Parish Priest

Rev. Dr. John R. Dupuche was born in 1940 in Melbourne, Australia, to French parents who had come to Australia on business and who were prevented from returning to France by the outbreak of the World War II. The family language and culture was French. During his childhood he travelled many times to France with his family.

On leaving Xavier College he entered the Jesuits and completed an undergraduate degree in Scholastic Philosophy. Later, at Melbourne University, he obtained an Honours Degree in French and German and went on to complete a Masters Degree in French literature (with a thesis on Citadelle by A. de St Exupéry). After a year of training for the Diplomatic Service in the Foreign Affairs Department in Canberra he went on to study theology, completing a double degree at Catholic Theological College and at the Melbourne College of Divinity. He was ordained priest in 1974. He taught theology for many years at what is now the Australian Catholic University where he was head of the Religious Education Department (Christ Campus). During a year‚s sabbatical in the California, Italy and India and with the advice of Dom Bede Griffiths osb and Dom Thomas Matus osb he came in contact with ŒKashmir Shaivism‚, a branch of Indian thought that is attracting a lot of attention at the moment..

After some years in parish ministry and with advice from Prof. Alexis Sanderson of Oxford he completed a doctorate in Sanskrit with a translation and commentary on Chapter 29 of the Tantraloka by Abhinavagupta, which describes the Kula ritual, an extreme tantric ritual. This was published in 2003 by Motilal Banarsidass and launched by Bishop Prowse at ACU on 18 May 2004..

He is Chair of the Catholic Interfaith Committee of the Archdiocese of Melbourne and much engaged in interreligious relations. He is particularly interested in the interface between Christianity and Kashmir Shaivism. He has recently presented for publication a book on mantra meditation which draws together the teaching of Christianity and Kashmir Shaivism on the mantra. He writes papers and conducts retreats in addition to his normal parish duties. He is an Honorary Research Associate at the Centre for Studies in Religion and Theology at Monash University.

He has recently established an interfaith household together with Swami Sannyasananda, a yogi of the Satyananda lineage; and the Venerable Lobsang Tendar, a Buddhist Gyuto monk from Tibet / Dharamsala. He travels to India each year, particularly to Bhubaneshwar in Orissa State where he has built a house.

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