Since I will be away till January 19th, I am writing this letter before
I leave NYC on Dec. 19th so that you will have it in early January.

When you see this you will already be in the new year of 2007.
My hopes and prayers are that you had a very blessed Christmas
and New Year. My prayers are with you daily.

The next DeMello spirituality retreat or conference will be in Malibu, CA
in May. It has been posted on our website under conferences.
Another will be in November in Grand Coteau, LA.

In my February newsletter, I hope to give you an update on how our
Center has been able to help some of our NY Province apostolates.
When I return from my travels, I will have more information on this.
I am very hopeful that God will bless our endeavors in this regard.

In the meantime, be assured of our continued best wishes for a
wonderful New Year. You are all in our hearts and prayers

DECEMBER 2006 NEWSLETTER

I was just reading the section called “Articles” on our website.
Those articles are a gold mine. If you have a moment,
do yourself a favor and read any one of them, you will be delighted!

In past newsletters, I mentioned that we are having a special “DeMello Event”
in Ireland this August, 2007. The conference is closed because the numbers
are all filled up, but I will give you an account of it when it is over.
The reason for this special conference is because we are celebrating the
20th anniversary of Fr. Tony DeMello’s death. The guests are more than
fifty benefactors and supporters of the DeMello Center. It is the least we
can do for so many people who have made our work possible.
Because of them we are able to offer spirituality retreats and conferences
free of charge. The Center does not charge either the retreat houses or the
participants for these conferences, not even the transportation costs of the presenters.
This would not be possible were it not for the generous free contributions of our benefactors.
Their only reward is the blessings they receive from God and the knowledge that their
support has helped scores of people all over the globe. May God continue to bless them all!

Christmas will soon be upon us. And I cannot tell you how many blessings have come
our way this past year. In New York, the Jesuit Province has some extraordinary
works (apostolates). The DeMello Center has been able to support some of them.
When this support has come to fruition, I will be able to share with you the details.
In the meanwhile, please keep this work in your prayers. Your prayers will bring a
delightful conclusion to this enterprise.

I am sending this out before Thanksgiving so you can be assured that you
are all in my prayers and Masses for a Happy Thanksgiving

NOVEMBER 2006 NEWSLETTER

All is well so far. Thanksgiving this month will be special because we
have so much to be grateful for. As Tony DeMello said so often,
“You cannot be truly grateful and unhappy at the same time.”
For this reason, I always take time at the end of the day to thank
God for “everything” that has happened during that day.
The good things bring us joy, but the difficult things bring us growth.
That is why I make sure that no day passes without a word of thanks
to God for all that has occurred during that day. When I am asked why
I seem so happy (I say “seem” because there are times when I do
experience moments of sadness – believe it or not!) I attribute
it without a doubt to that wonderful practice I have incorporated
in my life of thanking God every day for everything.

If you are interested in knowing how you fit into all of this, I can
tell you very humbly and honestly that I thank God every day for you.
Your goodness, your kindness, your loyalty make my life complete,
so fulfilled, so completely worthwhile. How can I not be happy when
I have such good friends like you.

Recently, the DeMello Spirituality Center held it annual Board of Trustees meeting.
What a fine group of men. Three Jesuits, Fr. Joe Parkes, S.J., Fr. Leo Daly,
S.J. and myself, three laymen, Jonathan Galente, Paul Becker, and Desmond Towey.
On our board of advisors, Mike Keefe, was also there. Fr. Tom O’Connor, S.J.
who has been our treasurer passed away this year, so the board appointed
Des Towey to replace him in that position. The board also invited Fr. Daly to
replace Tom as a member of the Trustee Board. Each member contributes
his time and expertise to the Center and for this I am extremely grateful.
So the work of the Center goes on and because of the many blessings and
graces bestowed on it from God, the work continues to be successful.

OCTOBER 2006 NEWSLETTER

This newsletter is a bit late since I am traveling but here it is.
The spirituality in Nassau in October was wonderful. We had about
fifty participants and they seemed to have enjoyed it and found it
profitable (according to their evaluations). Same for the one in
Stella Maris in Elberon in September.
God seems to want us to continue His work. Even though we have
eliminated costs for the retreats/conferences, the free will
contributions still keep coming, so that must be a divine sign!

In future newsletters I will keep you informed of what’s happening.

SEPTEMBER 2006 NEWSLETTER

By the time you see this newsletter, we will be in the midst of our
spirituality retreat in Elberon, NJ at Stella Maris retreat house.
We are pleased to report that this retreat has been filled for
several months with guests coming from as far away as Europe.

Our next DeMello retreat promises to be very interesting.
The venue is in Nassau, Bahamas, at the NPCC
(New Providence Community Center).
The dates are October 6 to 8, 2006. The majority of participants
will be from Nassau itself, but twelve (at least) will be coming
from the USA. These guests will be staying at the Orange Hill Inn.
The proprietors have given us a special rate for room and board.
Some will be staying at the Breezes resort as guests of Mr. John Issa,
the owner. Thank you, John, for such a generous gift.

As you know, the DeMello Center does not charge the participants
for the retreat itself. If it were not for the kind contributions of our benefactors,
we would be unable to offer these conferences/retreats. We are truly blessed.

In 1985, Tony DeMello, S.J. gave a conference in Rockville Center, NY.
Msgr. Tom Hartman showed this conference on his television program (Telicare).
Our plan is to make a DVD of this retreat/conference, and make it available
to those interested. It is 17 minutes long (edited by Msgr. Hartman from the
hour long program original). It is excellent. When it is ready for distribution,
I will announce it in this newsletter.

We are also planning a few more conferences here in the USA and in Europe.
When they are finalized, I will also bring them to your attention in this newsletter.
The October newsletter will come out shortly after I return from Europe at the
end of September. All God’s blessings on you and your loved ones.

AUGUST 2006 NEWSLETTER

The DeMello conference/retreat scheduled for August 25-27-06
at Stella Maris in Elberon NJ has been filled for months now and
we are looking forward very much to doing it. Some participants
are even coming from Europe!
The conference in Nassau, Bahamas is also quite filled.
A good number of guests are coming from the USA, but most
will be coming from Nassau itself. We expect about 80 participants.

I have just discovered some amazing videos that we made with
Tony in 1985 in Rockville Center, NY. I am going to put them on
DVDs and when I complete that task, I will post them on the website.
I truly forgot how wonderful they are and feel I must make them available
to our friends.
Newsletters shouldn’t be all business. Sometimes a personal note is appropriate.
And I would like to add one now. I received a message today from a woman in
Georgia who wrote so beautifully about the impact Tony DeMello’s work has
had on her life. In my grateful reply, I told her how pleased I was that her life was
so much helped by Tony’s approach to spirituality. I also told her that I have
received numberless letters from people literally around the globe telling me
of similar experiences. I am humbled by the fact that God has allowed me to
be part of so wondrous an enterprise. When the Pope saw the constitutions
of the Jesuit order that St. Ignatius the founder of the Society of Jesus –
(whose feast day we Jesuits celebrate on July 31st) had given him,
he said “Digitus Dei est hic” (the finger of God is here). I have no doubt
that God’s hand is at work here when I see the incredible impact Fr. DeMello’s
work has had on the lives of so many. Tony died almost 20 years ago,
at the age of 56. We all mourned the fate of such a good person dying so young.
But even death could not prevent God from furthering Tony’s apostolate.
Tony knew he was doing God’s work, although he never thought of himself as
someone pious or religious. He would turn over in his grave if he ever heard any
of us refer to him as a saint. He always said, “A saint is a saint till he knows it!”
Nevertheless his work is quite saintly. And I am blessed to be associated with it.

My able assistant, Gloria Messemer, will be minding the store while I am away on
conferences and other works outside the USA, so if you need anything, she will be
in the office at least once a week to help. She just returned from a serious hospital stay,
but we are blessed to have her back with us. She faithfully reads your e-mails
(stroud@fordham.edu) and listens to your phone calls, 718 817 4508.
So don’t hesitate to get in touch.

JULY 2006 NEWSLETTER

The spirituality conference in Malibu (June) was quite successful.
The Serra Franciscan Retreat house is beautifully situated overlooking
the Pacific Ocean in Malibu. Mel Gibson, Dick Van Dyke and others
live right there, but couldn’t make the conference. If they did,
you might have seen a film arising from it! Loyola Marymount U.
sponsored the retreat (full house). One of the Jesuit s on the faculty,
Fr. Bill Fulco, helped Mel Gibson on his film, “The Passion of Christ”.
He did the Aramaic and Latin translations for him.

Our next conference (August, 2006) will be at the Stella Maris retreat
house over looking the Atlantic ocean You might think I have an affinity
for oceans (actually I do) but it is just coincidental. The retreat is fully booked,
but don’t be discouraged, there will be others.

The conference in Nassau, Bahamas is heating up. If you would be interested
in coming to that one in October, you can contact me at stroud@fordham.edu
or telephone my assistant, Gloria Messemer, at 718 817 4508.
You will be guests of the DeMello Center for the conference itself.
Your accommodations at the Orange Hill Resort Spa and airfare would be your own.
We have a special rate at the Spa for rooms ($85 a night as opposed to the regular
rate of $120 a night) but I will have to book them for you to get that rate.
Time is of the essence, of course, so you would have to contact Gloria soon.

In July I leave for Limerick Ireland to finalize our arrangements for our special
DeMello event there in August 2007. This conference is closed already,
but if enough people write me and show interest, I might be able to make
further arrangements. Even with special air fare rates and discount rates
for six nights at the exclusive Adare Manor, it still is a rather expensive venture,
but if you are interested, write or telephone. Keep an eye on this newsletter for
further developments on this anniversary celebration (Tony DeMello’s 20th anniversary of his death).

MAY/JUNE NEWSLETTER 2006

Inasmuch as I will be traveling for much of June and July,
I thought it would be helpful if I combined two months new letters in one.
Our next DeMello conference/retreat will be held in
Malibu, CA on June 2nd to 4, 2006. The retreat house is
completely filled up, but if you are interested in coming,
you can contact them by phone to see if there is any room available.
The conference in August at Stella Maris in Elberon, NJ is also
almost completely filled, but again, if you are interested, you might try to call.
The contact numbers are on our website under “conferences”.

The conference in Nassau, Bahamas is still available to those in
the USA who want to attend. If you are interested in this one,
please contact Gloria Messemer at 718 817 4508.
There will be no charge for the conference itself, but you will have
to buy your air tickets, and for your room and board at the
Breezes hotel in Cable beach, Nassau. I don’t know what
the cost of that will be, but Mr. Issa, the owner of these
resorts in the Caribbean has promised me a special low rate.
I have to reserve those rooms rather soon, so if you wish to
take advantage of this opportunity, please contact Gloria Messemer
as soon as possible. I just finished writing Mr. Issa, the owner of the Breezes,
and told him I would be writing soon with the final numbers.
The dates for the conference are Friday, October 6th till Sunday, October 8th.
I am reserving rooms from Thursday, the 5th till departure on Monday the 9th.
The Breezes is a beautiful resort which you will enjoy. If you make a long weekend
of it, you will come home refreshed both spiritually and physically!
If you want me to reserve a room for you, please let me know as soon as possible.
This is imperative since the resort needs to know a long time in advance.

APRIL 2006 NEWSLETTR

I will be away till the end of March, so this letter is a bit early.
All is going well. Preparations are underway for our conferences
in June, August, and October. When I return, I will bring you up
to date on all the details.

MARCH NEWSLETTER 2006

We are still in the process of planning the DeMello
event for 2007 in Ireland. When more information is available,
it will be posted on this site. Progress is being made,
but the details are yet to be ironed out.

If you are a Retreat House director or have a facility
where you would like to host a DeMello Spirituality retreat
or conference, write to this site or email me at stroud@fordham.edu
and we will send you materials to enable you to plan such an event.
As you know from our newsletter www.demellow.org , our Center
does not charge the host facility for the conference or for travel
expenses for the team.

A very dear friend of the Center and a close personal friend of
mine for more that 40 years, Patrick Tierney in England, is in
serious condition in the hospital. I have been praying for a miracle
of recovery. He has improved somewhat which is an answer to our prayers,
but I ask you to please continue your prayers for him.
The power of your prayers is inestimable. I will keep you posted as to his health.
Thank you so very much. I have to rush to England to be with
Pat and his wife Sheila, so I will finish this newsletter tonight so you will
have it at the beginning of March. I should return by early March but if
you have some urgent matter and need to contact me, please leave a
message on my home phone 718 817 5378 and I will access those
messages from England and try to get back to you as soon as possible.

The conference in Elberon, NJ (Stella Maris Retreat house on the ocean)
scheduled for August 2006 was somehow omitted on the conference schedule.
That has been corrected so you will see it now on our site. Click on “conferences”.

The March “Thought of the Month” will also be posted on this site when you read this.
I would appreciate any feedback you might give me on this item.

Be assured that you are remembered in my daily prayers.

FEBRUARY NEWSLETTER 2006

By mistake, the January newsletter did not get posted till late
January, so this February letter is coming to you on time.
All went well in December and early January plus a few
unexpected wonderful surprises. As I told you in previous
letters, there is a new emerging Protestantism happening
throughout the globe. It is very ecumenical with a world
wide vision. One fine example of this is
Pastor Clint Kemp’s ministry in Nassau, Bahamas.
His approach to spreading Christianity is through the Arts
(painting, sculpture), Music, Gardening, teaching his flock
to find God in the world around them. His youth program is
considered one of the best in the country. I have just introduced
him to Dr. Denise Herzing, PhD’s “Wild Dolphin Project” which
you can be certain he will soon integrate into his ministry.
If you are interested in knowing more about this project,
look up www.wilddolphinproject.org Denise is a wonder.
You will find this project fascinating. Her studies are
concentrated on communication between dolphins themselves
and dolphins with humans. She has been working with dolphins
for more than fifteen years in the Caribbean waters off the
Grand Bahamas Island. She knows them even by name
and they know her. One even presented her with a calf
she gave birth to while Denise was away. Believe me; you will love it,
especially if you are a person of the sea!

We are still working on the DeMello event to celebrate
Tony DeMello’s 20th anniversary of his death.
The plan is to have this event in Ireland. It will be an “event”
rather than a conference. I would like to have guest speakers
in the evening, while during the day enjoying beautiful Ireland.
If you have any suggestions on how to make this event more
enjoyable and profitable, I am open to them. When more
information is available, I will post it on this site.

Keep well, see you here in March.

JANUARY NEWSLETTER 2006

I am writing this newsletter a bit early since I will be away for most of
December and half of January. By the time you read this, Christmas will have passed,
and I pray that you experienced a very blessed time. I am on my way to Nassau in the
Bahamas with my faithful and expert team to conduct a DeMello Spirituality
Conference for three days at the New Providence Community Center,
a wonderful facility run by Pastor Clint Kemp.
He has asked me to give his people an experience of Tony DeMello’s
approach to spirituality, since it has had such a positive impact on his
own life and ministry. We are delighted to oblige. As I have mentioned
before, there is a new emerging Protestantism which is very ecumenical.
Last month Pastor Clint had a meeting (called “La Mesa” an informal,
non-agenda gathering) of 24 pastors from Africa, Argentina, Chile, Brazil,
the Caribbean, and from many states in the USA. I was the one Catholic
representative. They are young, energetic, enthusiastic men and women
with a global vision. I was reminded of the vision St. Ignatius
(founder of the Jesuit order) had when he began his work in the 16th Century.
The spirit of God is certainly present and at work here. I am honored to be a
welcome part to help in this work.

For the past seventeen years, it has been my pleasure to offer Mass at
Christmas and Easter for the wonderful Catholic community of
St. Paul’s Church in Lyford Cay in Nassau. I hope to continue this
ministry as long as I am able and am invited. After this, I have a few
other meetings to attend to, and should be back in New York January 17, 2006.
If you wish to contact me at that time, my good assistant will be in the office
each Monday and will review any e-mail messages you may send. If there
is a matter of urgency and you need to contact me immediately, you can
call my private number 718 817 5378 which I will access frequently and try
to answer as soon as possible.

So until then, be assured you are all in my prayers for a blessed New Year,
and I will appreciate a prayerful remembrance from you. Our work is God’s work,
and it will succeed because of your wonderful prayers.

I would like to thank at this times those who have made contributions to our
Center (legal title: Center for Spiritual Exchange). As you are aware, these
contributions are tax-deductible. Since we no longer charge any fees even
travel expenses for the team, these contributions make it possible for us to
offer these spiritual retreats and conferences. We are very grateful to you.
It is also our policy not to ask for financial assistance, so those free will
contributions keep us in business. That is why we are so grateful.
Thank you again.

DECEMBER NEWSLETTER

As I said in my November newsletter, the DeMello conference scheduled
for Grand Coteau, Louisiana November 3 to 6 would still be held as
planned despite the ravages of Katrina. Happily, I am able to report
that we held the conference and the results
(according to our evaluation sheets) was most gratifying.
I am still amazed at the impact that spirituality has on
the lives of our participants.

Following the retreat (or conference), I flew down to Nassau,
Bahamas to attend a meeting of pastors from far and wide to discuss
implementation of spirituality in their parishes. The pastors of
Protestant churches came from Africa, South America
(Brazil, Chile, Argentina), from all over the USA, and the Caribbean.
There is a new emerging Protestantism which is more ecumenical than
“protesting” happening all over the world, and these pastors are young
(most in their forties and fifties), energetic, and enthusiastic.
It was a grace filled time and I feel certain that when more Catholic
theologians and thinkers join in these meetings God will bless them
all with even more Graces than they are filled with now. If the
DeMello Spirituality Center can make a contribution, it will be
along these lines – bring more Catholic thinkers to these
welcoming groups. The Spirit of God is at work here just as it was
when St. Ignatius was founding the Jesuit order. The words the Pope
used in those days “digitus Dei est hic” (the finger of God is here)
can easily be applied here. Pope John Paul II expended so much of
his energy reaching out to non-Christians (Muslims, Jews) and
non-Catholic Christians. This spirit of ecumenism is very much
alive in the work of these wonderful pastors.

In December, the DeMello Spirituality Center will be conducting
a three day retreat in Nassau in the facility of Pastor Clint Kemp’s
New Providence Community Church. A number of friends from the USA
will be in attendance. The details of this conference can be seen
on our website (under “conferences”). If you would like to attend
one of our retreats or conferences, there are two more scheduled in
Malibu, CA in June and in Elberon, NJ in August.
They are posted in this website.

The January newsletter may be delayed till the end of that month,
since I will be traveling until mid-January.

I trust you all had a Happy Thanksgiving and if you were traveling,
that you avoided all the traffic jams!

The conference in December in Nassau, Bahamas is fully booked.
But there will be more down there, I can assure you.. We are
looking forward to a fine three day conference. Jonathan Galente
has developed some new exercises of “awareness” which I found to
be very interesting and enjoyable. We hope to try them out in Nassau.

Christmas and New Years will soon be upon us. Let me take this
opportunity to assure you that you will all be remembered in my
Masses and prayers. A blessing on you and your families.
This coming year will bring you many gifts of Grace from the good Lord,
so look forward to it.

See you again in January.

NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER

During the month of November I will be traveling quite a bit.
Despite the devastation caused by Katrina,
the state of Louisiana is recovering.
Happily for us, plans for the DeMello Spirituality Conference
scheduled for November 3 to 6 is going forward.
If you would like to sign up just go to our web site
“conferences”
(since you are reading this, you are already on our web page)
and contact Fr. Warren Broussard. You may recall from my previous
newsletters, the DeMello Spirituality Center is not charging either
the participants or the Host House for the conference.
The room and board is a matter settled between the participants
and the Host retreat house.

Following the Grand Coteau I am going to a meeting in Nassau,
Bahamas, hosted by Pastor Clint Kemp of the New Providence
Community Church. He has invited Pastors from Brazil, Michigan,
Arizona and elsewhere to discuss implementing DeMello’s approach
to Spirituality in their parishes. It is wonderful to see the
impact Fr. DeMello has had on so many people, Catholic, Christian,
and non-Christian. I receive so many messages about how his message
of “awareness” has touched the lives of those on a spiritual path.

I received a call the other day from Bob Hurteau who is the contact
person at LMU in Los Angeles for our conference scheduled for
June 2-4, 2006
(for information on that conference in Malibu click on Conferences in our web site).
Bob tells me that all is in readiness for that conference. Bob,
among others sponsoring our DeMello spirituality conferences,
was delighted (and amazed) that our new policy of not charging either
the participants or the host sponsor is in effect. You can read all
about this policy in my October newsletter. The sponsors wonder how
we can do this without our Center going bankrupt. When you come to the conference,
it will be explained more fully. Briefly, it is not that the DeMello Center
has won the lottery, nor has the Center come into a financial windfall.
Simply put, our work is an apostolate, not a business. We will
depend only on free will tax exempt contributions. If that doesn’t work,
we will simply go out of existence. I am convinced that when you are doing
God’s work and doing it generously, people will see to it that the work continues.
I have no doubt about this. People are so generous. This work will continue,
you can be sure of it.

I just returned from the funeral Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral of
my dear friend Wellington T. Mara, the owner of the NY Giants Football team.
Well was such a “Giant” of a man, so deeply spiritual, so loyal,
so devoted to family and friends. To see all those wonderful
Giants football players, coaches, family, friends and admirers at the
Mass paying their respect to a man who was loved by so many made my
heart swell with pride. I can’t remember seeing eight pages of a NY
paper paying such marvelous tribute to one man without a negative word about him.
My own friendship with Well spans fifty years, and I could add story after
story attesting to the great qualities attributed to him by Cardinal Egan
in his homily, by Frank Gifford and John Mara in their eulogies at the end
of the Mass. Well was a shining example of a truly spiritual person who
loved his God, his family, and his friends, not to mention his extended family,
the Giants team, old and new. We will all miss him greatly.

OCTOBER NEWSLETTER

If you have been looking at our website these past months,
you have seen the picture of my book on the spirituality
of Anthony DeMello, “Praying Naked” and the announcement
that it will soon be published. Well, it has arrived! Bantam,
Doubleday and Dell has produced an attractive cover
and an excellent printing of the manuscript.

To order "Praying Naked"

The title understandably raised a few eyebrows
for a book on spirituality, but it all becomes
clear in the Introduction of the book.
After you have read the book, you may wish to
make inquiries or even offer your own reflections.
You can be sure I will read them with great interest
and care, and if possible even reply to some of them.
At any rate, although the book may not win a Pulitzer prize,
it is a deeply honest portrayal of my affection for Tony and
an appreciation of the great good he accomplished not only
in my own life, but in the lives of thousands of others.

When Tony was alive, I accompanied him on practically all
of his spirituality conferences and listened to him speak
over and over again. I never tired of hearing him. So when
I was asked to share his spiritual approach, I had much to
draw upon. I knew I could never walk in his shoes, so I
expanded the conferences to include the exercises of his
closest friend and collaborator Fr. Dick McHugh, S.J.
For twelve years Dick enriched these conferences with
his contributions and expertise in the field of psychology.
Dick decided after traveling with me half way around the
globe to continue his work in neuro- linguistic programming,
his doctoral specialty, back in India and elsewhere.
Jonathan Galente, a devoted friend and admirer of Tony,
stepped in for the next several years to offer the exercises.
Joan Budilovsky also joined the team and still travels with us
delightfully sharing her expertise in yoga at all the conferences.
It is from these experiences that the material contained in the
book is derived.
My hope is that you will enjoy reading what has been my honor
these past ten years to write.

Keep well and I will come back to you in my October Newsletter.
J. Francis Stroud, S.J.
Director

SEPTEMBER 2005