A few recent articles have gone too far and have revealed the identity of the possessed boy. There will be nothing of that here. Indeed, I wrote one so-called investigative journalist and pleaded with him to remove the name from his article reprinted to the World Wide Web. If this man wanted to be known, he himself would have told his story. Past journalists and authors had the information at hand, but they were true gentlemen and respected the rights of personal privacy. The Church has also kept the record secret. The Jesuits spoke and the journal kept has come to light. This rendition is based upon that journal and the recollections of the server involved with the Washington exorcism effort.
The News Breaks
The Washington Post article in 1949 proclaims, “Priest Frees 14-Year-Old Boy Reported Held in Devil’s Grip.” Almost immediately the story was picked up by the other news services and magazines. Who would think that such a thing could still happen, and in all places, modern-day America? The story has been told and retold.
Unable to get access to archdiocesan records, William Peter Blatty produced his fictionalized account that resulted in a blockbuster movie of 1974. One priest lamented at the time, “It is tragic that the devil should prove so popular with people when they seem so disinterested in God.” The conclusion of the film was most lamentable in that the young priest exchanges his body for that of the child as a host to the demon and then throws himself from the window. If the story had been true, one could logically contend that the devil was really after the priest the entire time. In other words, the devil actually won and the rituals and intercession of the Catholic Church were proven impotent. Fortunately, such portrayals are restricted to the movies and the real story shows that the power of Christ and of his Church can still vanquish the demonic.
How It Really Started
Unlike the movie, the story surrounded a young boy who was born June 1, 1935. He and his parents lived just outside Washington, D.C. in Cottage City, not far from Mount Rainier, Maryland. (Some sources claim a popular Mount Ranier location as the site of the boy’s home. The house at this location has been torn down and a dance studio is now on the site. The diary gives the Cottage City location, instead. I do not feel it appropriate to give the full address. However, since Catholics in the past identified themselves by their parishes, we might still regard this as the Mount Ranier Case. The boy converted to the Catholic faith and claimed St. James Parish as his own in Mount Ranier.) The first signs of trouble started on January 15, 1949. He was thirteen years old. While his parents were out that evening, he and his grandmother heard a dripping sound in the house. It only lasted for a brief period and then a picture of Jesus on the wall began to shake as if something had bumped into it. When his parents had returned home, a definite scratching noise could be heard under the floorboards next to his grandmother’s bed. This sound of scratching was repeated each night from about 7:00 PM until midnight. Logically, the family figured that there must be a rodent problem. An exterminator was called. However, despite taking up the floorboards and wall panels to spread poison, the sound did not cease. Indeed, the disturbing noises became worse.
Some ten days afterwards the noises ceased and all believed the rodent to be dead. Nevertheless, the boy was under the impression that he could still hear the scratching noises. Three days later the sound became audible to the rest of the family again.
The exorcist writes:
“When the sound became audible again, it was no longer in the upstairs bedroom but had moved downstairs to the boy’s bedroom. It was heard as the sound of squeaking shoes along the bed and was heard only at night when the boy went to bed. The squeaking sound continued for six nights, on the sixth night scratching again was audible.”
It appears that the invitation for this spiritual invasion was inadvertently initiated through a favorite aunt of the boy. She had died in St. Louis two weeks prior to the first registered phenomena.
“It developed that the aunt of the boy and his parents had used a Ouija board, and this probably gave the devil his first entrance.”
Many religious authorities are convinced that such a so-called toy actually offers an invitation to evil spirits. Aunt Tillie had been an enthusiast of spiritualism. Suspecting something supernatural in the sound of marching feet, the boy’s mother asked (according to the exorcist’s journal):
“‘Is that you Aunt Tillie?’ She obtained no verbal reply and continued: (evidently aware of the methods employed by spiritualists) ‘If this is you, knock three times.’ There were waves of air striking the grandmother, mother and boy, and three distinct knocks were heard on the floor. The mother asked again: ‘If you are Tillie, tell me positively by knocking four times.’ Four distinct knocks were heard.”
As time went by, it became evident that strange occurrences and sounds seemed to follow the boy.
“An orange and a pear flew across the entire room where he was standing.”
“The kitchen table was upset without any movement on the boy’s part.”
“Milk and food were thrown off the table and stove.”
“The breadboard was thrown onto the floor.”
“Outside the kitchen a coat on its hanger flew across the room.”
“A Bible was thrown directly at the foot of the boy but did not injure him in any way.”
“His desk at school moved about on the floor similar to the planchette on an Ouija board.” (This latter evidence of telekinesis forced the boy to quit school because of embarrassment.)
Things became increasingly worse at home.
“On one occasion the coverlet of the bed was pulled out from under the mattress and the edges stood up above the surface of the bed in a curled form as though held up with starch. When the bystanders touched the bedspread, the sides fell back to normal position.”
It was also stated that “At first everybody, including the boy, took it as a kind of joke, but it became more than a joke.” Soon thereafter, “the word LOUIS was written in deep red on the boy’s ribs,” seeming to indicate that some invisible force desired that the boy travel to St. Louis where his favorite aunt lived.
The Lutheran Minister
His mother called a minister of her faith, a local Lutheran pastor. He was dubious about the whole matter. Although suspicious of the chest message, written upside down as if self-inflicted, he requested that the family come to his home. What happened next struck him as defying any natural explanation. His offer to keep the boy over at his home was accepted. It was the 17th of February in 1949. At about 10:00 PM, they decided to go to bed. The room contained twin beds. After about ten minutes, the boy’s bed began to vibrate. The headboard was banging against the frame.
The minister reported:
“It made a lot of racket. I thought he was shaking it but he was making no visible movement.”
Seeking a practical remedy to the situation, he placed the boy in a large overstuffed chair and sat beside him. Slowly the chair began to tilt upon its side and the minister had to grab it before it fell over. The good pastor insisted that there was no way the boy could be pushing the chair over since his legs were thoroughly tucked beneath him. He then placed the boy on a scatter rug upon the floor. Certainly, this would resolve the matter for the night. But no, the rug “moved slowly until it got to the wall and then it stopped.” The poor clergyman was utterly befuddled.
“I remember thinking he must be doing it himself but I realized later that would have been impossible. There was no movement of his body.”
The boy was delivered home the next day. Because of his Protestant theology, the minister sought a natural explanation. Unable to come up with one, he categorized the whole incident under unknown forces.
From Shrink to Witchdoctor to Priest
A psychiatrist from Georgetown University was called in but refusing to believe in the phenomena he simply reported that the boy was normal but “somewhat high-strung.” The family complicated matters further by calling a spiritualist. However, his incantations for dispelling spirits failed. Indeed, the situation became graver.
Having a relative married to a Catholic, the boy’s mother described the situation to him. His response was “If what you say is true, then you should consult a priest.” The family called the nearby parish, St. James Catholic Church. The boy’s father made an appointment to talk to one of the priests. The clergyman gave him various sacramentals: holy water, blessed candles, and some recommended prayers.
“Once when the mother had sprinkled the holy water around the room, she placed the bottle on a dresser and it was picked up by the spirit and smashed. When one of the candles was lighted, the flame shot up to the ceiling, and the candle was extinguished for fear that the house might be set on fire.”
The suggested prayers seemed to make the phenomena worse. Deciding to call back the priest, the clergyman heard a great crashing sound. The mother of the boy told him that the telephone table she was using had broken into a hundred pieces.
This anxious situation refused to end and matters grew tenser. The priest, Fr. E. Albert Hughes, went to the chancellor of the archdiocese. He was warned to move slowly and not to leap to rash judgments. The young priest explained that he had done as much. After a meeting with the archbishop, Most Reverend Patrick A. O’Boyle, he was authorized to initiate the exorcisms. Fr. Hughes resisted, hoping that an older and more experienced man might be chosen instead.
He “understood that this should be done by a very holy man because the devil is wont to expose the sins of the priest; so the Father went to Baltimore and made a general confession. But the devil is the father of lies, and there is a theological opinion that he is unable to reveal sins that have been forgiven.”
The archbishop insisted, the young priest had to offer the ritual. It would prove a terrible miscalculation. Between February 27 and March 4, the boy was moved to Georgetown University Hospital. A young man and altar server (George Chapman) who was known for his abilities in high school football was drafted by the priest to assist him. This young man grew up and became a leader in the local Knights of Columbus. A good friend, he passed away on January 9, 2009. He told me that he had a terrible struggle to hold the possessed boy down. The boy could spit across the room with deadly accuracy. George said the saliva was like acid and he saw it literally dissolve the priest’s book. At one point George lost his patience and even lightly slugged the other boy to keep him under control. He saw himself as the popular priest’s body guard. The priest made him go to confession and pledged him not to tell his mother and friends the details of the encounters. They tied the hands and feet of the boy to the bedposts. He reacted violently to the ritual. Loose items in the room crashed to the floor. The bed shook uncontrollably. Strenuously the large server sought to hold the bed down. The victim was a small boy and yet he possessed incredible strength. The priest warned his young assistant not to enter into dialogue with the boy, only to give the required responses to the ritual words of the priest. Strange words came forth from the restrained boy, supposedly Aramaic, a form of ancient Hebrew. Previously the boy had taunted the priest in Latin. Objects were thrown around the room. The boy growled like an inhuman animal. Then it happened. Somehow the boy had gotten a hand free of the restraints. He secretly tore through the heavy mattress and ripped out a metal spring. The server responded to the words uttered by Fr. Hughes in the ritual. At the conclusion of the Lord’s Prayer, the boy attacked the priest and tore a gash into the cleric’s arm from his shoulder to his wrist. Blood exploded over everything! The ritual prayer book was caked in the priest’s blood! He screamed out! The exorcism had ended in failure. The priest’s life was saved by the doctors and his arm had a long track of a hundred plus stitches. He would have lingering problems with the arm and it would visibly drag at the consecration during Masses.
As an interesting aside, the young server in this episode was struck in the eye by the afflicted boy. He would develop a black eye and it was joked that maybe the priest had socked him. When the priest mysteriously left the parish, only he knew the true reason. The good priest would need to recuperate from his terrible encounter and injury. After this event, colleagues of the priest say that Fr. Hughes was never quite the same. He became quieter. He was intensely reserved about what had happened. One remarked that it was as if he was a haunted man. He died in 1980.
The sources are clear about this next point.
“Up to this time everything had been obsession, that is, exterior to the boy, but as soon as the exorcisms began, real possession began.”
They Go to Saint Louis
The boy expressed a desire to go to St. Louis, and since they had relatives they could visit there, the family left with the hope of leaving their troubles behind them. Unfortunately, the problem with the boy did not improve.
“Different displays were witnessed by two aunts of the boy, four uncles and four cousins. The printing ‘No School’ was seen by four people. The swaying of the mattress, the upsetting of bedroom furniture and the scratching on the mattress were observed by the entire group . . . Phenomena indicated that the spirit was not the devil but the soul of deceased Tillie. The spirit confirmed again to all present that she was Tillie by moving a heavy bed two or three feet with not one of the bystanders near the bed.”
Again a priest was consulted from the closest Catholic parish. Fr. Raymond J. Bishop, S.J., a teacher at the university came to the house on March 9.
He “blessed the entire house, and used a special blessing in the boy’s room and on his bed. A second-class relic of St. Margaret Mary was safety-pinned to the extreme border of the pillow. Shortly after the boy retired, the mattress on his bed began to move back and forth in the direction of the bed uprights. The boy lay perfectly still, and did not exert any physical effort. The movement in one direction did not exceed more than three inches; the action was intermittent and completely subsided after a period of approximately fifteen minutes.”
The next day, similar things happened. The relic was thrown to the floor.
“The safety pin was open but no human hand had touched the relic. The boy started up in fright when the relic was thrown down.”
Exorcism & Baptism
The next day, Friday, March 11, the priest who would perform the exorcisms visited the family. Fr. Bishop had in turn contacted Fr. William S. Bowdern, S.J. from St. Francis Xavier Church. He was shaken by what he observed. He brought additional relics and a crucifix.
“Shortly after the boy had retired at 11:00 PM, he called downstairs that he had been frightened by a strong force that had thrown some object against the mirror in his bedroom. With safety pin opened, the relic of St. Margaret Mary had been thrown against the mirror and the sound was like a pellet striking the glass. Another occurrence was a cross mark scratched on the boy’s left, outer forearm. The pain was similar to that produced by a scratch of a thorn. The cross remained evident for approximately forty-five minutes.”
The family telephoned the priest in Washington, and after a few days, the priest in St. Louis brought the case to his archbishop (Archbishop Ritter) and was authorized to continue with the exorcisms.
Artist’s Conception of Devil as the Beast
The symptoms of possession seemed to get worse and not better with the new exorcism attempts beginning on March 16.
“The seizures took place in the evening when the boy went to bed and would last from 8:00 to 12 Midnight or 1:00 AM, intermittently, and then the boy would go off into a perfectly normal sleep for nine or ten hours.”
It was decided a few days later to recite the prayers earlier so that everyone could get more sleep. Nevertheless, the seizures were unabated and started about 9:00 at night and lasted until 2:00 or 3:00 AM.
Sometimes as many as ten people were required to hold the boy during seizures. He would tear the sheets and pillows to shreds, as well as the shirts and undershirts of those who restrained him. He was utterly wild, hitting and kicking. He even broke the nose of one of the assisting Jesuit students. One incident had him scratching the exorcist’s arm so badly that he could not lift it for a number of days.
“Coming out of a seizure he would complain of feeling very hot and would ask for a glass of water. After one of the seizures in the beginning, he said that the evil spirit seems to carry him down into a pit about two hundred feet deep where there were intense heat and vile evil spirits. In the beginning also he seemed to be in a long, dark cave with a tiny bit of light at the far end; as the exorcism progressed, the lighted end seemed to grow larger and larger, in one of the exorcisms, the spirit, in the body of the boy, pointed to one of the priests who were assisting and said: ‘What is the use of you being here; you will be with me in hell in 1957.’”
A few days passed. The boy asked to be baptized. It should be noted that his father had been baptized a Catholic and that some of his cousins in St. Louis were Catholics. Once consulted, the parents were agreeable. The boy was instructed and preparations were made to baptize him in church.
“On the appointed morning he rose, took a shower, ate his usual breakfast and set out for the church in a car driven by his uncle. Just before reaching the church the boy grabbed his uncle by the neck and said: ‘You S.O.B., you think I am going to be baptized, but you are going to be fooled.’ The uncle was just able to seize the emergency brake and avert a collision by an inch. It was realized that to baptize the boy in the church would create a scene, so he was taken to the third floor of the rectory, which stands in back of the church but faces Lindell Boulevard. Every time he was asked: ‘Do you renounce Satan and all his works?’ he would go into a rage. Only after several hours of repetition was the boy able to reply: ‘I do renounce Satan and all his works.’ Then it required several more hours to get the water poured on the boy’s head.”
After the rite of initiation, things became calm and quiet for a couple days. However, then the demonic business started up again and worse than before. Some of the phenomenon was quite peculiar.
“One was the amount of spittle that the boy could discharge: there would be half-a-pint at one time. At times he would ask for a glass of water and it would be given to him, although it was known what would happen. It would be spat back on the bystanders. While the priest read the exorcisms, two others would hold a towel in front of his face to protect his glasses, but it was useless; the spittle would go under the towel, over the towel or around the towel and strike directly on the priest’s glasses, and the boy’s eyes would be closed the whole time. Another phenomenon was excessive urination. During the seizures the boy would utter the vilest obscenities, curses, blasphemies and ribald songs, all in a high falsetto voice that was off key.”
It is noted that at one stage, the exorcist had to protect himself with a pillow, for the boy’s head moved like a cobra, aiming non-stop with spittle for his face.
First Communion
The exorcist and the family returned to the Washington, D.C. area. The boy’s parents were at wits end and were suffering from sleep deprivation. Fr. Hughes tried to get the boy committed to a sanatorium or hospital in the Washington-Baltimore area, but none would take him. It was decided to take him to the Alexian Brothers Hospital in St. Louis. He was given instructions in preparation for his first communion. The hope was that receiving the Eucharist might bring the possession to an end.
“When the time came, it was impossible to get the Host near his tongue, but finally, after several hours, they succeeded in placing it on his tongue and three times he spat it out. Eventually success was achieved. This was on April 2, the first Saturday of the month, a day dedicated to Our Lady of Fatima. The title was explained to the boy and he showed great interest. But the seizures continued.”
“What is Your NAME?”
During the exorcism, the priest asked for the first time its name.
“What is your name and when will you depart?” The response was simply “Shut up, shut up.” Later, “in answer to the question of his name, the words, ‘Hell, Spirit,’ appeared in red letters on the boy’s chest. In reply to the question of departure, red numbers: 4, 8, 10, 16, some Roman numerals appeared on the boy’s body. He said: ‘I will not go until a certain word is pronounced and this boy will never say it.’ There also appeared a red arrow extending from the boy’s throat to the bottom of his abdomen, and it was thought that the spirit might go out by the way of urine, as has happened in some cases.”
An appendage to the diary tells us that “the boy would greet the priests with filthy, foul obscenities, fluently answer the exorcist’s questions in Latin, a language he had never studied.” One day the boy was sitting in bed reading about Our Lady of Fatima with the book on his knees when he was thrown into a seizure. He threw the book across the room. On another occasion, he was given a glass of milk and threw that across the room. On one of the final days, a Jesuit scholastic gave the boy a plate of chipped beef. He grabbed the plate, jumped to one side of the room, and threatened to brain anyone approaching him. While one assistant approached him from one side, the scholastic crawled under the bed to seize him. The boy threw and smashed the dish of food against the wall.
Liberation at Last
Despite hope that the possession would end during Holy Week, it continued through Easter Sunday with particularly violent seizures. The worst day of all was April 18, Easter Monday. The exorcist and his assistants were becoming completely discouraged.
“Suddenly, at 11:00 PM, a new voice was heard from the boy; a beautiful, rich, deep bass voice exclaimed: ‘Satan, Satan, go, now, now, now to the pit where you belong, in the name of DOMINUS (the Lord).’ That was the word and at that moment the boy felt a tearing sensation in his stomach, relaxed and lay perfectly quiet. He described what has happened. He saw a brilliant figure, visible from the waist up, clothed in a close-fitting white garment which had the appearance of scales; the hair was long and flowing in a wind; the right hand held something like a flaming sword or light pointing downward. It was St. Michael the Archangel. When he spoke, the evil spirit rebelled against going until the word ‘Dominus’ was spoken and at this moment the boy felt the tearing sensation in his stomach. Then at some distance down he saw some evil spirits standing at the mouth of a cave from which flames issued. Then the spirits reluctantly withdrew into the cave, the opening closed and across it appeared the word: ‘Spite.’ Thus the possession was ended.”
Closing Remarks
The diary tells us that the exorcist and his assistants “observed some severe fasting, mindful of the admonition of Christ that some devils can be driven out only by prayer and fasting.” There had been at least twenty exorcisms performed. One Jesuit involved remarked: “Only by examining the record after possession was ended, was it possible to see the meaning of the replies (the red marks on the boy’s body). The numbers may have been the days on which certain spirits departed from the boy, if there were actually more than one in his body.”
The Jesuit priest, Fr. Bowdern, passed away in 1983 and his assistant and then scholastic, Fr. Walter Halloran died from cancer March 1, 2005. The young server who tried to help Fr. Hughes desired to remain anonymous while he was alive. An interesting side note, George (the server) told me that when the boy returned to Washington, he could not remember the active possession episodes. The possessed man is still living and there has been no trouble since. He married and had a nice family. Life went on.
A FEW ADDENDUM NEWSPAPER CITATIONS
An aunt of the boy said in a New York Times article from August 1972:
(Upon the boy’s visit to her home) “All of a sudden the mattress starts going, just raised up in the air, and down, up and down, and my sister hollered for me, . . . oh I tell you that mattress just raised both of us right up in the air . . . . I happened to have a table against the wall with a vase of flowers on it and I got out but as my nephew tried to leave, that table actually flew in front of the door and would not let him out . . . .” In the same article it quotes what a Jesuit priest confided to him, “I assure you, Gene — I saw this with my own eyes — the boy did not tear the Ritual book, he dissolved it! The book vaporized into confetti and fell in small pieces to the floor!”
The staff writer Jeremiah O’Leary reported in The Evening Star that the boy spoke an unknown language that sounded similar to Hebrew.
“A professor of Oriental languages from Catholic University was called in and he was shocked to discover the words coming from the boy’s mouth were in Aramaic, the language spoken in Palestine in Jesus’ day.”
RECOMMENDED READING:
Allen, Thomas B. POSSESSED. New York: Doubleday, 1993.
Exploitation & Where Do We Really Find Evil?
After reading the sensational article “Possessed,” by Thomas B. Allen in June 1993’s edition of Washingtonian Magazine, many people were eager to buy the book of the same title released in July of that year. Having read the book, it must be admitted that there are elements to the tale that seem to validate Christian faith in God and in his mercy; however, at the same time I fear that it’s telling will surrender true religion to mockery and to superstition. No suggestion is made in the article and none in the book until the very end, that there might still be more to the story than the supernatural. However, even if it should be the case, books and films tend to give more emphasis to the demonic than to the divine. Producers and writers work ever harder to shock their patrons, an audience made increasingly insensitive to violence and to “things that go bump in the night.” We want to be entertained and producers of horror films and writers know all too well how to excite the masses with fear and gross happenings. Even the 1973 film, The Exorcist, based on William Peter Blatty’s book, opted to highlight vulgar language, Eucharistic desecration, obscene gestures, fanciful special effects, and finally the death and failure of the two priests. I would suspect that the battle between good and evil is more frequently invisible to the movie camera and ignored by novelists seeking to sell books. Indeed, just as the case here began as one of demonic obsession and only later became possession when the exorcisms were attempted; might a heightened concentration upon this issue similarly endanger people? Such worries me in my own retelling, although I offer the corrective that Christ is really the one with all the power. Satan is pathetic by comparison to our Lord. The end of the story, the real story, is what makes a big difference. God’s grace is victorious over sin. Evil is repulsed. Having said this, while it is true that the devil should not become a scapegoat for all human ills, it is almost impossible to believe that he is not involved with the atrocities at home and abroad. In language, popular music, drug experiences, new cult religions, escalating crime, immoral lifestyles, terrorism, wars and genocide, abortion, euthanasia, etc., Satan is exerting an obsessive influence, numbing consciences and helping to distort values.
“Okay, maybe this story should not have been told?”
Sometimes the devil is incredibly subtle; at other times he shocks us by his audacity and malice. If people want to be frightened, then here is the real thing of which to be afraid; but, only if we separate ourselves by sin from Christ and the sacraments. Most of us, probably all of us after the age of reason, are no longer bystanders to the devil’s malevolence, but in every sin, large and small, accomplices. God’s grace can turn this around, if we really want Satan exorcised from our society and world.
Prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel
St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly hosts, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan, and all the evil spirits, who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.
Recommended Books
An Exorcist Tells His Story by Gabriele Amorth. (Ignatius Press, 1999).
An Exorcist: More Stories by Gabriele Amorth. (Ignatius Press, 2002).
Angels and Demons by Peter J. Kreeft. (Ignatius Press, 1995).
Ghosts and Poltergeists by Herbert Thurston, S.J. (H. Regnery Company, 1954).
Filed under: Catholic, Exorcism, Faith, Sacramentals |
Blogger Priest 
well something not normal thing has happened to me too well like i hear whispher n stuff like some one singin welll alot to say …….i dont know how to say ……i just need help for this coz i know this thing is gonna groww
I read an article on exorcisms and Fr. Gabriel amorth. Now, Im not saying there is no satan, but I think he just tempt us, if he «possesses» someone, it would be more than rare, cases of those who had it coming by getting envolved in occult, especialy satanic deeds.
all those mumble jumble stories seem just too much, too confusing, too difficult to be fully suported by the Bible. Many contraditions…
I think there should be no such thing as the Vaticans secret archives! since when does Jesus needs secrets? why dont they talk about it ever?
What most exorcists can do is confuse people with their long term exorcisms, their presentation of the great dangers of satan. Never did saints were affraid of him, it would be lack off trust in Gods power! but the more the exorcists talk the more they make satan look like an equal force to God.
A battle of Titans, when Jesus said himself: the walls of hell shall not prevail! An inocent man, whose faith is as strong or as weak as any other of common mortals is still an inocent man right? so who will God protect: him, beeing inocent, or the person who curses him?
God is fair! If at our eyes a practical man, with no religion, but still a peaceful man, shouldn`t be cursed without protection from God, why would God think any different?
Thank you, and please answer, if possible, with Biblical words too, Jesus sources, not just theology. Im kind of tired of so much theology!
Thank you
I had an exorcism with our son when he was about 5 years old-autistic, two year delay of language, a screamer dozens of times a year, which by massaging his throat stopped it. After hearing a hideous voice from his closed teeth mouth for about 3-5 seconds it left him and traveled out a window about 5 feet away. His brain and behavior completely changed after the exorcism. Now he and his wife are medical family doctors. Praise God!!!
Father Joe:
I enjoyed reading your thoughts on the Mount Ranier story. I agree with J. de Tonquedec’s comments. In every case I have dealt with, obsession was the leading ‘symptom’. A state of possession can occur if this obsession is fueled. In fact, some exorcists use the Roman Ritual to bring the source of the obsession into the open. I believe Father Gabriele Amorth used this approach often. I call ‘obsession’ a symptom because it can be a symptom of an estrangement from God. This estrangement is often a root cause linked to a lack of a fulfilling relationship with God. This estrangement from God can be linked to a sin, or a perceived sin the afflicted is suffering from. I have found that teaching the aggrieved how to pray, and how to develop a spiritual relationship with God is very helpful. Ones approach to the divine through prayer is often an assumed quantity when following tradition, or just going through the motions. John O’Donohue wrote extensively on prayer and belonging.
An Tiarna leibh,
Matt +
i have demons following me around everyday 24 hours 7 days a week i can hear them but i cant see them. i need to see them. i can do lots of things.
hello
my name is martin durrant and i live in the u.k
i am looking for a clear picture of a exorsist ring or pendent do you know where i might find one? i have google it but can only find one picture which is or poor quality [link deleted]
please help
Thank you
Martin
Dear Father Joe,
Thank you for examining the book by Allen and posting it on your blog. I believe that oppression and possession are real. It seems to me quite silly to explain bottles of Holy water flying across a room and smashing up against a wall as being caused by the boy’s unconscious. I’m sorry that so many people including priests no longer are able to accept that Satan is active in the world. I think in some cases this disbelief of the possibility of oppression and possession is actually a lack of faith. To try to explain everything away as being psychological or being caused by the latent powers of the brain is folly. Listening to the psycho-babble in documentaries or online to explain away the extraordinary events that took place in this incident is more bizarre than the explanation that cases like this have been attributed for thousands of years.
Father Halloran who seems to have been well grounded in reality spoke on what he witnessed. I also heard in a documentary on this case that in order to test the child some Latin was read from Caesar’s Gaelic Wars and that the boy did not respond but when Latin from the Rite of Exorcism was read he responded.
It is easy to be a skeptic and healthy up to a point, but to try to suggest that the boy believed he was possessed so lines and writing formed on him, and objects would move by themselves and the bed would bounce up and down is beyond healthy and just seems to be a lack of Faith. When Padre Pio was accused by a doctor of causing his own stigmata by believing it was given to him by God he responded by asking if the doctor believes he is a pig will he turn into one.
There is a point when all the psychological and scientific theories that are thrown forward to explain these events are harder to stomach then what this event seems certainly to have been. To simply record that some of the people and priests who took part remained skeptical, is not proof that it was not a true demonic possession.
Do you disbelieve all the things recounted in Father Gabriele Amorth’s books? Former New York exorcist Father James J. LeBar states that he witnessed levitation during a preliminary investigation. How would you explain this? I don’t believe that one who believes in Satan and demonic activity is superstitious I believe they have Faith. Are there some people who are mentally disturbed as well, yes absolutely.
Again thanks for your blog!
Thank you for your response Father. You state excellent points to consider.
I agree that obsession with the darker side of exorcism is a real problem – as you say “a religion all to itself”. Yet so many Catholics and non-Catholics alike are interested in the related topics of miracles, healings, exorcisms, apparitions etc. I guess it is our curiosty and desire to seek knowledge, truths and ultimately the ‘unknown’. But for many this search certainly becomes a side track obsession.
To digress slightly I’ll finish with a story related to miracles – you’ll have to take my word that it is true (as told!).
My parents (strong Catholics) visited Lourdes on a pilgrimage many years ago. They returned to Australia with a flask they filled with Lourdes water. At the time of their return my dads sister was hospitalised with a terminal medical condition. Doctors said there was no hope for her. My parents gave her a sip of the Lourdes water from their flask. Over the next 2 weeks she made a ‘miraculous’ recovery and is still living fit and healthy today (20 years later). Doctors are still scratching their heads in amazement! Who knows what to believe? Many people do recover from terminal conditions with no explanation.
What saddens me though is that you can now buy Lourdes Water online – $127 for a large bottle!! Outrageous that such a miracle has been commercialised. Faith is a divine gift… but at what price for some?
I’m glad I found your website. I’ll keep an eye on your topics.
This the the website of my favourite Aussie Catholic Priest (Father Bob). He is a terrific guy who really has his finger on the pulse.
http://fatherbob.com.au/
regards
Nick
I agree that the supernatural (miracles, healings, and yes, even exorcisms) can help foster belief; however, at the same time, faith is a divine gift. The trouble with exorcism stories is that sometimes more emphasis is placed upon the devil and the “horror” elements than God and the awesome power of prayer and the sacraments. It must also be admitted that there is a segment of the population that seems somewhat mentally ill regarding such matters, obsessed with the devil and possession, as if this could be a religion all to itself.
I would steer away from using the word “superstition” in regard to actual miracles, healings and genuine exorcisms and the like. Superstition is generally regarded as false religous sympathy and belief. Voodoo and various corruptions of Catholicism would constitute such and have been censured by the Church. While feigning Catholicism, sometimes elements of a foreign religion are masked within native Catholic culture; however, it really signifies a parallel false religion.
Crossing oneself while passing a church or graveyard is an ancient Catholic sacramental, not a superstition as such. Bowing the head at the pronouncement of the name of Jesus is another one. Throwing the ashes from the Blessed Palm (or in the Eastern churches, the palm themselves) outside during a storm is a petition for God to calm the weather and to keep all safe. We bless ourselves with holy water as a reminder of our baptismal identity and as a profession in the Trinity and the Cross. Of course, Catholic sacramentals can be corrupted. For instance, people will bury a statue of St. Joseph in the back yard (upside down) as a divine petition for assistance in selling a house. Such an activity is supposed to be accompanied by prayer and the statue retrieved after a successful sale so that it may be placed in the new home and a proper thanksgiving given to God. However, many sellers (even non-Christians) corrupt the practice, treating it as magic! Catholicism represents an end to superstition and magic, so to speak; Christianity has us engage the truth, both about ourselves and that world we cannot see but share in through the spiritual component of our nature.
Thanks for commenting, peace!
Father Joe
Hi Father Joe,
re: how true was the exorcism story?
It’s interesting you comment that “there are elements to the tale that seem to validate Christian faith in God and in his mercy; however, at the same time I fear that its telling will surrender true religion to mockery and to superstition”
I see your point but also think superstition is in fact a healthy concept for the Catholic Church. Acts of superstition like an exorcism can actually encourage research by non-believers into the Catholic Church. People are naturally curious in the so called ‘superstition / supernatural’. Especially when it relates to the 20th or 21st century.
Couldn’t it be argued that the teachings of the Catholic Church are in fact based on generational stories of superstition? I spent 8 years in a Catholic School. Studying religious text week in week out can become a little dull (no offence intended). But my ears always pricked when a miracle story was told to ‘sell me’ the Catholic message. This is a key element of many faiths – in our faith Jesus had to perform acts of impossiblities (miracles) to turn disbelievers into believers. Without thsese superstition stories (healing sick, turning water into wine etc) would the message of Jesus have stood the test of time? Unlikely I’d say.
I spent a year living in South America. The Catholic faith is highly driven by superstition in these countries – people will not walk by a Catholic Church without stopping on a street and performing the sign of the cross; some as a sign of worship but most South Americans perform the act to avoid being cursed with ‘bad luck’ – similar to walking under a ladder – purely a superstitious act which promotes worship.
I saw a documentary on the St Louis Exorcism. I think it only helped to reinforce my faith. We should face the devil – not fear him. There is no problem with highlighting the power of Christ to defeat the devil in a real life situation. Admittedly Hollywood embellish any interesting story but most can see though this (I hope!!).
All the best to you Father.
Nick
Melbourne
Australia
investigating a possible demonic possession.
I do not reject the fact that the devil prowls through the world seeking souls to devour.
Are you okay? You seem to imply that you have seen the devil face-to-face.
As for me, every priest sees and hears many things that he keeps to himself and God.
I wish you well. Many prayers– peace!
The Devil can only manifest himself if the Lord permits him to do so. He is real and perverted, the Father of lies and Master of deceits…a murderer from the beginning. A spirit being who prowls the world seeking men to deceive. Don’t be deceived Padre, know thy enemy.
The best weapon and advantage for Satan, is to convince even the souls consecrated to the Lord that he does not exist. He hates most the souls that are consecrated to the Lord. Don’t let yourself be caught off guard Padre.
Perhaps, you have not seen the EVIL ONE yet, face to face and with your own eyes? How evil, spiteful, and perverted he can be!
Neurosis, mental illness, fevers, and more…most of the time, are means for the EVIL ONE to deceive. He uses his tricks to make you doubt that he exists.
God only reveals the many hidden secrets to those who are humble and pure of heart. “Blessed are you Father in heaven, for you have revealed to the unlearned what you have kept from the learned”.
Today, many, many souls has been deceived by the EVIL ONE. Most especially, consecrated souls like you.
But, I will keep you in my prayers and raise my voice in humble supplication to Our Lord, so that, you will not undergo such a terrible encounter with the EVIL ONE– fcaing him off guard and standing before him face to face, (particularly in moments when your spirit is so weak).
May the agony, passion, death on the cross and glorious resurrection of Our Lord Jesus protect you and keep you from all harm, especially from the snares, deceits, wickedness and temptations of the EVIL ONE.
Read the lives of the Saints, Padre, never let up, or else he will catch you off guard!
In the name of Our Lord Jesus– you will always be in my prayers and with the hope that you will not undergo such a terrible thing as to come face to face and stand before that murderer, father of lies and master of deceits!
Summation: Was the Exorcism a Mistake?
In closing, I must admit that I remain a skeptic. After studying this case in depth, Rev. Edmund J. Fortman, S.J. had this to say: “. . . at the risk of being blunt, we have to assert that what began with obsession and poltergeist phenomena was transformed into possession because of the decision to exorcise.” Similarly, J. de Tonquedec (1886-1962), a psychologist and the official exorcist of the diocese of Paris for over 20 years, doubted that he ever found a real case. He wrote:
Is this not what happened in the Mount Ranier case? With the initiation of exorcism, obsession changed to possession. Toward the end, a document states, “Easter Monday, April 18, was the worst day and the exorcists were becoming thoroughly discouraged.” Why? The exorcisms are supposed to work, at least to some degree, through the sustained faith of the priest. Consequently, he must be fully aware of his power and authority. Nevertheless, on the most discouraging day, the exorcism succeeded. Rev. Fortman, S.J. notes, “Could it be that the boy noticed such discouragement and decided to end the entire affair which had only been created by his own mind and the minds of those who gave him so much attention?”
Signs: Demonic Activity, Latent Human Powers, or Illness?
In more recent years, various researches have looked into poltergeist activity that included such phenomena as strange sounds and moving objects. Almost always they were connected to the presence of children, especially ones with some emotional upset. As the children got older, the activity most often ceased. Might human beings have latent powers to move objects? I do not know. Some claim to have limited abilities in peering into the minds of others. Certainly, these possibilities, no matter how unlikely, have made the issue of demonic possession much more complicated. Epileptics, who were once thought possessed, even in the bible, are today understood as suffering from a physiological ailment. Psychology is acknowledging that mental deviations like various neurosis and hysteria can cause abrupt behavioral and bodily changes. Before concluding that one is being controlled or manipulated by demons, must we not objectively eliminate any of these other possibilities? Yes, I believe so.
Because of a growing skepticism regarding this issue, the ritual for exorcism was revised as early as 1952. The signs of possession, listed on pages 27 and 28 of his book, which once were considered to make a case certain, were now only “probable.” What are these signs?
In the Mount Ranier case, there is no certain manifestation of the last two signs. As for the first, he may have overheard the Latin word, “Dominus,” and there is no confirmation that he spoke Aramaic. In the complement to the diary, it is remarked: “The boy would greet the priests with filthy, foul obscenities, fluently answer the exorcist’s questions in Latin, a language he had never studied.” However, if this is true, it began after the exorcisms had started; it was not an element in the prior deliberation.
Witnesses: Skeptics Close to the Case
As for the Mount Ranier story, the author admits that the psychiatrist (from Georgetown University Hospital) disbelieved in the reported phenomena (reporting that the boy was normal); however, his article, unlike the book, did not offer that the Lutheran minister they consulted was also skeptical and remained so afterwards. Jim Adams of Associated Press interviewed him and noted: “The minister said that he was suspicious of the chest message. It was written upside down on the chest as it would be if the boy wrote it himself.” Supposedly, the words “LOUIS” had appeared on his chest. His Aunt Tillie, (a name released to the public, not Harriet as in the POSSESSION book), the one who had introduced him to the Ouija board, had passed away in St. Louis eleven days before the mysterious scratching sounds in the house. (Allen notes that she died eleven days after the scratching began.) Allen writes further about the minister, he “believed that he had been in the presence of some colossal force. It did not matter whether that force was a hallucination, an outburst of supernatural powers, evidence of parapsychological activity, or an eruption from some psychological fissure deep within Robbie” (Allen, p. 104). Admittedly a bed and a chair moving, seemingly by their own power is unusual to say the least; however, the minister did see some importance in steering clear of a supernatural interpretation. He speculated that it might have been the result of a type of static electricity or that he might have been hypnotized in some manner. Later he discounted these theories, but resolutely insisted upon a natural explanation, perhaps involving latent and invisible human powers.
Revelations: God’s Will or the Evil One’s?
I would hope that Allen offered the diary to ecclesiastical authorities or at least had asked for some form of approbation before chronicling the 1949 story. The fact that he interviewed and became friends with the scholastic who held the boy down is not sufficient. Why? First, it is because simple name-changing does not eradicate old newspaper reports or property records. Aging neighbors craving the spotlight might violate these people’s privacy for a few seconds on the tube. If the book becomes a sensation, the investigative reporters will besiege the matter until its figures come to light. If the subject of the exorcism and his family had wanted the story to be widely told, I am sure that they would have done so themselves. Some things are best forgotten. If the formerly possessed boy, now a man, could not recall what had happened, I pray that a copy of the book does not fall into his hands. Before his death, at about the time the Blatty film was released, the seventy year old Jesuit who had performed the exorcism remarked that he lived in dread of reporters. He was worried that the excitement over the incident could not help but ruin some fine lives. Keeping in touch with them, he asserted, “The boy in the case has grown into a fine man with a lovely wife and children.” Second, if the Church was God’s vehicle in freeing the boy from evil and in later sealing the records at hand, then in whose commission is the author employed? If he really believes the narrative, then I should think this would cause him no little anxiety. Although I hate being cynical, I cannot help but think that the author is not so much interested in playing the prophet as he is in reaping a profit. Allen admits in his book to being, not a believer, but a doubter and a lapsed Catholic; indeed, despite his pride in having had a Jesuit education, he credits them with his agnosticism. This is like a groom saying that he is in love with a gorgeous bridal gown, but cares nothing for the girl in it. Further, if this is true, then what is his motivation in telling the story? The only thing that comes to mind is that as Blatty discovered, there can be substantial financial rewards for horror stories.
Officials, no doubt, purposely misidentified the location of the boy’s home to preserve his anonymity. While Allan accepted the Mount Ranier address on Bunker Hill, the case was actually attributed to Mount Rainier because of the location of St. James Church. This was not uncommon in the past. Catholics identified themselves by their parish. It is unfortunate that some old timers have leaked the true location as a home on 40th Avenue in Cottage City. The investigation should stop here, but I suspect that it will not.
I am certain that New Age enthusiasts will eat it up, not for its faith content, but rather for its concern over devilish spiritual forces and communication with the dead. Coincidentally, Christians, Catholic or not, are traditionally urged against preoccupation with matters like possession and the devil, for fear that such an interest might itself attract demonic interference. Allen accurately informs the reader of this in his book. Further, I can testify as a parish priest, the publicity given such stories draws to our rectory doors an assortment of mentally imbalanced people who think the devil has control over them. After a cheap movie on this topic a few years ago, I recall one bizarre case wherein a man claimed he was possessed by a homosexual demon who lived in his rectum. I prayed over him and suggested that he go home and take a laxative.
Conspiracy of Silence?
The author, Thomas B. Allen, states: “I now can tell the story because the secret diary of the exorcism came into my hands from the oblivion to which it had been consigned” (p. 45). At the end of the book, he admits that this diary was incomplete and to receiving a complete copy of the document from other sources. Was he really the first critic to read it? No, I suspect that the suspense was hype. Rev. Edmund J. Fortman, S.J. in a 1973 course on Demonology at the Jesuit School of Theology located in Chicago, Illinois, wrote: “Many years later, Blatty managed to obtain the diary written by the exorcist and set about researching his bestselling novel” (p. 8). Indeed, Rev. Fortman, in preparing his course, noted: “In fact, much of our information on the ‘real-life exorcism’ is drawn from the exorcist’s journal and several shorter documents by two Jesuit priests who got their material from a lecture by a priest who assisted the exorcist himself” (p. 8). It was not that the facts were unavailable, but rather, it was thought imprudent to release them. Respecting this, William Peter Blatty chose to author a fiction loosely based on exorcism accounts. In contrast, probably much in the same vein as the semi-documentaries on television, Allen has decided to give us the purportedly authentic version.
It should be highlighted that Allen’s style in sticking to the log lends his book an authenticity usually lacking in such works. To some extent this is also a bit of a drawback. While the Washingtonian Magazine article was fast paced; the book is almost tedious with its repetitious narration of possession and exorcism episodes. The boy urinates, breaks wind, spits, hits and grabs, and then the process happens again and again. Having vicariously accompanied the fatigued exorcist, in the last pages the reader is also spent.
The Exorcists: Were They Really Objective?
Thomas B. Allen narrates the story as if there cannot be the slightest doubt that the version given us by media accounts and the journal are authentic. However, without giving offense, one could hardly argue that the testimony of a Jesuit priest would be entirely objective. For instance, the diary takes for granted the occurrences in Washington before the move to Saint Louis, although he never witnessed them, himself. There is no evidence whatsoever to verify flying fruit, the knocking noises from Aunt Tillie, his desk moving around at school, etc. No proof has come down to us from reliable, independent witnesses. (Official records have never been released and so we can only speculate about a long list of witnesses from Christian believers.) The Washington priest only heard the crashing of the telephone table and the assertion of its destruction from the boy’s mother. As for the boy’s visions at the end, only he saw them. Can we really take for granted the testimony of a boy, who no doubt, like all boys, had a hefty imagination? I think not. The Lutheran minister, as I said before, thought the chest writing was self-inflicted. A cross on the boy’s left arm remained for about 45 minutes; however, clinical psychologists tell us of many cases wherein hysteria makes the skin overly sensitive. Many assumptions were made with little support. For example, although the boy and his aunt had played with an Ouija board, there is no obvious cause-and-effect relationship between it and the demonic infestation. Although a superstition that violates the Decalogue, thousands of children buy such boards as toys with seemingly no ill-effect. The numbers on the boy’s chest were later interpreted as possibly the days when evil spirits left the child, if there were more than one. However, this was merely ungrounded speculation.
The Root Cause: Hysteria?
Repeated fits and seizures, marks on the boy’s skin, wild utterances and obscenities, all these things can have a basis in psychology and medicine. Neurosis can cause many kinds of strange manifestations. Hysteria can be a root cause for such disturbances and has been documented, especially as a conversion reaction, not only in cases of people who thought they were possessed but even among visionaries who claimed to see the Virgin Mary and/or Jesus. Not being an expert in this field, I will leave it to the interested reader to explore the wealth of material in this regard.
The Documents: A Number of Contradictions
Adding to the confusion, there is a lack of collaboration between various documents of the case. Even the timetable is unreliable. Did the first exorcism begin on March 16 or on February 16? Some press reports said it lasted one month, others two, and still another, three-and-a-half months. Although the records state that the devil departed at 11:00 PM on April 18, 1949, Fr. Nicola told the Evening Star that it was “at precisely 2:15 in the afternoon.” Although Allen’s article records that the boy’s mother picked up a holy water bottle and candles from Fr. Hughes, there is a document that states that it was the father who picked them up. Allen writes that the bottle was “smashed,” however, the exorcist’s diary in Jesuit hands stated: “The mother took the bottle of holy water home, sprinkled all the rooms, and when she placed the bottle on a shelf, the bottle flew across the room and did not break.” Which is it? The diary further says that the word LOUIS appeared on the child’s ribs. However, the Lutheran minister testified that they said GO TO ST. LOUIS, and written upside down. As for the incident in the chair, the Lutheran minister said that while the boy was sitting, it tilted. However, the Jesuits were given this version of the story: “The minister brought him downstairs and tied him in a chair. The chair and boy began to whirl around the room.” Which account do we believe the primary or secondary source? It should be obvious.
All accounts state that the boy was 14 years old; however, the diary puts his birth on June 1, 1935, which would have made him only 13. Allen collaborates the younger age in his book. All this is simply to show that a reliability of the facts in this case cannot be maintained and that nothing approaching a consistent scientific investigation is exhibited.
As for my own principal sources, I had the testimony of an old priest friend of Fr. Hughes (both of whom are now deceased), course notes on demonology from Fr. Edmund J. Fortmann, S.J., and extracts from the exorcist’s diary.
Father Joe I was wondering if you may be able to list some symptoms of possesion. Other than different langauge and fear of holy water. I am really interested in knowing what to look for if I ever run acrossed it.
I have a cousin who is Catholic Christian who suddenly took ill. All tests performed came negative and he told me he need a good priest to pray for him. He believes that his sickness may be more than what human eye can see. Do you have a Rev Fr you can refer us to. We live in Maryland. He desperately needs help.
Dear Father Joe,
I’ve probably scared myself but at Catholic camp I asked about paranormal activity, then when I came home I had a sleep over and we watched paranormal activity the movie. I’m scared now because my mum said it can happen and so did the priest at camp! So I searched the internet looking for answers, so far I’ve looked on a few pages and this one intrigued me. Anyway about my question, how can I prevent any supernatural activity? My dad’s not Catholic and my mum is; who would be more likely to be possessed? Thanks for the help, please write back.
Caitlin
Dear Father,
I am a Catholic and would like to ask you if a person who has been faithful to God and pious most of his life suddenly starts committing grave sins, is he considered to be possessed? My husband says that he still believes in Jesus and says that his faith is strong but lives an immoral life. If prompted to say the family rosary, he does join in but doesn’t want to give up his evil ways. It seems to be getting worse. He hasn’t been to church for over 6 months and justifies his life saying that he just wants to be himself and be happy and God too wants his people to be happy. I see a lot of change in his views on the Catholic faith. He says things like that as he is human, he cannot follow all the 10 commandments and so chooses which ones to follow. He was so devoted to the Catholic Church but the last 6 months he is a different person. Is he possessed Father?
Thanking you, God Bless.
Aloma