JULY 15, 2013

“Catholic” Yoga

All Catholics are Christians but not all Christians are Catholics. We’ve been hearing a lot about “Christian Yoga” since many years now, much of it from Catholic priests, but it was only a matter of time before some “Catholics” — taking advantage of the silence maintained by most Church leaders — came out in the open with “Catholic Yoga“. As with almost everything else, it had to occur first in America. Why did our Indian Catholic yogi-priests — and there are plenty of them — not come up with the term first? I would like to believe that it is because they do not see themselves — and do not expect the Hindu majority either to see them — as “Catholic”. I was wondering if I should use the term “perceive” instead if “see”. With the Indian church sinking deeper into the heretical waters of syncretism, relativism, religious pluralism, indifferentism and universalism, the usage of “Catholic” might come across as being too exclusivist, too “foreign”, as if “Christian” were not bad enough. “Christian” is more inclusive, and for many, a more ‘comfortable’ identity.

Also, most Indians still do not know the difference between ‘Christians’ and ‘Catholics’. Christians in general as well as Catholics in particular are called “Isai” or “Isai log” [Christ = Isa or Isa masih] which translates as “Christian”, hence “Christian Yoga“.

The Hindi terms for “Catholic” are complicatedly long and never used: “sampurn Isai jagat” and “kattar Isai Charch ka sadasi”. In Tamil, the language of the State where I live, the equivalent is even longer. Often the English word “Catholic” is pronounced roughly “Kaitholik” – with varying local inflections employed.

That, to some extent, explains why “Catholic Yoga” did not turn up first in India despite it being in the curriculum of Catholic seminaries and Catholic colleges and virtually institutionalized in the Church.

Now “Catholic Yoga” in America

http://www.sify.com/news/now-catholic-yoga-in-america-news-international-lbysEeehjag.html

January 24, 2011, ANI

World-famous Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago (USA) is offering “Catholic Yoga” classes.

The website of this Cathedral, which is both a parish and the seat of the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, says: “Join us as we explore the multiple spiritual and physical benefits of yoga practice while explicitly integrating prayers and spiritual themes of our Catholic faith.”

“Typical sessions will include an opening prayer, inspired movement and strengthening, and contemplative prayer to close. The program will be focused around various themes to coincide with the liturgical calendar and progression of our faith life across the seasons,” it added.

Do not be afraid of yoga, Hindu statesman Rajan Zed tells practitioners of different faiths.

Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, said that although introduced and nourished by Hinduism, yoga was a world heritage to be utilized by all.

One could still practice one’s respective faith and do yoga. Yoga would rather help one in achieving one’s spiritual goals in whatever religion one believed in. It was not at odds with any faith and rather made one spiritually healthier. Rajan Zed further said that yoga, referred as “a living fossil” whose traces went back to around 2,000 BCE to Indus Valley civilization, was a mental and physical discipline handed down from one guru to next, for everybody to share and benefit from.

According to Patanjali who codified it in Yoga Sutra, yoga was a methodical effort to attain perfection, through the control of the different elements of human nature, physical and psychical.

Instructors for “Catholic Yoga” include Ali Niederkorn*, who claims to be “a devoted Catholic and a practicing yogi”; and Dina Wolf, who teaches vinyasa flow yoga and who has taken Hatha yoga classes.

This Cathedral, whose tagline is “the place where Chicago goes to pray” and whose traces go back as far as 1843, is Chicago’s “one and only” Cathedral and attracts thousands of visitors each week from world over.

Monsignor Dan Mayal is the Pastor while Francis Cardinal George is the Archbishop of Chicago.

COMMENTS

1. Catholic yoga is a great lie! They want to substitute the name of Brahma for God the Father, Rama for Jesus and Kali for Mother Mary. Yoga is for adore Hinduist deities! To transform it in Catholic is a fake. 

Have a look for example to Yoga the article of an Indian Catholic priest in www.jmanjackal.net/eng/engyoga.htm "Yoga in philosophy and practice is incompatible with Christianity" Posted by Luis on Jan 25, 2011 20:35 PM
					

2. This is another fraud committed by crooked catholic church and looters and dacoits to plagiarise the soul of hindu ethos itself! When multi-national companies demand and get billions of dollars as royalty for so many obscure and pirated technologies and methods, all hindus Must Unite and Demand Trillions of Dollars from catholic church, vatican, americans, europeans and westerners as royalty for pirating the essence and soul of hinduism, the great yoga practice invented and perfected by our great yogis for the past 5000 years and more. Hope RSS,VHP and BJP leaders and cadres put pressure on government and authorities to claim trillions or billions of dollars from looting and dacoit westerners who are doing day-light looting of soul and ethos hinduism. Where are our rights activists who used to make much noise in media for minor and even silly matters? Shame, Hindus, Shame Posted by Vignesh Singh on Jan 26, 2011 22:08 PM

3.
				MY FIRST THREE ATTEMPTS TO POST THE FOLLOWING ARE UNSUCCESSFUL. I receive the message:
				Banned words are found in your comments
					

Shame, shame!! Yoga in a Catholic Cathedral is an abomination!!!!!

There is no such thing as "Catholic Yoga".

YOGA is HINDU. If practiced by Catholics, it is NEW AGE.

I should know.

I am a Catholic apologist, I live in India and I am a crusader against New Age in the Church.

Please visit my web site www.ephesians-511.net.    

You will find hundreds of pages of evidence there. 

I agree with Luis and Vignesh Singh

Michael Prabhu, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, January 27, 2011

MY ABOVE COMMENT WAS ALSO POSTED TO:

http://www.holynamecathedral.org/index.php?page=contact-us

STRANGELY, MY FOURTH ATTEMPT TO POST A MUCH SHORTER COMMENT WAS SUCCESSFUL:

I fully endorse both Vignesh's and Luis' comments.

See my web site www.ephesians-511.net
				

Michael Prabhu, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India January 27, 2011

THE COMPLETE COMMENT THAT I POSTED TO http://www.holynamecathedral.org/index.php?page=contact-us:
				

Shame, shame!!!!! Yoga in a Catholic Cathedral! An abomination!!!!!

There is no such thing as "Catholic Yoga".

YOGA is HINDU. If practiced by Catholics, it is NEW AGE.

I should know.

I am a Catholic apologist, I live in India and I am a crusader against New Age in the Church.

Please visit my web site
					www.ephesians-511.net. 

You will hundreds of pages of evidence there. 

Please also read the comments of Luis at
				

http://www.sify.com/news/now-catholic-yoga-in-america-news-international-lbysEeehjag.html

. 

Michael Prabhu, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India January 27, 2011

I RECEIVED THIS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:

Thank You! Your request has been sent.

Holy Name Cathedral Parish (Roman Catholic)
North State Street at Superior Street, Chicago Illinois

Cathedral Rectory 730 N. Wabash Ave, Chicago IL 60611 Phone: 312-787-8040 fax: 312-787-9113 E-mail
Cathedral Rectory offices and switchboard are open
Monday – Saturday from 8:30 A.M. – 8:30 P.M., Sunday, 8:30 A.M. – 7 P.M.

*MY LETTER TO ALI NIEDERKORN AND HER RESPONSE

From:
prabhu
To:
aniederkorn@hotmail.com
Sent: Thursday, January 27, 2011 3:58 PM

Subject: Re: Now “Catholic Yoga” in America

VIEWERS’ COMMENTS [Luis’, Vignesh Singh’s, mine (the banned one as well as the posted one)]

From:
Alison Niederkorn
To:
michaelprabhu@vsnl.net
Sent: Monday, February 07, 2011 8:14 AM

Subject: RE: Now “Catholic Yoga” in America

Michael, 
In the spirit of connection and a willingness to host diversity within our faith community, I would like to share some thoughts on why we’re offering a yoga-based prayer program customized for Catholics at Holy Name. It is not meant to refute the points you shared, but rather to add another dimension to the dialogue. 
Peace be with you,
Ali

 
There are some strong feelings and debate about whether or not we should be drawing these sorts of connections across spiritual and religious practices. I think the future of our union as human beings lies in the potential of connecting across versus dividing between our religions, individual identities, and ideologies. This does not negate the importance of being intentional about our distinctions and very deeply exploring the unique identity of our individual faiths. But it also means that in order to form community, we need to explore and build on the connections that lie across these fundamental beliefs.
 
Yoga is not a religion. It is not practiced by all Hindus. Nor is it only a Hindu practice. In its development, yoga has been an inter-faith practice. It was developed not just by Hindus, but through contributions by Buddhists and Jain as well. And there’s no reason, as it continues to evolve, that it can’t be applied to Catholicism, Judaism or Islam. I know of a Rabbi in Minnesota who welcomes yoga practice at her temple and another in Evanston who uses yoga in her temple services. I know of several Catholics and Christians across the country doing the same. In fact, http://www.christianspracticingyoga.com/
was developed by a Catholic priest.
 
Yoga is a spiritual practice, not a faith practice. It is not divorced from its intent or its essence when it is practiced outside of religion. And I believe it can be true to its form even when customized to a particular faith.  That’s the beauty – the movement of the body in these sequences can enrich any faith practice as it opens us for prayer and meditation. As Tilden Edwards*, a Christian contemplative, states, “What makes a particular practice Christian is not its source, but its intent. If our intent in assuming a particular bodily practice is to deepen our awareness in Christ, then it is Christian. If this is not our intent, then even the reading of Scripture loses its authenticity.”
 
As Catholics, and even more broadly, as Christians, we are an incarnational faith. Father Thomas Ryan**, a Paulist priest who teaches yoga workshops, pointed out during a talk he delivered at Chicago’s Old St. Patrick’s Church in October of 2006, it is “through our bodies that we work out our salvation.”  There is a lot of opportunity to better engage our whole bodies in prayer. Many find communion with God through dance or playing music.  These are examples of engaging the gifts of our physical form to grow as spiritual beings. By embodying some of the themes of our faith, such as patience, opening our hearts, compassion, remaining flexible, and courage, we can explore these physically and align ourselves for more centered prayer.

From the web site of the Holy Name Cathedral
in Chicago:

Catholic Yoga

http://www.holynamecathedral.org/index.php?page=catholic-yoga

Drawing from multiple faith traditions, yoga has evolved across the ages as a means of tuning the body for better communion with God through prayer and meditation. Join us as we explore the multiple spiritual and physical benefits of yoga practice while explicitly integrating prayers and spiritual themes of our Catholic faith. Typical sessions will include an opening prayer, inspired movement & strengthening, and contemplative prayer to close. The program will be focused around various themes to coincide with the liturgical calendar and progression of our faith life across the seasons.

Prior yoga experience is not necessary.

Instructors Dina Wolf and Ali Niederkorn are both experienced yoga practitioners and are part of the Catholic community in Chicago. 

Wednesdays, 6:15—7:30 pm 4^th Floor, Parish Center (next to the Cathedral) $15/Session (cash or check only)
If you have one, please bring your own mat. Dress comfortably for movement.
Free parking available across from Holy Name Cathedral.

For more information, please contact Ali Niederkorn at
aniederkorn@hotmail.com

*Tilden Edwards, a priest of the Episcopal Church,
is founder of the
Shalem Institute for Spiritual Direction. So he is not Catholic! He is listed in the “Master List of Cult, New Age … And Other Non-Christian Books Being Sold In Christian Bookstores” along with Father Thomas Ryan who is also cited by Ali Niederkorn, source: http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/masterlist.html. In the book Spiritual Friend (1980, pp. 18, 19), Tilden Edwards says: “This [contemplative practices] mystical stream is THE WESTERN BRIDGE TO FAR EASTERN SPIRITUALITY.”

**Father Thomas Ryan CSP attended the Kripalu Yoga Center in Stockbridge, MA, and then incorporated yoga practice into his prayer life as a Christian: http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/panelists/2007/04/08-week/.
http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,1098937,00.html
describes him as “a Catholic leader of the Christian yoga movement“. Also see “Yoga Can Help Catholics Connect More Deeply With God” http://www.americancatholic.org/news/report.aspx?id=3579.

Catholic yoga: A Hail Mary with your Halasana

http://www.religionnewsblog.com/16838/catholic-yoga-a-hail-mary-with-your-halasana

http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2006-12-16/features/0612140756_1_yoga-richard-galentino-rosary

By Mark I. Pinsky, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, USA, December 16, 2006, www.sun-sentinel.com; ReligionNewsBlog.com

In 1996, when Richard Galentino walked into a Georgetown University gymnasium for his first yoga class, he was not sure what to expect. For Galentino, raised in a traditional Italian Catholic home and educated in church-affiliated schools, this breathing-and-exercise discipline long identified with Hinduism
was entirely new.

“I read it in the course catalog and thought it would be interesting,” recalls Galentino, now director of Catholic Volunteers of Florida, based in Orlando. “I’ve always been interested in health and fitness.”

The experience was profound, if not life-changing. A decade later, Galentino, 32, has synchronized the strands of his life — the Western, Catholic tradition of saying the Rosary, with the Eastern religious breathing practice called praynayama. He is the author of Hail Mary and Rhythmic Breathing: A New Way of Praying the Rosary (Paulist Press, $6.95).

Along the way, he has become a man of disparate parts: Harvard graduate, marathoner; fluent speaker of French and Swahili; Jesuit volunteer in Africa and Honduras. And, yes, yoga instructor.

Galentino first became interested in yoga during his academic class work at Georgetown, reading about Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi, and the various physical and meditative disciplines that Gandhi followed. Gandhi’s autobiography, The Story of My Experiments with Truth, had a particularly deep impact.

“It sparked a real, true education beyond the course,” he says. Then a senior at the university’s prestigious school of foreign service, and seriously considering becoming a Jesuit priest, Galentino found the yoga class a “reprieve” from the stress he was going through.

“I loved the class instantly,” he says, but he found it to be much more than relaxation.

His instructor, Victor Vyasa Landa, talked about the importance of following your heart, says Galentino, but nothing Landa said threatened the student’s Catholic theology.

The instructor brought up the Virgin Mary and St. Francis, and “presented them in a yogi perspective,” Galentino says.

The idea of combining yoga and the rosary came to him in late 2002 while he was working on an Advent calendar. One window said “Do Contemplation.” Another said, “Pray the Rosary.”

“It happened in prayer,” he says. “Sometimes in contemplative prayer I would just try to rest in the presence of God.”

Conventional Catholic breathing and praying traditions, such as saying “in God” while inhaling and then “out me” while exhaling, inspired Galentino. The idea of incorporating Hail Mary occurred to him almost by accident.

“I found myself combining the two,” he recalls, “contemplative prayer with the rosary.”

Some Christians have long been critical of yoga because they believe it emphasizes the physical self, to the exclusion of Christian spirituality. Pope Benedict XVI even weighed in on the subject in 1989 when, as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, he warned that some Eastern practices, including yoga, “can degenerate into a cult of the body.” Catholics, he said, should not confuse yoga’s “pleasing sensations” with “spiritual well-being.”

That concern is well-founded, Galentino says.

“I would agree,” he says, “and I think most yoga masters would too. In our contemporary society, it is easy to turn yoga into a materialistic ‘cult of the body,’ in which image and physical experiences become more important than relationships with others and God.”

In the same letter, Galentino says, then-Cardinal Ratzinger “also states that we can use the methods of other `great religions’ to achieve union with God as long as it is consistent with Christian logic. This is what I am doing with yoga.”

Orlando Roman Catholic Bishop Thomas Wenski seems to have no problem with Galentino’s book, saying that Western traditions also use similar breathing practices.

“Breathing isn’t unique to Easterners,” Wenski says. “Everybody breathes.”

“He’s a fine man,” Wenski says of Galentino. “He’s a good Catholic leader.”

The road to publication for Galentino’s slender paperback was not straight. He sent the manuscript, originally titled Hail Mary and the Art of Yoga Breathing, to 50 publishers. Some rejected it outright — several dubbing it heretical.

Then, while visiting the Catholic shrine at Lourdes, France, he got an e-mail from Paulist Press, a Catholic publisher, saying it wanted his book.

“That was my miracle,” he says.

The only thing the publishers wanted to change was the title.

Galentino’s primary job, though, is serving as head of Catholic Volunteers of Florida, where he supervises 14 people who give a year of service around the state, sometimes en route to a career in ministry.

He practices yoga regularly, and it shows on the job, co-workers say.

“He’s generally a pretty calm and patient guy,” says Sister Florence Bryan, placement director for Catholic volunteers, who has worked with Galentino for three years. “He’s a forthright but gentle mentor.”

The journey of a catholic yoga practitioner

http://varrahyoga.wordpress.com/2008/11/30/the-journey-of-a-catholic-yoga-practitioner/

By “C”, November 30, 2008

(I learned only recently who is appropriately called a “yogini”; a “yoga practitioner” is a more apt term for me but too late to change my “blog brand” now.)

Last month, when I celebrated my second year of practicing yoga, I was asked how it has changed me. “It made my life a bit more complicated,” I wanted to answer. Since I started with my journey, I have constantly been on the lookout for the practice shirt that won’t run up while I do the downward dog, the mat that would last my lifetime, and the explanation to people whenever I get that “that’s very un-Catholic” look on their faces. These people, who have never tried yoga in their lives, warn me against conversion to another religion, which they do not even know how it is called. Had I listened to them and used my first-class intelligence (i.e. one does not have to experience something to know what it is), I would have never found my way here. Sometimes, using second-class intelligence (i.e. experiencing something to find knowledge) has its wisdom—and that’s what I also learned in this journey.

So, what’s the issue about Catholics practicing yoga?

I have always believed that no religion has the monopoly of grace, goodness, and God. I believe that God is too big to be boxed in a set of doctrines and dogmas, rites and rituals. Everyone claims his is the right way. Fine, I cannot argue with that in the same way that I cannot argue with a traveler which road he should take going to his destination (especially if I don’t know where he is going!). But nobody could claim that his is the only right way.

I am Catholic and if I were to pass judgment on non-Catholics simply on the basis of religion, my father would have been the first on my list. (Besides, passing judgment is God’s job, only His.)

My father was baptized Catholic and had a Catholic burial but at some point in his life he joined an organization that had been ostracized by the Church. I also do not know what it means to be part of the group but among other things, my father believed that one’s excess is the need of another. Thus, when he was still working, a large portion of his salary went to charities. Sometimes I’d wonder if he didn’t give away his money just like that, would I have to work this hard right now. But I cannot complain. I know I am now reaping the fruits of his good deeds. I am enjoying his karma, so to speak. More so I cannot complain about how he raised us, provided for us, and loved us.

Despite his issues with the Catholic Church—whatever they may be—my father still decided to raise us his children as Catholics when he could have chosen otherwise. I see this as his way of letting us find the truth ourselves and telling us that his issues need not become ours.

Combined with the influence of my father’s liberal thinking is the entire collection of works of Anthony de Mello, a Jesuit priest who embraced a universal spirituality, finding the common ground among Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity.  Among his teachings are the following:

·      A religious belief is a signpost pointing the way to truth. When you cling to the signpost you are prevented from moving toward the truth because you think you have it already.

·      Faith is the fearless search for truth. So it is not lost when one questions one’s belief.

·      (Paraphrased version) A guru visited a city and taught the people how to live. People in turn gave the guru honor even after he died although they failed to remember any of his teachings. Another guru visited another city and also taught the people how to live. Through generations people lived out his teachings faithfully but they did not notice when the guru disappeared. Eventually they forgot all about him but his teachings lived on. Which is the true religion?

Another influence in my life is Fr. Guido, also a Jesuit and a modern-day champion of the poor. Once he instructed the community to stop listening to scholars and philosophers who love to engage in debates endlessly. They would make a big fuss, for example, over exactly what time Jesus died. He challenged us, however, how knowing the answer would alter our faith. From then on, I have learned to filter the things I would listen to and believe in by asking the question “will knowing the answer to that question change my relationship with God?” If my answer is no, then the issue is not worth pursuing.

Yet another Jesuit priest taught me a lesson—Fr. Louie. (No, I never went to a Jesuit-run school but undeniably the Society has affected me a great deal.) He said that where there is oppression, there is no God. God cannot and will not oppress His people. So he advised us that if we find ourselves in an oppressive situation, we ought to get out of it. “If you find your workplace oppressive, leave your work. If you find a relationship oppressive, leave that relationship. If you find this Church oppressive, by all means, leave this Church.” So IF one day I change religion, you know it’s not because of yoga.

I have friends and family members who have left the Catholic Church for another Church—and they do not practice yoga—but seeing how their lives have transformed for the better makes me not question their decisions anymore. It doesn’t matter; it shouldn’t matter. If that’s where they have grown closer to God, then I could not be happier for them. Same thing with yoga, or any ritual, or any habit, or any pursuit—if it makes people closer to God, or at least makes them better persons, what’s the issue? Shouldn’t we all be doing something to enrich and nurture our relationship with God? After all, if our relationship with Him is not getting any deeper, then we must be drifting apart. There is no such a thing as steady or stagnant relationship.

In the history of the Catholic Church, many people have left it for various reasons. I am not sure what percentage of this population did so because of yoga (and so far, I haven’t read any yoga-related literature prescribing what religion to embrace). Yoga has done me good way beyond the physical dimension. The impact of my 90-minute practice is greater than that of watching a 120-minute movie or teleserye or youtube videos or social networking via the internet and the mobile technology….

Having said that…er, what’s the issue again?

The Trouble with Yoga

A Catholic may practice the physical postures, but with caveats

http://www.catholic.com/magazine/articles/the-trouble-with-yoga

By Michelle Arnold, Catholic Answers, Volume 23 Number 3

This article is available at
YOGA-02 http://ephesians-511.net/docs/YOGA-02.doc

http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?t=396227

Catholic Answers, November 11, 2009

Q: I am a yoga practitioner. I first came to it as a way to aid in weight loss. As I furthered my studies, I find myself wanting to utilize my Catholic faith as the unity with my breath and movement. I feel a divine presence at times. I wish to share this beautiful feeling with my Catholic friends and neighbors. How can I do this?
Audrey McCann

A: Engaging in the physical postures and breathing techniques of yoga as a means of physical exercise and bodily health is one thing. But it is quite another to engage in non-Christian spirituality or to try to turn yoga into a quasi-Catholic spirituality. Your comment that “I feel a divine presence at times” during your yoga sessions is also troubling since it indicates involvement — whether deliberately or not — in non-Christian Eastern spiritual techniques.
Since you are tempted to attempt to “marry” yoga with your Catholic faith, I can only recommend that you set aside your interest in yoga and find other methods of physical exercise that do not involve non-Christian meditation or other dubious spiritual practices or techniques. And, to answer your question, I very much advise you not to attempt to lead other Catholics in yoga. –Michelle Arnold

Michelle Arnold/Catholic Answers are prime examples of Catholic yoga corruption in the Church -Michael

REPORTS

1. BRAHMA KUMARIS WORLD SPIRITUAL UNIVERSITY

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/BRAHMA_KUMARIS_WORLD_SPIRITUAL_UNIVERSITY.doc

2. CARDINAL OSWALD GRACIAS ENDORSES YOGA FOR CATHOLICS

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/CARDINAL_OSWALD_GRACIAS_ENDORSES_YOGA_FOR_CATHOLICS.doc

3. DIVINE RETREAT CENTRE ERRORS-05
YOGA PROMOTED

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/DIVINE_RETREAT_CENTRE_ERRORS-05.doc

4. FR JOE PEREIRA-KRIPA FOUNDATION-WORLD COMMUNITY FOR CHRISTIAN MEDITATION

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/FR_JOE_PEREIRA-KRIPA_FOUNDATION-WORLD_COMMUNITY_FOR_CHRISTIAN_MEDITATION.doc

5. 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

6. 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

7. FR JOHN VALDARIS-NEW AGE CURES FOR CANCER

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/FR_JOHN_VALDARIS-NEW_AGE_CURES_FOR_CANCER.doc

8. NEW AGE GURUS 01-SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR-THE ‘ART OF LIVING’

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/NEW_AGE_GURUS_01-SRI_SRI_RAVI_SHANKAR-THE_ART_OF_LIVING.doc

9. PAPAL CANDIDATE OSWALD CARDINAL GRACIAS ENDORSES YOGA

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/PAPAL_CANDIDATE_OSWALD_CARDINAL_GRACIAS_ENDORSES_YOGA.doc

10. YOGA AND THE BRAHMA KUMARIS AT A CATHOLIC COLLEGE IN THE ARCHDIOCESE OF BOMBAY

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/YOGA_AND_THE_BRAHMA_KUMARIS_AT_A_CATHOLIC_COLLEGE_IN_THE_ARCHDIOCESE_OF_BOMBAY.doc

11. YOGA IN THE DIOCESE OF MANGALORE

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/YOGA_IN_THE_DIOCESE_OF_MANGALORE.doc

12. YOGA, SURYANAMASKAR, GAYATRI MANTRA, PRANAYAMA TO BE MADE COMPULSORY IN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/YOGA_SURYANAMASKAR_GAYATRI_MANTRA_PRANAYAMA_TO_BE_MADE_COMPULSORY_IN_EDUCATIONAL_INSTITUTIONS.doc

ARTICLES

1. TRUTH, LIES AND YOGA-ERROL FERNANDES

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/TRUTH_LIES_AND_YOGA-ERROL_FERNANDES.rtf

2. WAS JESUS A YOGI? SYNCRETISM AND INTERRELIGIOUS DIALOGUE-ERROL FERNANDES

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/WAS_JESUS_A_YOGI_SYNCRETISM_AND_INTERRELIGIOUS_DIALOGUE-ERROL_FERNANDES.doc

3. YOGA

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/YOGA.doc

4. YOGA-02

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/YOGA-02.doc

5. YOGA AND DELIVERANCE

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/YOGA_AND_DELIVERANCE.doc

6. YOGA IS SATANIC-EXORCIST FR GABRIELE AMORTH

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/YOGA_IS_SATANIC-EXORCIST_FR_GABRIELE_AMORTH.doc

7. YOGA-SUMMARY

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/YOGA-SUMMARY.doc

8. YOGA-THE DECEPTION-FR CONRAD SALDANHA

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/YOGA-THE_DECEPTION-FR_CONRAD_SALDANHA.doc

9. YOGA-WHAT DOES THE CATHOLIC CATECHISM SAY ABOUT IT

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/YOGA-WHAT_DOES_THE_CATHOLIC_CATECHISM_SAY_ABOUT_IT.doc

10. YOGA-WHAT DOES THE CATHOLIC CHURCH SAY ABOUT IT?

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/YOGA-WHAT_DOES_THE_CATHOLIC_CHURCH_SAY_ABOUT_IT.doc

DOCUMENTS

1. LETTER TO THE BISHOPS OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH ON SOME ASPECTS OF CHRISTIAN MEDITATION CDF/CARDINAL JOSEPH RATZINGER OCTOBER 15, 1989

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/LETTER_TO_THE_BISHOPS_OF_THE_CATHOLIC_CHURCH_ON_SOME_ASPECTS_OF_CHRISTIAN_MEDITATION.doc

2. JESUS CHRIST THE BEARER OF THE WATER OF LIFE, A CHRISTIAN REFLECTION ON THE NEW AGE COMBINED VATICAN DICASTERIES FEBRUARY 3, 2003

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/JESUS_CHRIST_THE_BEARER_OF_THE_WATER_OF_LIFE_A_CHRISTIAN_REFLECTION_ON_THE_NEW_AGE.doc

TESTIMONIES

1.
TESTIMONY OF A FORMER YOGI-01
MIKE SHREVE

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/TESTIMONY_OF_A_FORMER_YOGI-01.doc

2. TESTIMONY OF A FORMER YOGI-02
TERRY JUSTISON

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/TESTIMONY_OF_A_FORMER_YOGI-02.doc

3. TESTIMONY OF A FORMER YOGI-03
KENT SULLIVAN

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/TESTIMONY_OF_A_FORMER_YOGI-03.doc

4. TESTIMONY OF A FORMER YOGI-04
MICHAEL GRAHAM

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/TESTIMONY_OF_A_FORMER_YOGI-04.doc

5. TESTIMONY OF A FORMER YOGI-05
BRAD SCOTT

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/TESTIMONY_OF_A_FORMER_YOGI-05.doc

6. TESTIMONY OF A FORMER YOGI-06
JANICE CLEARY

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/TESTIMONY_OF_A_FORMER_YOGI-06.doc

7. TESTIMONY OF A FORMER YOGI-07
CARL FAFORD

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/TESTIMONY_OF_A_FORMER_YOGI-07.doc

8. TESTIMONY OF A FORMER YOGI-08
ANONYMOUS

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/TESTIMONY_OF_A_FORMER_YOGI-08.doc

9. TESTIMONY OF A FORMER YOGI-09
DEBORAH HOLT

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/TESTIMONY_OF_A_FORMER_YOGI-09.doc

10. TESTIMONY OF A FORMER YOGI-10
DANION VASILE

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/TESTIMONY_OF_A_FORMER_YOGI-10.doc

11. TESTIMONY OF A FORMER YOGI-11
MICHAEL COUGHLIN

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/TESTIMONY_OF_A_FORMER_YOGI-11.doc

12. TESTIMONY OF A FORMER YOGI-12
LAURETTE WILLIS

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/TESTIMONY_OF_A_FORMER_YOGI-12.doc

13. TESTIMONY OF A FORMER YOGI-13
KEITH AGAIN

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/TESTIMONY_OF_A_FORMER_YOGI-13.doc

*

Our ministry’s protests [I’m sure there were others’ too, see below] against the holding of Yoga classes at Chicago’s Holy Name Cathedral [pages 1-4]
appears to have had an effect

From:
fraschenbrener@aol.com
To:
suedsa@yahoo.com; merlepenheiro@bigpond.com; liammateer@hotmail.co.uk; thespirtal@live.com; filphayfil@shaw.ca; H.MacCamley@gmail.com; wesigler@yahoo.com; jmvo42@netzero.com; michaelprabhu@vsnl.net; tendoyles@frontier.com; rocktunnel@hotmail.com; enriquejose_2001@yahoo.com; net@aol.com; gigisand@aol.com; childof333@aol.com; mjk104@yahoo.com; kme211@sbcglobal.net; tmbrune@yahoo.com; lukeonetwentyeight@gmail.com; jehou@comcast.net; thegranahans@sbcglobal.net; janet.p.brennan@gmail.com; laservices@inbox.com; bobabm@msn.com; michaelwesten@info.com; barbaraheagy@comcast.net; miresol@verizon.net; diane7guesman@att.net; jeffrey.coogan@gmail.com; adorerlu@gmail.com; Sent: Wednesday, June 15, 2011 8:38 PM Subject: yoga at Holy Name Cathedral

Greetings in Christ,
My name is Fr. Thomas Aschenbrener and I would like to inform you that “Catholic yoga” is no longer a practice here at Holy Name Cathedral.

I am overseeing a particular committee who instituted this practice two years ago and I have done everything in my power to rid this practice from the Cathedral. It is now over. Praise the Lord! Thank you for your prayers. Please spread the word.
In Christ, Fr. Thomas Aschenbrener, Parochial Vicar, Holy Name Cathedral, Chicago, IL

From:
Jeffrey Coogan
To:
ALL
Sent: Wednesday, June 15, 2011 8:51 PM Subject: Re: yoga at Holy Name Cathedral

That’s great to hear, but how did it get started in the first place, and how did it remain active for 2 years? I see that the Catholic yoga group is still listed on the Cathedral website http://www.holynamecathedral.org/index.php?page=catholic-yoga.

From:
Theresa Brune
To:
ALL
Sent: Wednesday, June 15, 2011 8:56 PM Subject: Re: yoga at Holy Name Cathedral

It should not have been that hard to get rid of, but I’m thankful to see that you’re cleaning the Lords House. 
No wonder Jesus used whips to drive them out, it was quicker. Keep up the good work. God be praised! Theresa Brune

From:
prabhu
To:
fraschenbrener@aol.com
Cc:
ALL
Sent: Wednesday, June 15, 2011 10:21 PM

Subject: Re: yoga at Holy Name Cathedral

Dear Father Thomas,

I am delighted to receive this news from you. Heart congratulations, and may Our Lord and His Mother bless you in ever greater abundance with the virtues needed by you to combat these errors (evils) in the Church.

I am edified by the two responses that you received from Jeffrey and Theresa. I trust there will be more.

What I am yet to figure out is how I got on your mailing list. I am a crusader against New Age since over a decade and have written a number of articles on yoga and on Catholic organisations promoting yoga, eastern meditations, mantra chanting etc. in India. Because of the priest shortage in the West, these evils are being exported wholesale by Indian priests.

I am blessed in that speakers on EWTN, Catholic Answers Live Radio, Revival Radio etc., cite my work and give out my website and email addresses.

Please let me know how I got on your mailing list.

You are in my prayers, Father. Kindly let your parishioners know about my web site. By this month end, I would be uploading a further seventy already-completed articles and reports to which I am putting finishing touches.

Please remember me at the Eucharist. You remain in my prayers.

Michael Prabhu, Catholic apologist, Chennai, INDIA www.ephesians-511.net

From:
Mireya Reinoso
To: ALL
Sent: Wednesday, June 15, 2011 9:47 PM Subject: RE: yoga at Holy Name Cathedral

God will provide you with good things because you have fought for Him and for His things…Thanks.

From:
J & Engracia
To:
ALL
Sent: Wednesday, June 15, 2011 10:02 PM Subject: RE: yoga at Holy Name Cathedral

Praise be to God!

From:
Theresa Brune
To:
prabhu
Sent: Wednesday, June 15, 2011 11:24 PM Subject: Re: yoga at Holy Name Cathedral

Dear Michael,
You probably got on because, like myself I was informed through one of the Catholic sites about the problem at the Cathedral and I sent Fr. an e mail asking him for help  to stop this practice. Our names or e mails were probably saved that’s why we were informed. God Bless you for the very important work you are doing for God’s Kingdom and the Church,
Theresa Brune

From:
prabhu
To:
tmbrune@yahoo.com
Sent: Thursday, June 16, 2011 8:47 AM

Subject: Re: yoga at Holy Name Cathedral

Dear Theresa, I thank you for your response and explanation; and for your blessings. Let’s keep in touch. Michael

From:
H MacCamley
To:
prabhu; ALL
Sent: Thursday, June 16, 2011 1:33 AM Subject: Re: yoga at Holy Name Cathedral

Good Day everyone. What else could we do to put pressure on removing falsehoods from the modernist catholic church? The French bishops like circus masses – how about them next or some other church that has priests who encourage false religions to do their thing with them Assisi-style? Maybe more will join us. How about it? In Christo Domino et Maria, Hugh

From:
prabhu
To:
H.MacCamley@gmail.com
Cc: ALL Sent: Thursday, June 16, 2011 9:10 AM

Subject: Re: yoga at Holy Name Cathedral

Dear Hugh,

I appreciate your love and concern for our Church. You ask, “What else could we do…?” We could pray for her and for those who are ignorant and misguided and deceived. I have been called to research, write and expose the “fruitless works of darkness”. Fr. Thomas took action.

I have written a detailed report on the liturgical abuses at the type of Masses that you speak about. It will be available on the net by month’s end. Some of my reports go to the dicasteries of the Holy See in Rome. It was in this way that I got the Indian Church to withdraw a heretical Assisi-type “New Community Bible” that was published in June 2008.

The Roman Church in itself is not modernist. There are clergymen and groups in it who are. In the spirit of Pope Pius X, we must oppose them.

Pope Benedict XVI has assured the Church that the “Spirit of Assisi” will not be repeated when he goes there next, later this year.

Thank you for writing. God bless and have a good day. Michael

From:
Agnes .To:
fraschenbrener@aol.com
Cc: ALL
Sent: Tuesday, June 21, 2011 11:19 PM

Subject: Re: yoga at Holy Name Cathedral

Dear Fr. Thomas Aschenbrener,
Thank you so much for standing up for the truth and being a good shepherd. May God bless you abundantly, guide you in your ministry and keep on increasing your courage, love, wisdom and faith. Sincerely, Agnes

MORE TESTIMONIES

TESTIMONY OF A FORMER YOGI-14 VIRGO HANDOJO

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/TESTIMONY_OF_A_FORMER_YOGI-14.doc

TESTIMONY OF A FORMER YOGI-15 PURVI

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/TESTIMONY_OF_A_FORMER_YOGI-15.doc

Categories: Eastern Meditation, new age