spiritual
Direction
UNIVERSAL,
INTERFAITH
AND
CATHOLIC -
WITH OR WITHOUT
A
RELIGIOUS TRADITION
where the
soul
glows
and grows
by integrating the body,
mind
and heart in consonance
with
The
Rhythm of the Breath
& The Rhythm of the
Universe
▪
Integral Art
▪
Integral
Yoga
▪
Interfaith
Poems
▪
Interfaith Rituals
▪
Mandala Book
▪
Oil
Paintings
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Pastoral Homilies
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Psychotherapy
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Rituals
▪
Sacraments
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Selected
W ritings
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Short
Stories
▪
Spiritual C ounseling
▪
Spiritual Practices
▪
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Support
▪
Teamwork
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Weddings
▪
Workshops
Phone 650-952-9456
P. O. BOX
1454,
Millbrae CA 94030 ,
U.S.A.
[Se habla
Español, Italiano, Português, Konkani, Hindi, English, ...]
©
Spiritual
Direction
1998-2012
Updated
30 Jan 2012
[L to R] GIFTS OF DELIGHT - DANCE OF
HOLINESS - FACE TO FACE - MIRROR
OF PEACE [2004. oil paintings on canvas 20"x24"]
Ariosto José
Coelho
DEVARDHAN
NAIK-SARDESSAI
FROM
AQUEM ,
GOA -INDIA
A Message and a
Wish for 2011
RECALLING DON BOSCO
in 2012
A
VISION WITH A MISSION ◘ A
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
EXPERIENCE
◘
TRAINING ◘
EDUCATION & DEGREES
AFFILIATIONS
◘ ENGAGEMENTS ◘
AWARDS
MAP OF INDIA
◘
THE
EMPTY CIRCLE
Phone 650-952-9456
Pictures with : ◘
Parents ◘
Brothers & Sisters
◘
Vivian Marrone
◘
salesians of don Bosco
◘
Sulcorna
◘
Friends ◘
Oil Paintings
◘ Pope
John Paul II ◘
Mother Teresa ◘ WRBs@SJChurch
◘ Supervisors
of San Mateo County, CA - 2010
Exhibition of Light and Delight in San Francisco, 2010
PROFESSIONAL
ENGAGEMENTS
[ -2000]
Youth and Family Therapist
: Consejero
Bilingue
San Mateo County Behavioral Health & Recovery
Services
South Central Youth Team, Redwood City CA
[ - 1998] Spiritual
Director and
Multi-lingual Interfaith Counselor
Spiritual Direction: Interfaith & Catholic , P. O. Box 1454, Millbrae,
CA 94030
[ -1994] Independent
Catholic Priest
with the
white robed monks of St. Benedict in San Francisco, CA
[Please check
Fr. Coelho's Priestly Calendar ]
[1994-1977]
Roman Catholic Priest
[Ordained
in Navelim, Goa, India on December 21, 1977]
[1994-1967]
Religious Salesian of Don Bosco
[Professed in Yercaud, Tamilnadu, India on May 24, 1968]
A BIOGRAPHICAL
SKETCH
The sixth child born to Ariosto Xavier do Rosario
Coelho (1900-1987) and Maria Esperança Tomezinha Valdemira dos Reis Fernandes (1907-1994) at Aquem, Margão,
Goa in India Portuguêsa on September 30, 1950 was christened José
Agnelo Jeronimo
Ariosto Xavier do Rosario Coelho
in accordance with family traditions. Ariosto is a brother to Valentim, Angela
(1934-1937), Sylvia, Terezinha, Angela, Avita, Rosarito and MariaJosefa
[May 1963 ►
from L to R top row: Ariosto, Valentim, Avita, Rosarito; bottom row: Angela,
Maria Josefa, Silvia, Terezinha ]. His
father claimed to be a direct descendent (17th great grand son) of
Tipu Santu Naik Sardessai
who, upon his conversion from Hinduism to Catholicism in
1561, took the name
Sebastião Coelho .
[Please check
A Mythological Story .]
He is a grand-nephew of
Fr. Ariosto Xavier Coelho
[1861-1923]
and bears his name. As Pastor [1893-1915] of Sacred
Heart Church in Tanjore or Thanjavur his granduncle helped the Salesians of Don
Bosco to establish their first orphanage in India.
He welcomed the first Salesians led by Fr. George Tamatis, SDB, to
Tanjore, India in 1906 and surrendered the Parish to Msgr. Eugene Mederlet, SDB,
in 1915 when he was appointed Vicar Forane of Nagapattinam in Tamilnadu, South
India. [Please check
Tanjore Their Final Destination .]
Ariosto was baptized (1950), confirmed (1958) and ordained a
priest
(1977) at Our Lady of Rosary Church in Navelim, Goa. He studied at
Liceu Dom Bosco in Pangim, Goa (1960-62), completed High School at Don Bosco
in Lonavla, Maharashtra (1962-66), obtained the Pre-University Degree from St.
Anthony's College in Shillong, Assam [North-Eastern India] (1967), and professed as a religious
Salesian at Yercaud, Tamilnadu [South India] in 1968. He worked as a
Salesians of Don Bosco
for twenty five years (1968-93) mostly in Western and Central India.
This map is not to scale. It is meant to
indicate some of the places
where Ariosto has lived, studied and worked in India.
Ariosto taught at Don Bosco High Schools
in Lonavla, Maharashtra (1970-72) and Matunga, Bombay (1973-74). He was a
resident youth counselor at Don Bosco Apostolic School in Lonavla, Maharashtra
(1970-72) and at Dominic Savio Boys' Home in Andheri, Bombay (1976). He
ministered to youth at Our Lady of Dolours Parish in Wadala, Bombay (1972-74 &
1975) and at Don Bosco Youth Center in Baroda, Gujarat (1977). After
completing theological studies at Kristu Jyothi College in Bangalore,
Karnataka
(1974-78) Ariosto was ordained to the order of Priesthood by +Raul Nicolau Gonsalves, Archbishop of Goa and Patriarch of the East Indies. [◄With Parents,
who are the first to kiss his newly anointed hands immediately after his
sacerdotal ordination, on December 21, 1977 at Our Lady of the Rosary Church in Navelim, Goa. ] As a newly ordained priest he was
appointed to be the Vice-Rector (1978-81) of Don Bosco Farm in Sulcorna, Quepem,
Goa. In his capacity as the Rector (1981-87) he was instrumental in harnessing
the energies of his staff and community members and in transforming the
Don Bosco Farm
into an Agro-Educational Complex for the poor and the marginalized,
especially children and teenagers.
▲ October,
1986.
With the children, students, apprentices, farm hands, interns,
counselors, teachers, supervisors, managers and leaders in Sulcorna, Goa,
India, where as the Rector from 1981 to 1987 Fr. Ariosto Coelho, SDB,
[ 11th in the first row of adults sitting]
was instrumental in transforming
Don Bosco Farm
into an Agro-Educational Complex for the marginalized young and the
poor: a high school K-10; residential facilities for teens; a rural health clinic; a rural development center; agricultural and animal
farms; a farmers' rehabilitation society.
He represented the Pia Sociedade Salesiana de
São João Bosco in Goa (1980-88) in Civil and Criminal Courts starting at the
Supreme Court of India in New Delhi. As a member of the Archdiocesan Pastoral
Council of Goa (1982-84) he espoused the cause and causes of the religious men
and women. As the founding Vice-President of the Trust for the Education
of the Socially and Economically Disadvantaged he collaborated with a dedicated
group of men and women at Jesuit House in Margao, Goa to sponsor activities that
would address the needs of the marginalized children in Goa. A Trustee of the
Bombay Salesian Society and a
Councilor to the
Salesian Provincial of
Bombay (1982-88) Ariosto held a number of responsibilities in the governance and
development of the Salesian Institutions in Western and Central India,
particularly in the Goa and Gujarat regions.
▲ July,
1985 . With the Leadership of the
Salesians of Don Bosco
in
India who number over 2000 male religious, as many female religious
and many more cooperators. Fr. Ariosto Coelho, SDB, [top row 12th] participates in the First
Asian Salesian Spirituality Seminar held at
The National Biblical Catechetical
and Liturgical Center in Bangalore, India.
In recognition of his intellectual capabilities and
outstanding services among the
Salesians of Don Bosco
in
India , Ariosto was sent to the Vatican for higher studies in Salesian
Spirituality. He lived at
Communità Don Rua at Piazza dell'Ateneo Salesiano and studied
at Università Pontificia Salesiana
in Rome, Italy (1987-89) and wrote his Tesina [dissertation] to obtain
the Licenza in Teologia Spirituale on " The
Personal Vocation of Don Bosco
as reflected in the Memorie
dell’Oratorio di San Francesco Di Sales dal 1815 al 1855:
A Contribution to Vocation Spirituality (1989)". [ ►Conversing,
praying and
exchanging gifts with Pope John Paul II on
June 20, 1989 at the Vatican ] During the
Summer of 1988 he was awarded a scholarship to study French at Université
Lumiere in Lyons, France. He ministered to the parishioners of St. Mary of
the Lake RC Church while obtaining a Masters Degree in Pastoral Studies at
Loyola University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois (1988-90). While studying at the
Institute of Catholic Educational Leadership at the University of San Francisco
(1989-90) and while working on his
Doctorate in Philosophy and Religion at the
California Institute of Integral Studies (1990-93) he ministered to the
Roman Catholic flocks at St. Francis of Assisi Parish in North Beach (1989-92)
and at St. Paul's Parish in Noe Valley (1992-93), both in the Archdiocese of San
Francisco.
In
a letter to Pope John Paul II dated February 4, 1994 Ariosto offered his
resignation from celibate ministry within the Roman Catholic Church, the
Salesians of Don Bosco and the Archdiocese of San Francisco because he
decided to marry
Vivian Marrone . [◄ Ariosto holds his wedding rings as he prays with Mother Teresa on January 3, 1994 in Calcutta, India. ]
[►Lighting the Nuptial Candle with
Vivian Marrone on March 22, 1994 in San Francisco,
CA. ] He continues an ecumenical ministry
as an independent Catholic Priest
as well as an Interfaith
Spiritual Director, Family Psychotherapist and
Clinical Art
Therapist
in the San Francisco Bay Area in California. He enjoys doing home gardening,
cooking Indian food, reading non-fiction literature, writing poetry and
inspirational literature, drawing and painting the light, and traveling both
locally and globally. If interested in Ariosto's
creative work , please contact
AriostoCoelho@Yahoo.com
and enjoy
the dance of light and delight in
consonance with the Rhythms of the Breath and the Universe.
THE
EMPTY CIRCLE
"This frail vessel thou emptiest again and again, and fillest it ever with fresh
life.
... Ages pass, and still thou pourest, and still there is room to fill."
Rabindranath Tagore [1861-1941], Gitanjali
LIVING IN CONSONANCE WITH
THE RHYTHM OF THE BREATH
Infinity
intimacy
integrity
In-harmony
is Ariosto's vision, mission and plan of action
Simply, breathing in abundance GRACEFUL
(Awaken
here
and now
No Words
INFINITY)
Om
Freely, growing with guidance
GRATEFUL
(Balance
by letting go
No Thoughts
INTIMACY)
Viva
Fully, breathing out fragrance
PEACEFUL
( Center
with love let us glow
No Self
INTEGRITY)
Xānti
Emptied, glowing with radiance
PLAYFUL
(Delight
may joy overflow
Embrace All
IN-HARMONY) Moima
BLOW, BLOW, BLOW TILL I BE
BUT A BREATH OF THE SPIRIT BLOWING IN ME
BLISSFUL LAUGHTER
wITH YOU A DISCIPLE, FOR YOU A PRIEST,
An integral ARTIST AND A FAMILY THERAPIST
WHO
AGREES WITH
▪
Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) that "we must be the change we want to see
in the world."
▪
Albert Einstein (1879-1955) that "there are only two ways to live your life:
one is as if everything is a miracle, the other is as though nothing is a
miracle."
▪
the Jewish
psalmist and the Christian
mystic
" Be still
and know that I am God "
▪
the Vedic
seer
" Thou art that! "
▪
[ Awakening ]
WHO
CHOOSES
▪
to laugh and cry
along the way with
Vivian Marrone
Coelho ;
▪
to dance
in the footsteps of
Jesus of Nazareth
both within and beyond the realm of organized religions;
▪
to believe
with Muhammad, The Prophet ,
(c.
570 – 632 )
that
"There is no compulsion in religion. Truth stands out clearly from falsehood."
(Qur'an 2:256 )
▪
to accept
with
Lao Tzu (c. 570-490 BCE) that "The Tao that can be
told is not the Great Integrity. The Tao that can be named is not the universal
name."
(Tao Te Ching 1:1)
▪
[ Balancing ]
WHO
STRIVES TO BE
▪
compassionate
with a warm
heart , a bright head, ready hands and feet that walk
on the waters (Gospel of Matthew 16/25 & 25/40) in love with the little,
the lowly, the lonely or the lost and their leaders ( Sānt
Kabīr c1398-1458,
Blessed Joseph Vaz of Goa
1651-1711, Rabindranath Tagore 1861-1941 & Blessed Teresa of Calcutta 1910-'97).
▪
and enlightened :
"How wonderful! All things are perfect exactly as they are!"
(Gautama Buddha c. 556-486 BCE)
▪
[ Centering ]
WHO
IS COMMITTED TO
▪
Awaken ▪ Balance
▪
Center
▪ Delight in
▪
the best within
("Give me souls and take away the rest."
St. John Bosco
1815-'88; St. Francis de Sales 1567-1662; St. Francis Xavier 1506-1552 and St.
Francis of Assisi 1181-1262)
where the soul glows and grows
peacefully with playfulness.
▪
[ Delight ]
WHO
WALKS ALONG
the
Path of Re-cognition
( "pratyābhijna"
according to Abinavgupta & Ksemaraja in the 9th & 10th centuries) by
unfolding and enfolding (Sri Aurobindo 1872-1950 & Teilhard de Chardin
1881-1955)
▪
Infinity
intimacy
integrity
In-harmony
▪
gracefully with gratitude.
▪
[Fullness or Emptiness :
Awakening ]
Awakening ,
Balancing
and
Centering Delight
in the Luminous Urge Within Oneself to Fulfill
One’s Role in the Cosmic Drama
to the Best of One’s Ability and with Supreme Dedication
to the Divine Plan
I am on The Beautiful Trail, with it I wander.
[The Dawn Boy sings in the Navajo Night Chant ]
Now, with the
Priesthood of the Heart
I wonder.
[Mahaprajna Paramita Hridaya Sutra ]
GATÉ GATÉ PARAGATÉ
PARASAMGATÉ
BODHI SVAHA
Im per ma nen ce
LIVING IN CONSONANCE WITH
THE RHYTHM OF THE UNIVERSE
"The pure psychic being is of the essence of Ananda,
it comes from the delight-soul
in the universe."
Sri Aurobindo [1872-1950], Synthesis of
Yoga
EXPERIENCE
experienced with 43 years of spiritual, pastoral and educational
counseling to individuals, couples, families, groups and communities in India,
Italy and the U.S.A.
volunteered over 30,000 hours for youth work, social work and
community leadership in India from 1967 to1987 as a professed religious
Salesian of Don Bosco.
authored
Mandalas, Personal Mythology and Mid-Life
Spirituality : A Trans-Epistemological
Inquiry into Mid-Life Transformation Blending Integral Art, Roman Catholic
Tradition and Pūrņa Yoga . (1994) Goa: Moima Publications.
authored
Integral Art: How to Awaken,
Balance and Center Light and Delight - Drawings and Paintings of Soul Travel.
(2010) Millbrae: Spiritual Direction &
Goa: Moima Publications.
ISBN 978-0-615-40788-3.
registered [1997] & licensed [MFC 43885] Family Therapist by the Board of Behavioral Sciences,
CA
TRAINED IN
Applying creative and traditional processes including Sacred Rituals, Art
from the Heart, Spiritual Dreamwork, Intensive Journal Writing, Neuro-Linguistics,
Psycho-Neuro-Immunology, Integral Yoga, Ignatian Discernment of Spirits and
the Salesian System of Education based on reason, religion and loving
kindness, ... @ various locations in India, Italy and the USA.
1967-'94;
Conducting Interfaith ceremonies, Ecumenical liturgies and Catholic
sacraments including those from the 1928 Book of Common Prayer, ... @
white robed monks ,
St. John' s Church
& other locations in CA. 1994-2007.
Functioning as a Procedural Writer [Training Manuals & Disaster
Preparedness Procedures] and an Airport Emergency Chaplain @ San Francisco
International Airport, San Francisco, CA. 1995-2001.
Co-leading Multi-Family and Parent Education Groups, Juvenile Sex Offender
Programs, ... @ North Peninsula Family Alternatives. South San Francisco,
CA. 1996-'97;
Offering Clinical Pastoral Education,
Interfaith Spiritual Direction ,
Grief Counseling, ... @ Stanford University Hospital. Stanford, CA.
1997-'98;
Leading Anger Management Groups, Brief Couple's Therapy, Co-Parent
Counseling, Child Abuse Treatment, ... @ Family Service Agency of San
Mateo County. Burlingame, CA. 1998-2000.
Training volunteers in Leadership with the Elderly, Care of the Soul and
Elder Friendship, ... @ Convalescent Hospital Ministry of Santa Clara
Valley, Campbell, CA. 2000-'03.
Integrating Health and Spirituality, Cultural Competency and Mental
Health, Brief Psychotherapy, Dual Diagnoses, Co-Occurring Disorders,
Integrated Treatment and Recovery/Resiliency Initiative as a Change Agent,
Children and Trauma, Spirituality Initiative, ...
@ San Mateo County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services, CA. 2000-'10.
California Brief Multicultural
Competency Scale Certification. Redwood Shores, CA. October-November
2010.
A.S.I.S.T. Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training. Belmont, CA. December 2010.
PARTICIPATED IN
First Asian Salesian Spirituality Seminar at The National Biblical
Catechetical and Liturgical Center. Bangalore, India. July 1985
Congresso Mondiale degli Studii su Don Bosco at
Pontificia Studiorum Universitas Salesiana .
Rome, Italy. January 1988
World Parliament of Religions at Palmer House Hotel. Chicago IL.
August-September 1993
Research Conference Integrating Spirituality and Health into Service Delivery
at the National Institute of Health. Bethesda, MD. April 2003
Gomant Vishwa Sammelan at Campal Convention Center, Panaji, India.
January 2004.
2008: World Congress on Psychology and Spirituality:
Furthering Their Integration
at India Habitat Center. Delhi, India. January
2008
First-Ever California Change Agent
"Un-Convention": Changing the World ... Conducted by Zia Partners, Inc.,
Burlingame, California. April 24-25, 2008.
XVI Annual Cultural Competence
Summit, California - Mental Health; Burlingame, California. November
17-18, 2009.
Milton Erickson Foundation Conference: The Evolution of
Psychotherapy.
Anaheim Convention Center. Anaheim, CA. December 9-13, 2009.
EDUCATION & DEGREES
Doctorate in Philosophy and Religion . [1993] California Institute of
Integral Studies. San Francisco.
Master of Arts in
Marital and Family Therapy - Art Therapy . [1997] College of
Notre Dame [University of Notre Dame de Namur]. Belmont, CA
Master of Pastoral Studies . [1990] Loyola University of
Chicago. Chicago, IL
Licentiam Teologia - sp. Spiritualitatis. [1989]
Pontificia Studiorum Universitas Salesiana. Rome, Italy
Master of Divinity . [1978] Kristu Jyothi College. Bangalore,
South India
Hindi Sahitya Ratna . [1976] Sahitya Sammelan. Allahabad, North India
Bachelor of Arts with Honors in Hindi Literature. [1974] Pune
University, Maharashtra, Western India
Certificate in Drawing [1973] Government of Maharashtra, Bombay, Western
India
Bachelor of Humanities - Salesian Studies [1970] Sacred Heart
College, Yercaud, South India
Pre-University Degree [1967] St. Anthony's College, Guwahati University,
Shillong. North-Eastern India
Secondary School Leaving Certificate [1966] Maharashtra Board of Sec. Ed.,
Mumbai. Western India
Segundo Ano do Liceu . [1962] Liceu Dom Bosco. Panaji. Goa. South-Western
India
MEMBERSHIP OR AFFILIATIONS
since 1994
The White Robed Monks of St. Benedict
[1994- ]
Christ Church Anglican Catholic Church, San Mateo CA [1994-'97]
The California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists [1996- ]
The American Art Therapy Association [1996-2005 ]
Delta Epsilon Sigma: National Scholastic Society [1997]
St. John's 1928 BCP Parish ,
Hayward CA [1997-2006]
Spiritual Directors International [1998- ]
El Buen Pastor
Parish Church, San Mateo, CA [2000- ]
Elderkind Network for Volunteer Elder Friendship Programs [2002-'04]
Goa Sudharop Community Development Inc. [2002-'04]
International Center for the Integration of Health & Spirituality [2002-'04]
The American Cash Flow Association [2003-'04]
AWARDS & NOMINATIONS
nominated for 1986 National Child Worker Award by the Government of Goa, India.
awarded in 1987 the Outstanding Young Person Award by the Jaycees
of Goa, India "for distinguished services rendered to the nation" by
transforming the
Don Bosco Farm
into an Agro-Educational Complex for the poor and the marginalized,
especially children and teenagers in remote Sulcorna in the Quepem Taluka.
recognized by The Board of Supervisors, County of San Mateo, State of
California, for 10 years of service to the people of San Mateo County. "The
Board hereby extends its sincere wish for continued success, health and
happiness." Date: May 2010 Signed: Richard S. Godon, President, Mark Church,
Carole Groom, Rose Jacobs Gibson, Adrienne J. Tissier