/docs/FR_VARGHESE_ALENGADEN-UNIVERSAL_SOLIDARITY_MOVEMENT.doc,
NEW AGE ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES AT A FRANCISCAN MISSIONARIES OF MARY PROVINCIALATE IN CHENNAI http://ephesians-511.net/docs/NEW_AGE_ALTERNATIVE_THERAPIES_AT_A_FRANCISCAN_MISSIONARIES_OF_MARY_PROVINCIALATE.doc, PRANIC HEALING CONVENTION AT CHRIST COLLEGE, BANGALORE
http://ephesians-511.net/docs/PRANIC_HEALING_CONVENTION_AT_CHRIST_COLLEGE_BANGALORE.doc and
SANGAM INTEGRAL FORMATION AND SPIRITUALITY CENTRE, GOA-NEW AGE PSYCHOLOGY, ETC.
http://ephesians-511.net/docs/SANGAM_INTEGRAL_FORMATION_AND_SPIRITUALITY_CENTRE_GOA-NEW_AGE_PSYCHOLOGY_ETC.doc.
When Good Shepherd Convent in Chennaigave its grounds for an International Pranic Healing convention conducted by Master Choa Kok Sui some years ago, my wife and I and two friends distributed pamphlets explaining the spiritual dangers of the alternative therapy; the Mother Superior herself had to evict us from the school grounds three times.
Forget about religious institutions, even parish churches are busy with regular New Age schedules. In my archdiocese of Madras-Mylapore, the Cathedral Basilica National Shrine of St. Thomas sports a well-advertised Acupressure and Reflexology "clinic" open all Saturdays. (This report is to be released.) So do a couple of other parishes. I have informed this to my Archbishop but to no avail.
Both Acupuncture and Reflexology are listed in the February 3, 2003 Vatican Document on the New Age.
The New Age "Catholic ashrams" are perhaps the most serious example of this:
CATHOLIC ASHRAMS
http://ephesians-511.net/docs/CATHOLIC_ASHRAMS.doc.
I am yet to release a report made by me in September of 2013:
NEW AGE THERAPIES AT OUR LADY OF LOURDES SHRINE IN MADRAS-MYLAPORE ARCHDIOCESE
The three Salesian priests that I met that day were simply not interested in listening to my concerns.
In the same context, Mr. Alan Lopes writes, "An elderly priest in the Mount Mary Basilica who refused to give his name when I asked for it as I was vocal about this issue." (Mr. Lopes has given me the permission to use his name.)
I have always maintained in my reports that the Archdiocese of Bombay is the most New Age-riddled of all India’s dioceses, for example:
FR JOE PEREIRA-KRIPA FOUNDATION-WORLD COMMUNITY FOR CHRISTIAN MEDITATION-LETTERS TO THE BISHOPS AND THEIR RESPONSES
http://ephesians-511.net/docs/FR_JOE_PEREIRA-KRIPA_FOUNDATION-WORLD_COMMUNITY_FOR_CHRISTIAN_MEDITATION-LETTERS_TO_THE_BISHOPS_AND_THEIR_RESPONSES.doc
FR PRASHANT OLALEKAR-INTERPLAY AND LIFE POSITIVE
http://ephesians-511.net/docs/FR_PRASHANT_OLALEKAR-INTERPLAY_AND_LIFE_POSITIVE.doc, and
THE LABYRINTH IN THE ARCHDIOCESE OF BOMBAY
http://ephesians-511.net/docs/THE_LABYRINTH_IN_THE_ARCHDIOCESE_OF_BOMBAY.doc
To return to the programme held at the convent two days ago, the flyer records the following, all of which are decidedly occult and New Age:
Soul Therapy
Reiki {http://ephesians-511.net/docs/REIKI_AND_HOLISTIC_HEALING.doc}
Reconnective Healing and the Reconnection
Tarot
Aura Clearing
Crystal Ball Gazing
Candle Magic
Personalized Crystals
EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) {http://ephesians-511.net/docs/EMOTIONAL_FREEDOM_TECHNIQUE.doc}
Mandalas
Feng Shui items {http://ephesians-511.net/docs/FENG_SHUI_OR_CHINESE_TAOIST_GEOMANCY.doc}
Crystals {http://ephesians-511.net/docs/CRYSTAL_HEALING_TALISMANS_AMULETS-DR_EDWIN_A_NOYES.doc}
Power-energized coasters {http://ephesians-511.net/docs/BIOCONNED-WATER_MAGNETIC_FAR-INFRA-RED_NEW_AGE_WELLNESS_PRODUCTS.doc}
and others which are possibly also New Age.
Hindu puja accessories were also on sale.
In the West, they call such an event a Body, Mind, Soul Festival. It is unimaginable that the nuns of the convent were so absolutely undiscerning as to allow this programme to be conducted under their auspices and for the archdiocese not to swing into action immediately on receipt of Mr. Alan Lopes’ email. May Alan Lopes’ tribe increase. With the increasing spiritual lethargy of the priests and bishops, it has fallen on a few Catholic laity to defend the Church and save souls.
The http://www.newagewellnessworld.com/what-to-expect-at-mystic-lotus-the-healing-festival-mumbai.html link given on the flyer has the words New Age in it, for heaven’s sake! Unless the nuns at the convent and Fr. Jervis are blissfully unaware that Rome has released a Document on the same eleven years ago.
If one clicks on http://www.newagewellnessworld.com/, this is what one finds:
The page tells us that they started out as The New Age Foundation in 2005.
When one clicks on The New Age Foundation (http://thenewagefoundation.org/) this is the information received:
India's Largest Network of Seekers, Healers & Life Coaches.Join Us Today & Get Connected to Many likeMinds...Attend Life Transforming Events, Workshops On Personal Growth, Courses In HealingModalities& Spiritual Retreats.
The page introduces one to a number of occult therapies including
Angel Card Reading
Chakra Power Workshop
Karma Completion
Numerology
Past Life Therapy
Celestialism
Shamanism
Hypnosis
Bach Therapy
Wicca and Magick
and much, much more.
This New Delhi-based organization aims "to provide you with quality education, support and guidance throughout your journey as a healer. You may be new to this field or are an already existing Healer practitioner who wants to further develop their skills, this might just be for you! With a wide range of courses, private sessions and tuition, we offer many avenues to help you discover and realize your potential & discover what is hidden in you!
We also organize Meditation Camps and Spiritual Retreats, Courses on Reiki, EFT, NLP, Meditation, Mind Power, Theta Healing, Karuna Reiki, Quantum Touch, Cranio Sacral Balancing, ReBirthing, Tarot, Feng-Shui, I-Ching, Vastu, Aromacology, Energy Healing, Ayurveda and other Alternative Healing Methods."
This can go on and on, but I think that the point has been made.
If your Mumbai Catholic friends have recently been inducted into the New Age, you know who to thank.
**From: Michael Prabhu To: Archbishop Bombay Sent: Monday, May 19, 2014 7:27 PM
Subject: NEW AGE FAIR AT MOUNT ST MARY CONVENT MUMBAI
Dear Fr. Jervis,
Please find the completed report as an attachment. With regards, Michael Prabhu, Chennai
From: Michael Prabhu To: Cc: George Antonysamy ; George Antonysamy
Sent: Monday, May 19, 2014 7:40 PM Subject: NEW AGE FAIR AT MOUNT ST MARY CONVENT MUMBAI
Dear Cardinal Oswald Gracias,
This pertains to a New Age programme conducted at Mount St Mary Convent, Bandra, even after the timely intervention of one Mr. Alan Lopes, a faithful Catholic from Mumbai.
Please find the completed report as an attachment.
Yours obediently,
Michael Prabhu Chennai
CC: Archbishop of Madras-Mylapore