Cleansing Fire

Defending Truth and Tradition in the Roman Catholic Church

Prof. Cook’s St. Francis Lecture

October 4th, 2012, Promulgated by b a

Originally posted on 2011-01-31. Bumping to the front page today for the feast of St. Francis.


With Prof. Cook’s permission we’re pleased to share his recent lecture.  I thought the lecture was excellent and definitely worth listening to.  Afterwards my friend asked him if he was familiar with the Assisi Institute here in Rochester.  He was not familiar with it, but when my friend explained its syncretic nature he emphatically remarked (my paraphrasing), “Francis never doubted the pope to be the vicar of Christ.  He never questioned the doctrines of the Church and there is no proof to say he was anything but an orthodox Catholic.”  Here’s the audio (the very beginning is the intro which didn’t come through that well – once Prof Cook starts it gets better:

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7 Responses to “Prof. Cook’s St. Francis Lecture”

  1. Ben Anderson says:

    St. Bernard’s will need a massive makeover. AFAIK the Assisi Institute is not affiliated with the diocese, so one would expect a new bishop to have no effect there.

  2. If you are talking about the Assisi Institute with Craig Bullock as its ordained leader, I am familiar with them. Someone invited me to go with them to a meeting in 2004. It was proposed as a Christian group with prayer and meditation. I saw people I knew from church going there. I was wondering when they advertised their own Holy Thursday Service. After I had gone a few times I stopped attending when I saw a picture of Jesus on a table with pictures of other spiritual leaders of other faiths, particularly Indian faiths such as Hindu.—Jesus was just one of the gurus.

    Craig Bullock has a Masters Degree in Psychology and a Masters Degree in Divinity and was Pastoral Administrator of SS. Peter and Paul Church. He also has a Psychology practice in the same building and nearby the Assisi Institute. Catholics who knew Craig from church and other church-related activities followed him to the Assisi Institute. Craig is basically a nice person and a Charismatic leader, but I am concerned about Catholic churchgoers who were drawn to Christian worship with the name of St. Francis Assisi as its patron to have it slowly changed to an emphasis on Parm. Yoganunda (I can’t spell it), and Christ-consciousness. Although I only attended a few meetings, I continue to get mailings from them on a regular basis. I found out from a mailed booklet that Craig was initiated into Kriya Yoga (no yoga involved) and studied it while he was Pastoral Administrator at SS. Peter and Paul. He also was ordained in Kriya Yoga before he left his position as Pastoral Administrator. One fundraiser that was mailed to me – bottled water from all the major brands which had been in the presence of their Kriya Yoga meeting which had been enriched in some fashion which could be purchased by brand and six-pack or case at a jacked-up price.

  3. Christopher says:

    Christian, I’d love to chat with you over email or chat. I have a friend who goes there and Spiritus. You may have some tips for me to assist his re-conversion. chris77@gmail.com if possible.

  4. Dear Chris,
    I would be glad to e-mail you regarding the practices at The Assisi Institute and suggest ways that you may help your friend’s discernment. I think it would help if I send you scanned pages of their booklet sent to me in 2009. It think it would also help if I send you scanned pages of any other material I am able to find about this group.
    I think it would be a good thing for those who run this website to do a piece about this group (I could send them scanned pages with pictures and information)to warn Catholics what they are getting into if they join this group.

    This group is aggressive at getting new members. Before I even knew what the group was about, (it was probably on my second visit) two women approached me, wanting to take me to initiate me into what they called Kriya Yoga. I had no idea what Kriya Yoga was about and told them that I did not know what Kriya Yoga was and refused. It would appear Craig himself was drawn by the connection of St. Francis of Assisi by an ordained follower who told him Parm. Yoganunda knew and admired St. Francis. Craig was initiated in and then studied and became ordained sometime later. (The information is in the booklet). I thought I was going to a Christian Catholic group which had meditation and prayer and great fellowship and support after the meeting. Parm. Yoganunda was not even mentioned until quite awhile later (I saw it in mailed literature).It did look like the followers took a “spiritual journey” from Catholic Christian theology and practice with reference to St. Francis of Assisi to the teachings and practice of Parm. Yoganunda.

  5. y2kscotty says:

    Thanks for the info about the Assisi Institute. I had never heard of it. From your description of it, I find it disturbing, since they could very well become a cult (not in any Catholic sense of the word)with a possible development of subtle mind-control. If anyone in my circle of acquaintances should mention the Assisi Institute, you can be sure I will warn them away from it.

  6. Ben Anderson says:

    y2kscotty,
    just fyi – The audio lecture and the Institute are in no way related. I highly recommend the lecture – the Institute not so much.

  7. robn375 says:

    yeah my experience from 12 years of bring involved with the Assisi is that is is a cult. Question them , then suddenly so called kind compassionate spiritual people become animals.

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