Starve.Org White Noise Usenet Archive: "Should have been labelled OT:Re: Formula of exorcism : A Sensational Expulsion of the Devil which occurred in Iowa in 1928"

Starve.Org . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .The Usenet Project

Source:
Page 103 of White Noise

Keywords:

"middle," "cap," "dialogue," "codes"

From: Kant's personal Cthulhu <cthulhu@soulstogo.com>
Subject: Should have been labelled OT:Re: Formula of exorcism : A Sensational Expulsion of the Devil which occurred in Iowa in 1928
Date: 18 Sep 2005
Newsgroups: alt.atheism

Cometh the hour, cometh "Kant" <Kant@Hell.com>
who, with imperceptibly subtle footwork in alt.atheism, gave us this:

> return to Bible Probe
> Visit the Message Board E-mail This Page

> Rev. Celestine Kapsner

> BEGONE SATAN!

> A Sensational Expulsion of the Devil which occurred in Iowa in 1928

> Evidence for diabolical possession was so overwhelming, and
>there were so many witnesses, that this is one of few written reports of
>exorcism that the Catholic Church ever put their "Imprimatur" (stamp of
>approval) on

> NIHIL OBSTAT: Rev. Alexius Hoffmann, O.S.B.

> IMPRIMATUR: Joseph F. Busch, Bishop of St. Cloud, Minnesota

> July 23, 1935 Originally published in English by Rev. Celestine
>Kapsner, O.S.B.

> Foreword

> In regard to Begone Satan, some persons have asked the question: "Why
>publish a story of this kind in our age and civilization?" One could answer
>this by replying that our age and civilization needs to learn anew a lesson
>that was vainly laughed to scorn in past generations.

> During His sojourn here on earth Christ cast out devils at various
>times. The powers of Christ were transmitted to the Apostles and their
>successors; and the Church's ordinary rite of ordination to the Priesthood
>includes the order of exorcist, in which Christ's power to cast out devils
>is transmitted. The Church, moreover, has a special rite for such exorcisms,
>and throughout the ages she has witnessed the effective use of it. Her long
>experience also explains her extreme caution, her extensive investigation of
>a case, before permitting any exorcism. For a time it was fashionable to
>scoff at demoniacal possession as part and parcel of an outmoded
>superstition of bygone ages of ignorance-like the attitude of a lifetime ago
>in regard to the miracles of Lourdes. But facts are stubborn, also against
>the scoffing of so-called enlightened criticism. Stubborn facts cannot be
>denied even when they baffle all natural explanation. The absurd thing about
>such a position is that the critics "just know" that supernatural or
>preternatural phenomena simply "cannot be."

> We have become much more sober in our day. And it is a healthy sign
>that the man of education no longer scoffs so readily at that which he
>cannot explain. So much has been gained for perennial common sense.

> To a great extent the essential matters of Christian faith are beyond
>the field of natural knowledge. However, any viewpoint that is flatly
>contradicted by true natural knowledge cannot be a matter of Christian
>faith. In regard to sin and the Kingdom of Satan, Christian faith teaches
>Christ's conquest of Satan and Satan's dominion by His death and
>resurrection. Now this conquest is shared by individual souls in the
>sacrament of Baptism, the rite of which contains several solemn exorcisms as
>well as renunciation of Satan and his pomps. In the light of this Christian
>faith, it is not at all surprising that Satan should be regaining something
>of his hold on men in our day. For we have in several past centuries
>witnessed the increased abandonment by men of the Church of Christ, and
>among non-Catholic denominations the increased abandonment of the sacrament
>of Baptism. What is this but a great surrender to the powers of evil ?

> For a succinct statement of the Catholic position on possession by the
>devil, the reader is referred to the Catholic Encyclopedia article
>"Possession, Demoniacal."

> Virgil Michel, O.S.B., Ph.D.

> Letter from a doctor

> Dr. John Dundon,

> Physician and Surgeon

> 1228 E. Brady St.

> Milwaukee, Wis.

> Rev. Celestine Kapsner, O.S.B.

> St. John's Abbey

> Collegeville, Minn.

> Dear Father Kapsner:

> We wish to endorse your pamphlet "Vade Satana" as a potent aid to
>faith in the value of sacramentals, relics of the saints, and prayer. No
>more vivid picture has been presented to us of the losing battle against the
>"camp of Christ." Nothing has made our insistent floundering from the "camp
>of Christ" to the "camp of the devil" appear so absurd. The memory it has
>instilled of the hatred of Satan and the eternal misery of his permanent
>army, evokes a continuous inventory of one's life, savoring of the
>minuteness of the final judgment. That it will save many souls we have no
>doubt. That some will borrow fruitless fright is also possible, but for them
>one must say that if the picture is terrible the real thing must be worse.
>Agony is the lot of all at least once.

> Satan has seemed too unreal. It would be a pity if this pamphlet were
>to be suppressed because some weak souls have been made to sense him more
>vividly than the author intends. We were granted an interview with the
>exorcist, Father Theophilus, after reading your account of the diabolical
>possession. We treasure the experience as an intimate glimpse into the life
>of a pious priest very gifted in a specialty which should command the
>patronage of the medical profession, rather than to be allotted to the realm
>of superstition or necromancy. We anxiously await his complete report of the
>Earling

> Yours very truly,

> J. D. Dundon, M.D.

> BEGONE SATAN!

> A Sensational Expulsion of the Devil which occurred in Iowa in 1928

> Two Thousand years ago, Christ, the Son of God, came upon this earth.
>He gained the victory over Satan, the Prince of this World, and founded His
>own Kingdom, the Church. He vested His Church with the same powers that He
>had received from the Father. "As the Father sent Me, so I send you."

> When preparing her candidates for the ministry, Holy Mother Church
>hands these powers over to them that they may continue the mission of
>Christ's Kingdom on earth. Preparatory to Holy Priesthood the candidate
>receives the so-called minor and major orders. Among the minor orders is one
>called the Order of Exorcist. When the Bishop confers this order he
>pronounces the following significant words: You receive the power to place
>your hand upon those possessed and through the imposition of your hands, the
>grace of the Holy Ghost and the words of exorcism you shall drive evil
>spirits out of the bodies of those so possessed.

> The Solemn and powerful meaning attached to this ceremony, not
>conferred in any of the other orders, can be gleaned from the words: Receive
>and impress upon your mind that you receive the right to place your hand
>upon those possessed.

> Later on the Bishop invites the faithful to join him in asking that he
>who is to receive this order may be an effective agent in expelling the evil
>spirit from those possessed. He continues to pray that the candidate may
>become an approved physician of the Church through the gift of healing
>conferred upon her by the Almighty Himself.

> The Church bases her action on the example of Christ Himself, Who
>frequently drove out evil spirits and endowed His disciples with full
>authority to do likewise. The superficial faith of our age regards such an
>order as superfluous. The reality of hell, devils, and cases of possession
>have been denied as myths of the dark ages. Even if Christ and the Apostles
>repeatedly emphasized the powers of the evil spirit, these are looked upon
>as purely superstitious. That Satan has succeeded in making man so
>indifferent regarding his actions of misleading men is one of his greatest
>and most advantageous accomplishments. People rarely listen to anything of a
>supernatural nature. Actual happenings of the I supernatural order in our
>times are all the more striking therefore and cannot so readily be dismissed
>by a mere shrug of the shoulders -- facts such as the numerous and
>indisputable miracles at Lourdes, the extraordinary visions, stigmata,
>abstention from food, and gift of languages of Theresa Neumann, the life of
>the Cure of Ars who was recently proclaimed a saint of the church, to whom
>for 35 years the sight of hell was constantly and really an ordinary
>experience. No less worthy of note are the facts in the cases of possession
>occurring in our times: the case of a possessed boy in Wemding, Suabia,
>Bavaria, 1891; the case in St. Michael's Mission in Africa in 1906 of two
>girls possessed; the noted case of the Chinese woman Lautien in Honan,
>China, in 1926 and 1929, which was under the direction of Father Peter
>Heier, S.V.D., of Hague, N. D., now a Missioner in China, and several cases
>in Rockford, Ill since 1940.

> The priest has frequent opportunities for using his power of exorcism.
>The blessings of holy water, its various uses in the blessing of houses and
>in the many other blessings and benedictions of the church in her
>sacramentals, are dependent upon this power. Pope Leo XIII in our own time
>composed a powerful and solemn prayer of exorcism for priests against the
>fallen angels and evil spirits. It is said that this Pope, after God
>permitted him to see in a vision the great devastation Satan is carrying on
>in our times, composed the prayer of exorcism in honor of St. Michael that
>is now recited in the vernacular as one of the prayers after Mass.

> Recent case of possession and expulsion in Earling, Iowa

> The following soul-stirring case of actual possession and successful
>expulsion, through the powers given to the Church over the evil one, is all
>the more striking in view of the above explanations. The facts herein
>narrated were testified to by the late Rev. Joseph Steiger, who was a
>personal witness of the scenes herein narrated. While conducting a mission
>in the parish of Earling in 1928, Father Theophilus Riesinger, O.M.Cap.,
>asked the Rev. Pastor for permission to have a certain person, whom he
>believed possessed by the devil, brought into his parish, and to use the
>solemn formula of exorcism over her while she would be detained in the
>convent of the Franciscan Sisters who were active in the parish. Father
>Steiger happened to be a personal friend of Father Theophilus for many years
>past.

> "What, another case of possession?" replied the pastor. "Are these
>cases still on the increase? You have already dispossessed the devil in a
>number of such cases!"

> "That is indeed true. However, the Bishop has again entrusted this
>case into my hands. The lady in question lives at some distance from
>Earling. I should like to have her brought here, since it would create too
>much excitement in her home and perhaps would be the cause of many
>disturbances to the person herself."

> "But why just here in my own parish?"

> "It is just here in an outlying country district that the case may be
>disposed of in a quiet manner. Two places are available, either the Sisters'
>convent or in the sacristy here. So it is quite possible to relieve the
>unfortunate person of her burden without anybody out in the world becoming
>aware of it."

> "My dear Father, do you really think that the Mother Superior would
>permit anything like that to take place under her convent roof? I don't
>believe it. And it would be altogether out of the question to bring the
>person into my own house."

> "My dear friend," smilingly replied the Father, "tell me this one
>thing. Will you give me your approval, should the Mother Superior be
>willing?"

> "Well, all right, but only under this condition. I do not believe that
>you will have any success at the convent."

> "Thanks for your permission. The case is therefore settled, as the
>Mother Superior did give her consent from the very beginning. I have already
>made all arrangements with her for this case, provided you give your full
>approval."

> Thus it was agreed to have the exorcism performed at the convent. The
>place was situated in the country, and as it was summer time, the people
>were actively occupied with their work in the open fields. No one would be
>any the wiser. Much less would anyone bother himself about what was going
>on. As a matter of precaution the case was again submitted to the Bishop,
>who called the pastor to himself to acquaint him with what he might expect
>to happen.

> "So, my Father, you have given your consent to allow this to take
>place in your parish. Have you thought the matter over sufficiently?"

> "Your Lordship, to be honest, I must confess that I was not very
>anxious to have it. I have a rather strong aversion for such unusual
>affairs. But Father Theophilus explained that my country parish together
>with the easy access to the convent would be just suitable for such an
>undertaking, and so I disliked to refuse."

> "As Bishop I will caution you most emphatically that there may be some
>very serious consequences resulting to you in person. Should the Reverend
>Father not have enlightened you regarding the matter, then I wish to give
>you information based upon sound facts and similar experiences. The devil
>will certainly try his utmost to seek revenge on you, should you be willing
>that this unfortunate woman be relieved of this terrible oppression."

> "Well, I hardly think that it will be as bad as all that. God's
>protecting hand will not fail me. The devil has no more influence than God
>permits. And if God will not permit it, the devil will not be able to harm
>me in the least. So I have no misgivings. I shall keep my word. I have given
>my consent, and for that very reason I would not care to withdraw it again.
>And should it entail some sacrifices, I shall be only too glad to bear them,
>if only an immortal soul shall benefit by it and be freed from the terrible
>stranglehold of that infernal being."

> The lady in question

> The unfortunate woman was unknown to the pastor. She lived far from
>Earling, and up to then he had heard nothing about her. The Capuchin Father
>had explained to him what her actual condition was, that she was a very
>pious and respectable person. Throughout her youth she led a religious,
>fervent and blameless life. In fact she approached the sacraments
>frequently. After her fourteenth year some unusual experiences manifested
>themselves. She wanted to pray, wanted to go to church and as usual receive
>Holy Communion. But some interior hidden power was interfering with her
>plans. The situation became worse instead of improving. Words cannot express
>what she had to suffer. She was actually barred from the consolations of the
>Church, torn away from them by force. She could not help herself in any way
>and seemed to be in the clutches of some mysterious power. She was conscious
>of some sinister inner voices that kept on suggesting most disagreeable
>things to her. These voices tried their utmost to arouse thoughts of the
>most shameful type within her, and tried to induce her to do things
>unmentionable and even to bring her to despair. The poor creature was
>helpless and secretly was of the opinion that she would become insane. There
>were times when she felt impelled to shatter her holy water font, when she
>could have attacked her spiritual adviser and could have suffocated him.
>Yes, there were suggestions urging her to tear down the very house of God.

> "Hallucination, a pure hysterical case, nervous spells." Such easy
>explanation one will hear to account for the experiences. True, similar
>happenings do occur in nervous and hysterical cases. However, many doctors
>had this case in charge for years, and the woman was finally examined by the
>best specialists in the profession. But their thorough examinations resulted
>in the unanimous conclusion that the woman in question did not betray the
>least sign of nervousness, that she was normal in the fullest sense. There
>was not the slightest indication suggesting physical illness. Her undeniable
>and unusual experiences could not be accounted for. As the doctors could not
>help her, it was thought to see results in another field.

> Many years passed. Finally, recourse was had to the Church and the
>supernatural powers of the priesthood. But a reserved and skeptical attitude
>was maintained for some years towards proceeding with exorcism. Examinations
>and observations were constantly made. It gradually became evident that
>strange preternatural powers were at play. The woman understood languages
>which she had never heard nor read. When the priest spoke the language of
>the Church and blessed her in the Latin tongue, she sensed and understood it
>at once, and at the same time foamed at the mouth and became enraged about
>it. When he continued in classical Latin, she regained her former ease. She
>was conscious at once when some one gave her articles sprinkled with holy
>water or presented her with things secretly blessed, whereas ordinary
>secular objects would leave her perfectly indifferent.

> In short, when after years of trial and observation she had reached
>her fortieth year, the ecclesiastical authorities were finally convinced
>that here was a clear case of demoniacal possession. The Church must step in
>and deliver the poor creature from the powers of the evil one. The cause of
>the possession could not be ascertained. The woman herself could not give
>any information about this matter. Only later during the process of solemn
>exorcism was the cause made known.

> Father Theophilus had spent many years giving missions in the United
>States and was familiar with cases of possession. Since he had already
>dispossessed the evil one in many instances, the Bishop entrusted this case
>to him. His stainless career, as well as his successful encounter in
>numerous possessions, singled him out as the one best suited to take hold of
>this case. He had little suspicion that he would meet with the severest
>experience as yet encountered by him and that matters of such a nature would
>confront him as would tax to the limit his physical endurance. Though this
>Capuchin Father is the very picture of health in his sixtieth year, yet he
>needed all available resources in order to carry the affair to a successful
>finish.

> The day agreed upon and approved by the Bishop for the exorcism at
>Earling, Iowa, was at hand. Besides the pastor and his sister, who was his
>housekeeper, and the Venerable Sisters, not a soul was aware of what was
>being undertaken. This secrecy had been strictly agreed upon beforehand. The
>main purpose of such procedure was chiefly to protect the name of the woman,
>lest anything of the affair might get out among the people and they might
>point to her and say: "This is the one who was once possessed by the devil."
>As she was to travel by train, it was found necessary to inform the
>personnel of the train. For should anything happen on the way, their help
>would have to be available in case the demoniacal influence should create
>any disturbance. This caution was not in vain, for the men had their hands
>full. They, however, did not know what the nature of the disturbance really
>was. The poor creature herself was only too willing to submit to the
>ecclesiastical procedure, so that she might be delivered from these terrible
>molestations. Yet she did not always have the necessary control over
>herself. She made this known after her delivery. Thus, the very night on
>which she arrived at the Earling station, she was so enraged over those who
>were there to meet her that she felt like taking hold of them and choking
>them.

> Previous arrangements had been made for Father Theophilus to arrive
>that same night but by another route. The pastor took his own auto and went
>to meet him at the depot. Though the new car was always running in tip-top
>order it lacked the usual speed on this trip. Everything possible was tried,
>yet the car would not make any headway towards the station though no flaw
>could be found with it. The distance was not even worth mentioning, yet it
>took two hours for the pastor to arrive at the depot. He excused himself to
>his guest for causing such a delay and disappointment.

> To which the latter replied very calmly: "My dear friend, I was not
>wrought up about it at all. I would have been much more surprised if
>everything had gone smoothly. Difficulties will arise; they must be expected
>to arise. The devil will try his utmost to foil our plans. While waiting I
>prayed constantly that the evil spirit would not be able to harm you, as I
>suspected that he would try to interfere with your coming, yea, that he
>would try to injure you personally." Now the pastor understood why his auto
>had balked. This was to be the first of many other unpleasant happenings.
>After such forebodings the reader can imagine that the missionary entered
>the car with some misgivings. But he took his precautions. He first blessed
>the auto with the sign of the Cross and then seated himself in the rear of
>the car. During the short ride to the rectory he quietly recited the rosary
>by himself lest something happen on the way to foil the attempt at exorcism.

> The two priests arrived without the slightest trouble Thank God, the
>woman also had arrived safely at the Sisters' convent. With this reassurance
>the difficult task could begin quietly on the morrow. However, that very
>night the enemy displayed his true colors. News was soon dispatched from the
>convent to the rectory next door that the woman caused difficulties from the
>very start. The well-meaning Sister in the kitchen had sprinkled holy water
>over the food on the tray before she carried the supper to the woman. The
>devil, however, would not be tricked. The possessed woman was aware at once
>of the presence of the blessed food and became terribly enraged about it.
>She purred like a cat, and it was absolutely impossible to make her eat. The
>blessed food was taken back to the kitchen to be exchanged for unblessed
>food; otherwise the soup bowls and the plates might have been crashed
>through the window. It was not possible to trick her with any blessed or
>consecrated article; the very presence of it would bring about such intense
>sufferings in her as though her very body were encased in glowing coal.

> The decisive moment had arrived

> All was quiet. Both the pastor and missionary, having offered up Holy
>Mass in the parish church that morning, went over to the convent where
>everything in a large room was in readiness for the exorcism. Fortified with
>the Church's spiritual weapons, they would dislodge Satan from his
>stronghold in the person of the possessed woman. How long would this process
>last? It was not to be expected that the devil would leave his victim
>without a fight. Certainly a few days would pass by before the powers of
>darkness would give in to the powers of Light, before the devils would let
>loose the soul redeemed by Christ, and return back to hell. It was well that
>neither the pastor nor the missionary knew with what kind of horde of evil
>spirits they would have to do battle.

> The woman was placed firmly upon the mattress of an iron bed. Upon the
>advice of Father Theophilus, her arm-sleeves and her dress were tightly
>bound so as to prevent any devilish tricks. The strongest nuns were selected
>to assist her in case anything might happen. There was a suspicion that the
>devil might attempt attacking the exorcist during the ceremony. Should
>anything unusual happen, the nuns were to hold the woman quiet upon her bed.
>Soon after the prescribed prayers of the Church were begun, the woman sank
>into unconsciousness and remained in that state throughout the period of
>exorcism. Her eyes were closed up so tightly that no force could open them.

> Father Theophilus had hardly begun the formula of exorcism in the name
>of the Blessed Trinity, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy
>Ghost, in the name of the Crucified Savior, when a hair-raising scene
>occurred. With lightning speed the possessed dislodged herself from her bed
>and from the hands of her guards; and her body, carried through the air,
>landed high above the door of the room and clung to the wall with a
>tenacious grip. All present were struck with a trembling fear. Father
>Theophilus alone kept his peace.

> "Pull her down. She must be brought back to her place upon the bed!"

> Real force had to be applied to her feet to bring her down from her
>high position on the wall. The mystery was that she could cling to the wall
>at all! It was through the powers of the evil spirit, who had taken
>possession of her body.

> Again she was resting upon the mattress. To avoid another such feat,
>precautions were taken and she was held down tightly by stronger hands.

> The exorcism was resumed. The prayers of the Church were continued.
>Suddenly a loud shrill voice rent the air. The noise in the room sounded as
>though it were far off, somewhere in a desert. Satan howled as though he had
>been struck over the head with a club. Like a pack of wild beasts suddenly
>let loose, the terrifying noises sounded aloud as they came out of the mouth
>of the possessed woman. Those present were struck with a terrible fear that
>penetrated the very marrow of their bones.

> "Silence, Satan. Keep quiet, you infamous reprobate! "

> But he continued to yell and howl as one clubbed and tortured, so that
>despite the closed windows the noises reverberated throughout the
>neighborhood.

> Awe-struck people came running from here and there: "What is the
>matter? What is up? Is there someone in the convent being murdered?" Not
>even a pig stabbed with a butcher knife yells with such shrieking howls as
>these.

> The news travelled through the entire parish like a prairie fire: "At
>the convent they are trying to drive out the devil from one possessed."
>Larger and smaller groups were filled with terror as they approached the
>scene of action and heard with their own ears the unearthly noises and
>howlings of the evil spirits. The weaker members of the crowd were unable to
>endure the continued rage coming from the underworld. It was even more tense
>for those actually present at the scene, who with their own eyes and ears
>were witnesses to what was going on before them. The physical condition of
>the possessed presented such a gruesome sight, because of the distorted
>members of her body, that it was unbearable. The Sisters, even the pastor,
>could not endure it long. Occasionally they had to leave the room to
>recuperate in the fresh air, to gain new strength for further attendance at
>the horrible ordeal. The most valiant and self-composed was Father
>Theophilus. He had been accustomed to Satan's howling displays and
>blusterings from experiences with him in previous exorcisms. God seems to
>have favored him with special gifts and qualities for facing such ordeals.
>On such occasions, with the permission of the Bishop, he carried a
>consecrated host in a pyx upon his breast in order to safeguard himself
>against injuries and direct attacks by the evil one. Several times it
>happened that he was twisted about, trembling like a fluttering leaf in a
>whirl-wind.

> One may ask: Does Satan dare at all to remain in the presence of the
>All Holy? How can he endure it? Does he not run off like a whipped cur? All
>we need to remember is that Satan dared to approach our Lord fasting in the
>desert. He even dared to take the Saviour upon a high pinnacle at Jerusalem;
>and again he carried Him up on a high mountain-top. If he showed himself so
>powerful then, he has not changed since. On the contrary, the devils living
>in the possessed displayed various abilities and reactions. Those that
>hailed from the realm of the fallen angels gave evidence of a greater
>reserve. They twisted about and howled mournfully in the presence of the
>Blessed Sacrament, acting like whipped curs who growl and snarl under the
>pain of the biting lash. Those who were once the active souls of men upon
>earth and were condemned to hell because of their sinful lives acted
>differently. They showed themselves bold and fearless, as if they wanted
>every moment to assail the consecrated Species only to discover that they
>were powerless. Frothing and spitting and vomiting forth unmentionable
>excrements from the mouth of the poor creature, they would try to ward off
>the influence of the exorcist. Apparently they were trying to befoul the
>consecrated Host in the pyx, but failed in their purpose. It was evidently
>not granted them to spit upon the All Holy directly. At times they would
>spout forth torrents of spittal and filth out of the entrails of the
>helpless woman in order to give vent to their bitter spleen and hatred
>toward the All Holy One. You say torrents? Actually those present had to
>live through some terrible experiences. It was heartrending to see all that
>came forth from the pitiable creature and often the ordeal was almost
>unbearable. Outpourings that would fill a pitcher, yes, even a pail, full of
>the most obnoxious stench were most unnatural. These came in quantities that
>were, humanly speaking, impossible to lodge in a normal being. At that the
>poor creature had eaten scarcely anything for weeks, so that there had been
>reason to fear she would not survive. At one time the emission was a bowl
>full of matter resembling vomited macaroni. At another time an even greater
>measure, having the appearance of sliced and chewed tobacco leaves, was
>emitted. From ten to twenty times a day this wretched creature was forced to
>vomit though she had taken at the most only a teaspoonful of water or milk
>by way of food.

> One or more devils

> During this exorcism it was necessary to find out definitely whether
>the exorcist had to deal with one or more devils. It was also important for
>the exorcist to insist upon getting control over the person and of
>dispossessing the devil. On various occasions there were different voices
>coming out of the woman which indicated that un-numbered spirits were here
>involved. There were voices that sounded bestial and most unnatural,
>uttering an inexpressible grief and hatred that no human could reproduce.
>Again voices were heard that were quite human, breathing an atmosphere of
>keen suffering and indicating bitter feeling of disappointment. As is common
>in such experiences, Satan can, through the solemn exorcism of the Church,
>be forced to speak and to give answer. And, finally he can also be forced to
>speak the truth even though he is the father of lies from the very
>beginning. Naturally, he will try to mislead and to sidetrack the exorcist.
>It is also common experience that Satan at first does his utmost to
>side-step the questions with clever, witty evasions, direct lies, shrewd
>simulations.

> When Satan was asked in the Name of Jesus, the crucified Savior,
>whether there were more spirits involved in the possession of the woman, he
>did not feign in the least, but boastfully admitted that there were a number
>of them present. As soon as the name of Jesus was mentioned, he began
>through the woman to foam and howl like a wild raving animal.

> This ugly bellowing and howling took place every day and at times it
>lasted for hours. At other times it sounded as though a horde of lions and
>hyenas were let loose, then again as the mewing of cats, the bellowing of
>cattle and the barking of dogs. A complete uproar of different animal noises
>would also resound. This was at first so taxing on the nerves of those
>present that the twelve nuns were forced to take turns at assisting in order
>to save themselves and to have the necessary strength to continue facing the
>siege.

> The exorcist: "In the name of Jesus and His most Blessed Mother, Mary
>the Immaculate, who crushed the head of the serpent, tell me the truth. Who
>is the leader or prince among you? What is your name?"

> Devil, barking like the hound of hell. "Beelzebub."

> Exorcist: "You call yourself Beelzebub. Are you not Lucifer, the
>prince of the devils?"

> Devil: "No, not the prince, the chieftain, but one of the leaders."

> Exorcist: "You were therefore not a human being, but you are one of
>the fallen angels, who with selfish pride wanted to be like unto God?"

> Devil with grinning teeth. "Yes, that is so. Ha, how we hate Him!"

> Exorcist: "Why do you call yourself Beelzebub if you are not the
>prince of the devils?"

> Devil: "Enough, my name is Beelzebub."

> Exorcist: "From the point of influence and dignity you must rank near
>Lucifer, or do you hail from the lower choir of angels?"

> Devil: "I once belonged to the seraphic choir."

> Exorcist: "What would you do, if God made it possible for you to atone
>for your injustice to Him?"

> Demoniacal sneering: "Are you a competent theologian?"

> Exorcist: "How long have you been torturing this poor woman?"

> Devil: "Since her fourteenth year."

> Exorcist: "How dared you enter into that innocent girl and torture her
>like that?"

> Sneeringly: "Ha, did not her own father curse us into her?"

> Exorcist: "But why did you, Beelzebub, alone take possession of her?
>Who gave you that permission?"

> Devil: "Don't talk so foolishly. Don't I have to render obedience to
>Satan?"

> Exorcist: "Then you are here at the direction and command of Lucifer?"

> Devil: "Well, how could it be otherwise?"

> Let it be noted, too, that Father Theophilus addressed the devil in
>English, German, and again in Latin. And the devil, Beelzebub, and all the
>other devils, replied correctly in the very same tongues in which they were
>addressed. Apparently they would have understood any language spoken today
>and would have answered in it. Sometimes it happened that Father Theophilus,
>while in an exhausted state of mind, would make slight mispronunciations in
>his Latin prayers and words of exorcism. At once Beelzebub would intrude and
>shriek out. "So and so is right! Dumbbell, you don't know anything!"

> Once it happened that Father Theophilus did not catch the words the
>devil spoke in an articulate mumbling voice. So he asked the pastor: "What
>did he say?" Neither had the pastor understood the devil. Then the nuns were
>interrogated: "What did he say?" One answered: "So and so, I think."

> Then the devil bellowed and yelped at them: "You, I did not say that.
>Stick to the truth!"

> Father Theophilus indeed was anxious to know why the father had cursed
>his own daughter. But he only received a curt uncivil reply: "You can ask
>him. Leave me in peace for once."

> Exorcist: "Is then the father of the woman also present as one of the
>devils? Since when?"

> Devil: "What a foolish question. He has been with us ever since he was
>damned." A terrible, sneering laughter followed, full of malicious joy.

> Exorcist: "Then I solemnly command in the name of the Crucified Savior
>of Nazareth that you present the father of this woman and that he give me
>answer!" A deep rough voice announced itself, which had already been noticed
>alongside the voice of Beelzebub.

> Exorcist: "Are you the unfortunate father who has cursed his own
>child?"

> With a defiant roar: "No."

> "Who are you then?"

> "I am Judas."

> "What, Judas! Are you Judas Iscariot, the former Apostle?"

> Thereupon followed a horrible, woefully prolonged: "Y-e-s, I am the
>one." This was howled in the deepest bass voice. It set the whole room
>a-quivering so that out of pure fright and horror the pastor and some of the
>nuns ran out. Then followed a disgusting exhibition of spitting and vomiting
>as if Judas were intending to spit at his Lord and Master with all his
>might, or as if he had in mind to unloose his inner waste and filth upon
>Him.

> Finally Judas was asked: "What business have you here?"

> "To bring her to despair, so that she will commit suicide and hang
>herself! She must get the rope, she must go to hell!"

> "Is it then a fact that everyone that commits suicide goes to hell?"

> "Rather not."

> "Why not?"

> "Ha, we devils are the ones that urge them to commit suicide, to hang
>themselves, just as I did myself."

> "Do you not regret that you have committed such a despicable deed?"

> A terrible curse followed: "Let me alone. Don't bother me with your
>fake god. It was my own fault." Then he kept on raving in a terrible manner.

> The demon Jacob

> When the prayer of exorcism was renewed, the demon Jacob made his
>appearance with a healthy manly voice. As in the case of Judas, one could
>detect at once that he had been a human being.

> "Which Jacob are you?" asked the exorcist.

> "The father of the possessed girl."

> Later developments disclosed the fact that he had led a frightfully
>coarse and brutal life, a passionately unchaste and debased life. He now
>admitted that he had repeatedly tried to force his own daughter to commit
>incest with him. But she had firmly resisted him. Therefore he had cursed
>her and wished inhumanly that the devils would enter into her and entice her
>to commit every possible sin against chastity, thereby ruining her, body and
>soul. He also admitted that he did not die suddenly but that he was
>permitted to receive the sacrament of Extreme Unction. But this was of no
>avail because he scoffed at and ridiculed the priest ministering the
>sacrament to him. Later in the exorcism he made the following explanation:
>Whatever sins he had committed in this life might still have been forgiven
>him before death, so that he could have been saved; but the crime of giving
>his own child to the devils was the thing that finally determined his
>eternal damnation. Even in hell he was still scheming how to torture and
>molest his child. Lucifer gladly permitted him to do this. And since he was
>in his own daughter, he was not, despite all the solemn prayers of the
>Church, in the least disposed to give her up or leave her.

> "But you will obey! The power of Christ and the Blessed Trinity will
>force you back into the pit of hell where you belong!"

> Then followed a load roar and protest: "No, no, only spare me that!"

> As the prayers of exorcism were continued, Jacob's mistress, who was
>in hell with him, also had to face the ordeal and give answer. Her high
>pitched voice, almost a falsetto, had already been noticed among the many
>other voices. She now confessed that she was Mina.

> Mina admitted that the cause of her damnation was her prolonged
>immoral life with Jacob while his wife was still living. But a more specific
>cause for her eternal woes in hell was her unrepented acts of child murder.

> Exorcist: "You committed murder while you were still alive? Whom did
>you kill?"

> Mina, bitterly: "Little ones." Evidently she meant her own children.

> Exorcist: "How many did you actually kill?"

> Mina, most unwillingly, curtly: "Three--no, actually four!"

> Mina showed herself especially hateful. Her replies were filled with
>such bitter hatred and spite that they far surpassed all that had happened
>so far. Her demeanor towards the Blessed Sacrament is beyond description.
>She would spit and vomit in a most hideous manner so that both Father
>Theophilus and the pastor had to use handkerchiefs constantly to wipe off
>the spittle from habit and cassock. Because of her unworthy communions, it
>was clear that the Blessed Sacrament, the Bread of Eternal Life, which
>should have been the source of her eternal salvation, turned out to be unto
>her eternal damnation. For she tried to get at the Blessed Sacrament with a
>burning vengeance and hatred. Out of this group of devils, Mina and Judas
>were the worst offenders against the Blessed Sacrament.

> The reader would undoubtedly be misled if he were of the opinion that
>these questions and answers followed in regular order. It must be remembered
>that these battles and encounters with the devils extended over a number of
>days. At times the answers were interrupted by hours and hours of howling
>and yelling which could be brought into submission only by prolonged prayer
>and persistent exorcism. Often no further answers could be forced from the
>devils in any other way. Countless brats of devils also interrupted the
>process of exorcism by their disagreeable and almost unbearable
>interferences. As a result of these disturbances, the woman's face became so
>distorted that no one could recognize her features. Then, too, her whole
>body became so horribly disfigured that the regular contour of her body
>vanished. Her pale, deathlike and emaciated head, often assuming the size of
>an inverted water pitcher, became as red as glowing embers. Her eyes
>protruded out of their sockets, her lips swelled up to proportions equalling
>the size of hands, and her thin emaciated body was bloated to such enormous
>size that the pastor and some of the Sisters drew back out of fright,
>thinking that the woman would be torn to pieces and burst asunder. At times
>her abdominal region and extremities became as hard as iron and stone. In
>such instances the weight of her body pressed into the iron bedstead so that
>the iron rods of the bed bent to the floor.

> According to the prescribed formula of the Church, the solemn exorcism
>began with the recitation of the Litany of All Saints. All those present
>knelt and answered the prayers. At first the evil spirits remained peaceful,
>but when the petition, "God the Father of heaven," "God the Son Redeemer of
>the World," "God the Holy Ghost," "Holy Trinity one God," were said, the
>regular turmoil and gnashing of teeth began. At the petition, "Holy Mary,"
>"St. Michael," the devils subsided as if struck by a bolt of lightning. A
>murmuring and muffled groaning arose at the mention of the choir of Angels
>and the Holy Apostles. At the words: "From the persecution of the devil,"
>the evil spirit jumped up as if a scourge had hit him. "From the spirit of
>uncleanness," how he moaned and yelped like a beaten cur!

> Acute cause of the devil's pain

> As the exorcism progressed, one could see that the benediction of the
>Blessed Sacrament pained the devil most acutely. That was always something
>unbearable for him. How he spat and vomited! He twisted and raved at the
>blessing with the relic of the Cross. Whenever the priest approached him
>with the cross and the prescribed words, "Look at the wood of the cross !
>Begone ye powers of hell! The lion of the tribe of Juda shall conquer," he
>acted terribly.

> "Stop it, stop it, I cannot bear it, I cannot listen to it!" he seemed
>to say.

> And when the exorcist approached him with the relic of the Cross
>hidden under his cassock, Satan became a raving maniac. "Begone, begone," he
>howled, "I cannot bear it. Oh, this is torture! It is unbearable!"

> The intercession, "Mary, the Immaculate Conception," caused him
>fearful agony. When he was addressed, "I command you in the name of the
>Immaculate Conception, in the name of her who crushed the head of the
>serpent," he wilted and languished. Then he bloated up the woman's body, and
>suddenly relaxed as one stunned.

> Holy Water

> Holy Water was also something hateful to Satan. Whenever he was
>approached with holy water he screamed: "Away, away with it, away with that
>abominable dirt! Oh, that burns, that scorches!" On one occasion a piece of
>paper bearing the inscription of a fake Latin prayer was placed on the
>woman's head. Even the good nuns believed that the prayer was genuine. In
>reality, the prayer consisted of words taken out of a pagan classic. The
>nuns were very much surprised that Satan remained so quiet under the
>experiment. The exorcist, however, knew the cause of the devil's
>tranquility. Immediately afterwards, a second prepared paper was placed on
>the head of the woman, which had been blessed beforehand with the sign of
>the Cross and holy water without anybody noticing it. In an instant the
>piece of paper was torn into a thousand shreds.

> Little Flower of the Child Jesus

> The pastor had kept a small relic of the Little Flower of the Child
>Jesus in his sacristy in a small pyx without the knowledge of Father
>Theophilus. For protection's sake, he placed this in a side-pocket of his
>cassock one day and entered the convent where the exorcism was taking place.
>Just as the pastor entered the room, the devil began to rave: "Away, away
>with that! Away with the relic of the Little Flower, away with that
>weathercock!"

> "We have no relic of the Little Flower," the exorcist exclaimed.

> "Certainly, he who just entered has one," said the devil, indicating
>the pastor. At the same time the pastor approached with the relic. How the
>devil began to spit and to resist!

> At other times the Little Flower played a more important part. One
>could also notice what a terrific battle Satan had with St. Michael.

> St. Michael

> At the very mention of St. Michael Satan began to recoil. He was
>tortured by that part of the prayer which refers to the solemn petition
>addressed to St. Michael. He absolutely refused to listen to the statement
>that St. Michael, as leader of the faithful angels, cast Lucifer together
>with his legions into the very abyss of hell. It was astounding how much he
>dreaded the prayer in honor of St. Michael commonly recited at the end of
>the Mass. The prayer is as follows: "St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in
>battle. Be our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
>Restrain him, O God, we humbly beseech Thee, and do Thou, O Prince of the
>heavenly host, by the power of God cast him into hell with the other evil
>spirits, who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen."

> Would that we as Christians recited this prayer in honor of St.
>Michael with greater fervor and devotion.

> A rather peculiar circumstance induced Pope Leo XIII to compose this
>powerful prayer. After celebrating Mass one day he was in conference with
>the Cardinals. Suddenly he sank to the floor. A doctor was summoned and
>several came at once. There was no sign of any pulse-beating, the very life
>seemed to have ebbed away from the already weakened and aged body. Suddenly
>he recovered and said: "What a horrible picture I was permitted to see!" He
>saw what was going to happen in the future, the misleading powers and the
>ravings of the devils against the Church in all countries. But St. Michael
>had appeared in the nick of time and cast Satan and his cohorts back into
>the abyss of hell. Such was the occasion that caused Pope Leo XIII to have
>this prayer recited over the entire world at the end of the Mass.

> Crucifix and relic of the Cross

> As indicated before, Satan dreaded the sign of the Cross, a crucifix,
>or a relic of the true Cross. On one occasion a crucifix not made of wood
>was handed to Father Theophilus. This time Satan broke out in a sneering and
>ridiculing laughter: "Ha, so you arrived with a pasteboard cross! Since when
>did 'He' die on a paper cross? If my knowledge doesn't fail me, He was
>nailed to a wooden cross."

> The crucifix was examined more closely and was indeed found to be made
>not of wood but of papier mache. On another occasion Satan made fun of the
>manner in which Christ was nailed to the cross. "Were not the feet of Jesus
>nailed one on top of the other, and not aside of each other?" Catherine
>Emmerich gives the same information. She says that the left foot was nailed
>first with a shorter nail. Then a longer and stronger nail, at the sight of
>which our Saviour is said to have shuddered, was driven first through the
>right foot and then through the left. Those standing nearby at the
>crucifixion saw very plainly how the nail penetrated both feet.

> This does not mean that we are now sure how the feet of our Saviour
>were placed upon the cross, even if Beelzebub's statement tends to confirm
>the description given by Catherine Emmerich. We do not give the father of
>lies credit for being a reliable witness in such matters as the crucifixion,
>even if there is no doubt that many devils were personal witnesses to the
>crucifixion of Christ. In like manner I would have no one believe that we
>know for certain that Judas is in hell, just because he claimed that he was
>one of the damned in the case of possession at Earling. Holy Mother Church
>has never yet given a decision regarding this matter even though the words
>of our Saviour about Judas are thought- provoking: "It would have been
>better if that man had never been born."

> As the days passed by, a rather odd change manifested itself in the
>disposition of the pastor who began to experience a rather strong antipathy
>against the whole procedure of driving out of the devil.

> Antipathy against the whole procedure

> The pastor could no longer bear the presence of Father Theophilus who
>had been a dear friend of his all along, and whom he had known intimately
>for years. If he would only be out of the way, out of sight! He now wished
>that he had refused to allow this exorcism to be performed in his parish,
>and that he had sent him directly out of his house. He became so worked up
>about it that he finally informed the exorcist of his ill feeling toward him
>and the whole affair. Father Th. did not show the least surprise. The case
>was still in the developing stages and it was only natural to suppose that
>the devil would have recourse to some source of temptation and annoyance in
>order to foil all attempts at dislodging him from the one possessed.

> Furthermore, the devil used every occasion to display hatred for the
>pastor. "You are the cause of the whole affair, you are the one who tortures
>us so painfully," he burst out. The exorcist commanded Satan on one occasion
>as follows: "Be quiet, you hellish serpent. Let the pastor in peace once for
>all. He is not harming you in the least. I am doing this with the powers of
>exorcism."

> This riled the devil all the more. He said "It is the pastor! He is at
>fault. Had he not given you permission to use his church and convent, you
>wouldn't be able to do a thing. And even today you would be helpless against
>us, if he would retract his assent."

> This is an interesting proof of how the devil feels about and
>recognizes authority. He made this evident to every superior, while he acted
>rather civilly towards the subordinates. For that reason he never attacked
>the nuns nor the pastor's cook. All that the pastor or the mother superior
>had to do was to appear on the scene and the disturbance and raving was on.
>The mother superior once received such a blow across the face that she was
>thrust into the corner of the room. Satan repeatedly threatened Father
>Steiger, the pastor:

> "You will have to suffer for this."

> "You can't harm me anyway. I am standing under the protection of
>Almighty God, and against His power you are absolutely helpless, you
>detestable hellhound."

> "Just wait! I'll make you repent that. I'll incite the whole parish
>against you and I will calumniate you in such a way that you will no longer
>be able to defend yourself. Then you will have to pack up and leave in shame
>and regret."

> "If that be the will of God, then God be praised! But you are
>powerless against Him, you vile serpent, you man-killer!"

> "Just wait! I will fix both you and your Lord and Master."

> "Ha, how dare you speak that away against the Almighty, you despicable
>worm crawling in the very dust of the earth!"

> "No, I cannot harm God directly. But I can touch you and His Church."
>And he continued with scorn and sarcasm: "Is it not true? Do you not know
>the history of Mexico? We have prepared a nice mess for Him there."

> "Who? You devils?"

> "Who else did it? The whole credit is ours for bringing that situation
>about. He will learn to know us better. Lucifer is on His tracks and will
>make the kettle hot and heavy for Him. Ha, ha, ha!"

> A week later the devil advanced a little closer with his plans of
>revenge upon the pastor.

> "Just wait," he threatened, "until the end of the week! When Friday
>comes, then . . ."

> The pastor did not take this threat to heart. He was getting sick of
>listening to the howlings and yelpings of the devil day after day. Yet the
>pastor did indeed have a narrow escape on a certain Friday.

> The experience of his life

> Friday morning after Mass the telephone rang in the parish house. It
>was a call from a farmer, whose mother was critically ill. Would the pastor
>kindly come and administer the last sacraments to the dying? He wanted to
>call for the pastor with his own car, but somehow it was out of order and he
>couldn't locate the trouble. He had been trying to start it for over an
>hour, but in vain. It simply would not start. So he asked the pastor to come
>with his own auto, or to hire a taxi at the farmer's expense.

> Within a quarter of an hour the pastor was on his way to help the sick
>woman, carrying the Blessed Sacrament with him. After dispensing the last
>sacraments, Father Steiger was again on the road towards Earllng. The road
>was familiar to him, for he had gone that way hundreds of times, by night
>and by day, and he knew every bump and stone along the way. He drove very
>carefully not only because the auto was new, but also because he was mindful
>of the devil's threats to trick him whenever the opportunity was ripe.

> He prayed to his Guardian Angel and to St. Joseph, his Patron Saint,
>for a safe journey home. Suddenly as he was driving along, a dark black
>cloud appeared before him. It came just as he was about to pass a bridge
>over a deep ravine. Great God, it seemed as if his eyes were blindfolded!
>The next moment there was a crash, a smash-up which dumbfounded him. He
>found himself in a mess of ruins. The auto had crashed into the railing of
>the bridge with an indescribable force although he had jerked the car into
>low gear. The auto, now a complete wreck, was hanging on the iron trellis
>threatening every moment to drop into the deep abyss below. The noise of the
>crash was so loud that a farmer ploughing a field some distance away heard
>the noise and became greatly alarmed. Full of anxiety he hastened to the
>scene of the accident, "Good God, it's the pastor's car! Father, Father,
>what has happened? Are you hurt?" The pastor, scared to death, slowly
>crawled out from underneath the debris. Even the steering wheel was crushed
>to pieces. His legs would hardly hold him up. The wonder of it was that the
>rod of the steering wheel had not pierced his breast as frequently happens
>in such accidents. The farmer hastened home at once and soon reappeared with
>his own car. Leaving the wrecked car behind, he took the pastor, still
>shaking and in a deathlike pallor, into his own car and hurried directly to
>the nearest doctor to ascertain if there were any internal injuries. No, he
>was not seriously injured. The doctor discovered some external scars and a
>state of nervous excitement, but there was no sign of any internal injury.
>Thank God for that!

> Leaving the doctor's office, they drove straight to the parish house
>at Earling. There was no one at home, for they had all gone over to the
>covent to witness the exorcism. So the pastor also went there. He had hardly
>entered the room when he was greeted with a roaring laughter full of
>vengeance and bitter spleen: "hahaha-hahaha!" as if the devil were about to
>burst into a fit of malicious joy at besting him. "Today he pulled in his
>proud neck and was outpointed! I certainly showed him up today. What about
>your new auto, that dandy car which was smashed to smithereens? It served
>you right!"

> The others looked wonderingly at the pastor. He was still pale but
>nothing ailed him otherwise.

> "Reverend Pastor, is the devil speaking the truth?" they asked.

> "Yes, what he says is true. My auto is a complete wreck. But he was
>not able to harm me personally." A quick reply came from the devil: "Our aim
>was to get you, but somehow our plans were thwarted. It was your powerful
>Patron Saint who prevented us from harming you."

> News of this accident soon spread abroad and the people in deep
>sympathy with their beloved pastor, collected enough money to buy him a new
>car, so that the devil would receive no satisfaction from his pranks. Again
>and again the devil gleefully reminded the pastor of this incident and
>warned him to "be ready for a whole lot more of fun."

> The devil also betrayed himself by saying that he is often the cause
>of similar accidents in order to bring people to quicker ruin. In this way
>he can get his revenge and give vent to his anger because lawsuits
>frequently result as a consequence, which, in turn, are responsible for much
>hatred and misunderstanding among people. The reader may make his own
>conclusions and resolutions regarding this. It cannot be so readily denied
>that the enemy of mankind actually plays a great part in such accidents. Is
>he not a "man-killer from the very beginning?" Hence a timely warning to
>those who use the auto for evil purposes, who decorate it with all sorts of
>nonsense and who even display figures alluringly immoral. The Church has
>provided a special blessing under the protection of St. Christopher against
>evil and disastrous influences. Therefore, it is customary to put one of
>these blessed medals or medallions in cars for safety's sake. St. Paul calls
>attention to the fact that the very air is filled with evil spirits.

> Satan's speeches

> It should be noted that Satan did not use the tongue of the poor
>possessed woman to make himself understood. The helpless creature had been
>unconscious during the greater part of the trial. Her mouth was closed
>tight. Even when it was open there was not the slightest movement of the
>lips, nor were there any changes in the position of the mouth. The evil
>spirits simply spoke in an audible manner from somewhere within her.
>Possibly they used some inner organ of the body.

> We know from the early Christian writers of the Roman period that the
>heathens frequently heard voices coming out of the idols. Catherine Emmerich
>also states that the evil spirits took up their abode in these idols and
>could clearly be heard to speak from within them in order to confirm the
>heathens in their delusion of idolatry. So it is conceivable how even some
>of the highly educated heathens worshipped these statues made by the hands
>of man, and why they offered sacrifices to them as if they were gods. They
>rendered to these idols the honor that belongs to God alone.

> Satan's knowledge can be embarrassing

> The knowledge Satan had about the sins and the condition of the souls
>of those present was rather embarrassing to them. But in this case there
>were no disturbing revelations made along that line as there were only nuns
>and priests present. But even here he made insinuating remarks: "Is it not
>true that you did so and so in your past life, in your childhood days?" He
>made reference here to acts which were hardly remembered. The evil spirit,
>however, would not be quiet and tried to make a scene of things. So the
>answer was given. "If before God I am not guilty of greater faults in my
>later years than the sins of my childhood days, then I am not afraid."

> Thereupon followed a most astonishing confession from the devil:

> "What you have already confessed, I do not know."

> What follows from this? Apparently Satan knows only the sins that have
>not been confessed or repented. What has been submitted to the keys of the
>confessional seems to be out of his reach. It would seem that the sacrament
>of penance blots out or obliterates sins from the soul so as not to leave
>the slightest possibility for Satan to discover them. Through the sacrament
>of penance everything is, so to say, drowned in the abyss of God's mercy.

> The rubrics in the Roman Ritual for exorcism, so wisely and so well
>established, demand that not only the exorcist, but also all witnesses and
>all those called upon to aid in subduing the possessed person, should make a
>thorough general confession, or at least a sincere act of perfect contrition
>before the process of exorcism begins. Once cleansed from sin they are more
>at ease in facing Satan and will not be subject to annoying remarks on the
>part of Satan for the sins committed in the past.

> It happened about forty years ago, in a case of possession at Wemding,
>Germany, that during the process of exorcism the mistake was made of calling
>in the strongest men of the parish, men of good repute, to subdue a raving
>young boy. These good men did not realize with whom they had to deal. The
>horrible beastlike howling and yelping was far less disconcerting than the
>hair-raising reproofs of the devil for the secret sins and other mistakes of
>one or the other of these men. He described them in minutest detail. Under
>such circumstances it is not surprising that few people care to be present
>at such exorcism, even if they could make themselves useful in many ways.
>Furthermore, it must be remembered that Satan, the father of lies, often
>twists small acts into unusually and seemingly grievous ones, making
>mountains out of molehills, so to speak, and at times purposely distorting
>them, mixing up truth with falsehood with the intention of creating the
>greatest disorder and most lasting enmity.

> In order to avoid such inconvenient consequences, Father Theophilus,
>richer by mature experiences, undertakes his exorcism in consecrated or
>religious houses with only the assistance of priests and nuns. Even then
>things have happened. Satan shrewdly and sagaciously disclosed hidden things
>which made certain persons blush for shame; yes, he made them quiver with
>fear by threatening to expose them still more. All the more fortunate, then,
>that such experience that will henceforth take place under the seal of
>secrecy will not be broadcast to the whole world. Thank God for that!

> The meanness of the devil and the many odd happenings at Earling
>became common knowledge among the people in the bordering communities. The
>pastor of Earling, Father Steiger, had asked his people to unite in prayer
>and penance, and to make visits to the Blessed Sacrament so that the evil
>spirit might soon be mastered. Despite common knowledge of the unusual
>proceedings going on at the convent, not a single person asked out of
>curiosity to be permitted to witness the scene. Even if any one had asked,
>permission would not have been granted, except to priests from the
>neighborhood.

> It has been intimated above that out of the voices coming from the
>possessed woman, four different ones could be very clearly distinguished.
>They announced themselves as Beelzebub, Judas Iscariot, Jacob, the father of
>the possessed woman, and Mina, Jacob's concubine.

> The possessed woman had a clear memory of when her godless father
>cursed her and handed her over to the devil. She did not mention any further
>details about her unfortunate father, but it was learned from other sources
>that he was one of the worst persecutors of priests and of the Church. In
>sensual lust and excesses he was a monster of the worst type. He kept his
>distance from the Church and her sacramental ministration, and used every
>opportunity to ridicule spiritual things. Occasionally, he attended divine
>services on solemn feast days, but only to acquire new material from the
>sermons of the solemn functions to feed his ridicule and so bolster up his
>criticisms among friends and companions. Hence we can understand how he
>persisted in ridiculing the priest and his actions! when, even in his last
>moments, a merciful God granted him the grace of receiving the last
>sacrament of Extreme Unction. As you live, so you die. And his concubine,
>Mina, was fully his equal in this respect. Birds of a feather flock
>together. What was most surprising I was that such a wicked I and
>blasphemous father was blessed with such a virtuous child. Her sincere
>piety, her pure and innocent disposition, her diligent application, all were
>very apparent. Even during the period of possession the devil could not
>disturb her inner basic disposition because the devil has no power over the
>free will of a human being.

> It was evident that, in addition to the above mentioned devils, there
>were also a great number of other unclean spirits in her. Among these the
>so-called dumb devils and avenging spirits made themselves especially
>prominent.

> Dumb devils and avenging spirits

> The number of silent devils was countless. Apparently they were from
>the lower classes, for they displayed no marks of strength or power. Their
>voices were rather a confusion of sounds from which no definite answers
>could be distinguished. There was no articulate speech, rather a pitiful
>moaning and subdued howling. They could put up little resistance against the
>powerful effects of exorcism. It seemed as though they came and left in
>hordes, one crowd being relieved by others of the same type. They reminded
>one of a traveller who is suddenly overtaken by a swarm of mosquitoes. A few
>puffs of tobacco drive them away, but in short order they return and pester
>him again.

> Avenging spirits

> The avenging spirits were wild and violent, of rough and ill- mannered
>character. They were filled with hatred and anger against all human beings.
>Their very presence suggested an ugly and disgusting attitude --a mixture of
>hatred and envy, meanness and revenge, deception and trickery. These were
>precisely the ones that threatened to make the pastor rue his consent to
>this exorcism. They had in mind to stir up the whole parish against him by
>their misrepresentations, so that he would have to pack up and leave in
>disgust. One might presume from this that the devils are much to blame for
>bringing about misunderstandings between the pastor and the people. Not
>infrequently pastors tell of how they sacrificed themselves, even ruined
>their health, for the good of the people, but despite all their untiring
>efforts, some of the most inconceivable misinterpretations and
>misrepresentations had taken place in their parishes. Some people seem to
>find it their business to make the life of their shepherd so miserable that
>he is brought almost to the point of despair. All his good intentions bring
>him nothing but persecution of the worst sort. Hence it would not be amiss
>for pastors to use the small formula of exorcism periodically in order to
>protect their flocks from such meddlings of the devil, or to use the prayers
>composed by Pope Leo XIII for just such an emergency.

> The scheming and plotting of these avenging spirits almost succeeded
>in inciting the pastor of Earling to white heat against Father Th., his
>friend of long standing, doubtless with the intention of preventing the
>success of the exorcism. He was so wrought up over the procedure at times
>that he thought of bringing the whole affair to an abrupt close by driving
>Father Theophilus from his church and convent with the sharpest words of
>reproof.

> Night prowlers

> During the process of exorcism, the evil spirits repeatedly made
>statements to the effect that they would tire and exhaust the pastor. One
>time in the middle of the night he was suddenly awakened by a disturbance in
>the room. Were rats gnawing somewhere? It seemed to be between the walls
>near his bed. Was there so much room there that the rats could run about so
>freely? During his fourteen years in this same house he had never
>experienced anything of the kind. Was he to be bothered with such miserable
>pests at last? He pounded the wall with his fist to scare away the rodents.
>But to no avail. He first used his cane, then his shoe, to pound on the
>wall. Instead of letting up, the noise became worse. Perhaps the night
>prowlers would disappear of their own accord. He waited and waited. They
>continued up and down between the walls, and even threatened to ruin them.

> Father Steiger was in need of a good night's rest after all the
>disturbances during the day. An idea came that seemed altogether too
>foolish. Could there be some relation between these night prowlers and the
>evil spirits of the exorcism? Had not the devils threatened to tire him out?
>Perhaps this is what they meant after all. If so, then there is only one
>thing to do, and that is to use spiritual weapons against these intruders.
>Fortifying himself with his stole, the pastor again tried to sleep. At last
>the noise let up, but not altogether. "Wait, you cursed hellrats, I'll get
>rid of you yet!" Getting up again, he lit two candles before a crucifix and
>recited the small formula of exorcism against evil spirits. Aha! That was
>the language these hellrats understand. They took to flight and all was
>quiet. They seemed to have been spirited, blown off now, although all
>previous thumping and pounding on the walls had brought no results.

> A few nights thereafter the pastor again spent a restless night. Are
>the doors rattling? Is the house quaking? Oh, it's only a heavy express
>train going through the village, and these noises are only the after
>rumblings of the jarred earth. The railroad track was only a short distance
>away. He waited for the train to start from the depot, but he heard no move.
>Perhaps it's the rattling of machinery in the near-by electric shop!

> Finally, the noise ceased. But suddenly it was heard again, this time
>right above the door. Maybe the door is ajar so that draft is swaying it
>back and forth. There was no door-stop to catch it, and so he had to get up
>again. But lo, the door was closed firmly. He took hold of the knob with a
>firm grip and pulled hard; it did not yield. What, is the devil again at his
>pranks to tire him out, to rob him of his night's rest? The pastor took the
>holy water, sprinkled, the door, windows, and room, and recited the short
>formula of exorcism. Again all was quiet. There was not a stir after that.
>"O you miserable Satan, now I know your stealthy cunning. Just wait, I'll
>soon teach you good manners."

> It was learned later that other priests, who had attended the process
>of expelling the devil, experienced similar inconveniences and annoyances.
>Even worse things had happened to them. They would not retire after that
>without having holy water and the stole with them. The noises were often so
>persistent that one or the other of the priests was obligated to get up at
>night and seek the place and cause of the disturbances, and only after
>praying was he able to find peace again. Night prowlers of this kind have
>been met with in other cases of exorcism even long after the evil spirits
>had been driven out of the possessed person.

> How the possessed woman fared

> Every day the woman lost consciousness and became utterly helpless
>shortly after the formula of exorcism had begun. When the exercises ceased,
>she woke up and was herself again. She declared that she was unaware of what
>transpired during the exercises. Quite exhausted, she had to be carried to
>and from the place where the exorcism was performed. During all this time
>she could not eat solid foods, but nourishment in liquid form was injected
>into her. It was surprising to note how such a weak creature could vomit
>forth such quantities of material as indicated above. It was not unusual for
>her to vomit twenty to thirty times a day.

> The fact that, in her weakened condition, she could bear up under the
>daily strain of exorcism for three weeks seems incredible, especially when
>the terrible abuses upon her body inflicted by the devil, are taken into
>consideration. She suffered so intensely on one occasion that she assumed a
>death-like color, and seemed ready to pass away at any moment. "Great God,
>she is dying. I will hasten to get the holy oils!" broke out the pastor, who
>realized the terrible consequences for all concerned if she died under these
>conditions. The charge that the priest had caused her death through the
>strain of exorcism would certainly have been launched against them. Father
>Theophilus calmly replied on the basis of his long experience: "Just remain
>here, my friend; the woman will not die. Absolutely not. This manifestation
>is only one of Satan's cunning tricks. He cannot and will not be permitted
>to kill her. Absolutely not."

> Exorcism lasted twenty-three days

> The period of exorcism extended over an unusually long period of time.
>Never before did it take so long, as far as we know. It lasted just
>twenty-three days, however, in three different stages. And remember, the
>exorcism went on from early morning until late night. The devil tried his
>utmost to weaken the priests and nuns and to induce them to let up in their
>untiring efforts. The pastor could not always be present. His care of souls
>in the parish kept him away at times. Neither was he physically able to
>sacrifice so many hours of the night for this purpose. Thus it happened that
>many interesting and also terrible things took place in his absence to
>which, however, the others were trustworthy witnesses.

> The solemn formula of exorcism was in progress for more than two weeks
>before there were any indications that the devil could be forced to depart
>from the poor helpless possessed woman. Even though Father Theophilus had
>succeeded in delivering her from a large number of devils through the great
>powers of the prayers and exorcisms, the four meanest and most persistent
>ones could not be dislodged for a long time. Satan seemed to have gathered
>up all the forces of hell to gain a final victory in this case.

> High commander

> It was very evident that the forces of hell were under the direction
>of a high commander who, like a general and field marshal, sent forth new
>recruits for battle whenever the veterans, in their exhausted condition,
>were forced to retire. What pitiful sighs and pleadings they sent forth. One
>could hear voices to this effect: "Oh, what we have to put up with here; it
>is just terrible, all that we have suffered." There were other voices that
>kept on urging their fellow-devils not to let up: "And how we will again
>have to suffer and cringe under him, how he will torture us again if we
>return without having accomplished our task." They clearly referred to
>Lucifer as the torturer.

> In order not to give Satan and his hordes any peace whatever, Father
>Theophilus finally decided to continue the exorcisms himself throughout the
>night, expecting thereby to achieve his victory. He was blessed with a
>muscular body and with nerves of steel. He had tested these out by a
>rigorous and abstemious life of self-denial, which had given him great
>powers of endurance. And indeed it was something almost superhuman that was
>demanded of him. For three days and three nights he kept on without any
>intermission. Even the Sisters who alternated were on the verge of a
>breakdown. Yet the desired effect did not come It was only with the
>summoning of his last strength that the exorcist dared to continue. And at
>the close of the twenty-third day he was completely spent. He had the
>appearance of a walking corpse, a figure which at any moment might collapse.
>His own countenance seemed to have aged twenty years during those three
>weeks.

> Antichrist

> The reader may at this time be inclined to ask if the devil disclosed
>things that would be of general interest. For instance, the question of the
>Antichrist. What did Satan have to say about him?

> It must be clearly borne in mind that the questions directed to the
>devil and the answers given by him were by no means an entertaining dialogue
>between the evil spirits and the exorcist. On occasions a long time
>intervened before an answer could be forced out of Satan. For the greater
>part, only a ghastly bellowing, groaning and howling was the result,
>whenever he was urged to answer under the powers of exorcism. It was often
>such a terrible drudgery, so exhaustingly tiresome and irritating, that on
>some days the exorcist was completely covered with perspiration. He had to
>make a complete change of attire as often as three to four times a day.
>Towards the end of those terrible days he became so weak, that he felt he
>could continue only with the special help of God. Yes, he even pleaded for
>the grace to be spared his own life. Curious questions not related to the
>present exorcism were never purposely asked. At times, however, it happened
>that some of the answers given by the devil himself suggested other
>questions not strictly pertinent to the case. On such occasions, Father
>Theophilus was snubbed by the devil with coarse and harsh replies: "Shut up,
>that is none of your business!" Satan often used the crisp Latin expression:
>"Non ad rem!" Which means, "not to the point," "that has nothing to do with
>this affair."

> At one time Satan became rather talkative about the Antichrist.
>Remember the time he had so triumphantly referred to the Mexican situation,
>when he said that he would stir up a fine mess for Him (Jesus) and His
>Church, far more detrimental than hitherto. When asked whether he meant that
>the furious rage of the Antichrist would be directed against the Church of
>God, he asserted that that was self-evident and insolently continued: "Yes,
>Satan is already abroad, and the Antichrist is already born in Palestine.
>(On another occasion he also mentioned America.) But he is still young. He
>must first grow up incognito before his power can become known."

> It is strange that Catherine Emmerich mentioned a similar period, when
>she gave a description of Christ's descent into hell after His death upon
>the cross. She related that "when the portals of hell were opened by the
>angels, there was a terrible uproar, cursing, scolding, howling and moaning.
>Individual angels were hurling hordes of evil spirits aside. All were
>commanded to adore Jesus. This caused them the greatest pain. In the center
>of it all there was a bottomless abyss as black as night. Lucifer was bound
>in chains and cast into this depth of darkness. All this happened in
>accordance with set laws. I heard that Lucifer, if I am not mistaken, would
>again be freed for a time about fifty or sixty years before the year 2000 A.
>D.

> A number of other devils would be released somewhat earlier as a
>punishment and source of temptation to sinful human beings."

> On one occasion, when Father Th. insisted that the devil should depart
>and return to hell, the devil replied in a growling tone: "How can you
>banish me to hell? I must be free to prepare the way for the Antichrist."
>And again he spoke out of the possessed woman: "We know a lot. We read the
>signs of the times. This is the last century. When people will write the
>year 2000 the end will be at hand."

> Whether the "father of lies," as our Lord Himself styles Satan, spoke
>the truth, it is impossible to judge. At all events, we shall do well if
>according to our Lord's suggestion, we try to understand the signs of the
>times. That the powers of hell are putting up a desperate attempt to ruin
>the Church of Christ in our own times cannot be denied.

> At one time the evil spirits howled and yelped fearfully when the
>prayers of exorcism were solemnly pronounced and when the blessings with the
>relic of the cross and the consecrated Host were given: "Oh, we cannot bear
>it any longer. We suffer intensely. Do stop it, do stop it! This is many
>times worse than hell!" These groans, indicating the attendant pain and
>suffering, cut to the quick.

> "Therefore, depart at once, ye cursed! It is entirely within your
>power to free yourself from these sufferings. Let this poor woman in peace!
>I conjure you in the name of the Almighty God, in the name of the Crucified
>Jesus of Nazareth, in the name of His purest Mother, the Virgin Mary, in the
>name of the Archangel Michael!"

> "Oh, yes," they groaned, "we are willing. But Lucifer does not let
>us."

> "Tell the truth. Is Lucifer alone the cause of it?"

> "No, he alone could not be. God's justice does not permit it as yet,
>because sufficient atonement has not yet been made for her."

> This admission was valuable. It offered a greater inducement to arouse
>the members of the parish to increase their acts of expiation for the woman.

> More atonement

> In accordance with the request of their pastor, the parishioners
>gladly went to church to keep regular hours of adoration before the Blessed
>Sacrament. They prayed fervently for the destruction of the powers of Satan,
>and for the victory of the Church in delivering the victim from the
>tenacious grip of the devil. Following the directions of the ritual, the
>pastor kept on encouraging his people to private fasting and penance in
>order that their petitions would be more effective in strengthening the
>prayers of the exorcism. Our Lord Himself, when putting the devil to flight,
>and after beseeching all to pray, had told the Apostles that this kind of
>devils can only be driven away by prayers and fasting. The devil's own
>statement, that sufficient penance had not been done, helped to bring about
>more fervent prayers and more rigorous penances. The faithful flocked to
>church in large numbers from early morn until late in the evening in order
>that, by their prayers, they might add their mite to the work of the Church
>in this her mission. The exorcism could not continue much longer as the
>reserve strength of those actually assisting was being vitally sapped.

> Battle between good and evil spirits

> It was during this time that the poor woman admitted during her
>periods of rest that she had visions of horrible battles between the good
>and evil spirits. Countless numbers of evil spirits continually arrived.
>Satan tried his utmost not to be outdone this time. The good angels came to
>assist at the exorcism. Many approached seated on white horses (Apocalypse
>19, 15) and under the leadership of St. Michael, completely routed the
>infernal serpents and drove the demons back to the abyss of hell.

> The Little Flower of the Child Jesus

> The Little Flower of Jesus also appeared to the woman during these
>crucial days and spoke these consoling words to her: "Do not lose courage!
>The pastor especially should not give up hope. The end is soon at hand."

> This occurred on a certain evening when, to their surprise, the nuns
>and the pastor's sister suddenly noticed a cluster of white roses on the
>ceiling. After a while the vision gradually disappeared. The pastor noticed
>the anxious gaze of these ladies directed towards the ceiling, but he
>himself did not see the flowers.

> The words of encouragement from the Little Flower gave a new impetus
>to the priests. Now they knew that victory was not far off. During the
>latter days the devils betrayed great fear lest they be forced to return to
>hell. Father Th. insisted upon their departure again and again. They pleaded
>pitifully: "Anything but that, anything but that." To be banished to another
>place, or into another creature would have been more bearable. They did not
>want to be driven back to hell.

> "But you are already in hell."

> "True, true," they groaned, "we drag hell along with us. Yet it is a
>relief to be permitted to roam about the earth until (at the last judgment)
>we shall be cast off and damned to hell for eternity."

> The devils depart

> Gradually the resistance of the devils began to wane. They seemed to
>become more docile. Their bold, bitter demeanor gave way to more moaning and
>despairing tones. They could not bear the tortures of exorcism any longer.
>With great uneasiness they explained that they would finally return to hell.
>But how often they are deceptive and unreliable! Experience teaches us that
>at times they pretend to leave the possessed entirely at ease for a while,
>in order to sidetrack the unwary observer and thus outwit him. For this
>reason Father Th., almost completely exhausted, demanded in the name of the
>Most Blessed Trinity that at their departure the devils should give a sign
>by giving their respective names.

> "Yes," they promised emphatically.

> It was on the twenty-third day of December, 1928, in the evening about
>nine o'clock that, with a sudden jerk of lightning speed the possessed woman
>broke from the grip of her protectors and stood erect before them. Only her
>heels were touching the bed. At first sight it appeared as if she were to be
>hurled up to the ceiling. "Pull her down ! Pull her down" called the pastor
>while Father Th. blessed her with the relic of the Cross, saying: "Depart,
>ye fiends of hell! Begone, Satan, the Lion of Juda reigns!"

> At that very moment the stiffness of the woman's body gave way and she
>fell upon the bed. Then a piercing sound filled the room causing all to
>tremble vehemently. Voices saying, "Beelzebub, Judas, Jacob, Mina," could be
>heard. And this was repeated over and over until they faded far away into
>the distance.

> "Beelzebub, -Judas, -Jacob, -Mina." To these words were added:
>"Hell-hell-hell!"

> Everyone present was terrified by this gruesome scene. It was the long
>awaited sign indicating that Satan was forced to leave his victim at last
>and to return to hell with his associates.

> What a happy sight it was that followed! The woman opened her eyes and
>mouth for the first time, something that had never taken place while the
>exorcism itself was going on. She displayed a kindly smile as if she wanted
>to say: "From what a terrible burden have I been freed at last!"

> For the first time in twelve years she uttered the most holy name of
>Jesus with child-like piety: "My Jesus, Mercy! Praised be Jesus Christ!"

> Tears of joy filled her eyes and those of all in attendance.

> Amid the first rejoicings, the witnesses were not aware of the
>terrible odor that filled the room. All the windows had to be opened. The
>stench was unearthly, simply unbearable. It was the last souvenir of the
>infernal devils who had to abandon their earthly victim.

> What a day of joy it was for the whole parish! Te Deum laudamus! Holy
>God, we praise Thy name! Not unto us, not unto us, O Lord, but to Thy name
>be glory and praise!

> From that time on the woman, always sincerely good, pious and
>religious, frequently visited the Blessed Sacrament and assisted at Holy
>Mass. She received Communion in a most edifying manner. That which was so
>terrible for her while she was under the torturing powers of Satan is now
>the peaceful joy, of her heart and soul.

> Theresa Neumann

> Theresa Neumann of Konnersreuth was also concerned in this affair.

> A Bishop of Switzerland, who had been well informed about the above
>case, paid a visit to Theresa Neumann. And since it was Friday, he asked her
>while she was in one of her ecstatic visions whether she was aware of the
>terrible case of demoniacal possession in America. She immediately answered:

> "Is it not so? You mean the case in Earling, Iowa, at which some
>priests scoffed, and about which others were indifferent?"

> Then followed an astounding announcement: "The good woman will later
>be possessed. This will be for her own personal benefit, for her own
>purification and complete atonement."

> Furthermore, the stigmatic woman of Konnersreuth had a terrible vision
>on the Feast of St. Michael, pertaining to the exorcism that had taken place
>in Earling. She witnessed the frightful battle between the angels of heaven
>under the leadership of St. Michael and the infernal demons under the
>command of Lucifer. She was so shocked and confused by it that she said:

> "If it be not against the will of God, I will ask Him never again to
>permit me to witness anything so terrible."

> It was by far the worst vision she had ever experienced.

> Father Theophilus, basing his opinion on his numerous experiences with
>cases of possession, believes that the hour of the Antichrist is not far
>distant. Lucifer himself was present for about fourteen days in the Earling
>case. With all the forces of hell at his disposal he tried his utmost to
>make this a test case. Once Father Th. saw Lucifer standing visibly before
>him for half an hour--a fiery being in his characteristically demoniac
>reality. He had a crown on his head and carried a fiery sword in his hand.
>Beelzebub stood alongside of him. During this time the whole room was filled
>with flames. Lucifer was cursing and blaspheming in a terrible rage:

> "If I could, I would have choked you long ago. If I only had my former
>powers, you would soon experience what I could do to you."

> Through the powers of Christ he had been deprived of his original
>might as even now through exorcism his influence was further diminished.
>Father Th. asked him one time: "What can you accomplish, you helpless
>Lucifer?"

> To which he replied: "What could you do, if you were bound as I am?"

> Father Th., who has had nineteen cases of possession under his care
>within recent years, seems convinced that present indications point to the
>beginning of a great battle between Christ and Antichrist. He also seems to
>have learned that Judas will appear as Antichrist in this manner, that a
>human person, soon after birth, will be controlled and completely ruled by
>him. Besides the Antichrist, there will be the false prophet, in reality
>Lucifer, who will perform wonderful deeds and false miracles. He will not be
>born of a woman, but will construct a body for himself out of earthly matter
>in order to plot as a man among men. But the faithful need not fear, for all
>the powers of heaven with its countless angels will be fighting on their
>side.

> Supplement

> The above account gives only the exorcisms that took place at Earling,
>Iowa. She was possessed the first time in 1908 through her aunt, Mina, known
>among the people as a witch. The latter had placed a spell on some herbs
>which she placed among the woman's food. Father Theophilus freed her from
>this possession June 18, 1912. She became possessed again due to the curses
>hurled against her by her wicked father. The Earling exorcism was in three
>stages: Aug. 18-26, 1928; Sept. 13-20, 1928; Dec. 15-22, 1928. There were
>still later possessions but of a milder nature.

> This woman was born in 1882, is of small stature and had but an
>elementary education. She preserved her virginity though she had been
>exposed to severe trials. She is still among the living, and recently
>through private revelations from Christ has been advocating the spread of
>perpetual adoration of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament as a remedy for a
>lasting peace.

> The purpose of this pamphlet is not to frighten timid souls but rather
>to encourage those of strong faith to continue to give battle to the evil
>one. It is also a timely warning to sinners to amend their lives from sin to
>virtue. It is precisely through the cooperation of sinners that the devil
>has such power on earth. It also gives all of us the assurance that the
>prayers of the Church and the penance of the faithful in cooperation with
>her today have still the same effect over our enemies as did Christ's
>personal dealings with the evil spirits during His early sojourn.

> Holy Mother Church has not made any official decision regarding the
>Earling case and hence the statements made in this pamphlet are only of a
>private nature and are to be accepted merely on their face.

> Testimony of Theresa Wegerer, Father Steiger's housekeeper

> "I was a witness to almost the whole period of the exorcism of the
>Earling possession case and I can truthfully say, that the facts mentioned
>in Begone Satan are correct. Some of the scenes were even more frightful
>than described in the booklet. There is not the slightest doubt in my mind,
>that the devils were present and I will never forget the horrible scenes,
>vile, filthy, and dirty, as long as I live. All the nuns asked for a change
>and were transferred the next year.

> "The woman came back to Earling over a distance of a thousand miles
>four months after the exorcism to make a novena of Thanksgiving. This was at
>the bidding of Christ Himself. During her stay she boarded with the
>Schimorowsky family. She told me how our Blessed Lord appears to her
>frequently and encourages her to be faithful."

> http://www.bibleprobe.com/1928exorcism.htm

> The 3 books below are True Stories that will Convince you

> demons are real and they seek to enslave you

> Highly recommended: Retired priest (now deceased) Malachi Martin's
>true book about 5 American Exorcisms, "Hostage to the Devil" will give the
>Christian and Jew a good look at the way demons go about deceiving us. Put
>on your "Christian Armor", before reading this book. At Amazon here. You
>may be able to get it cheaper elsewhere.

> Also read; "An Exorcist Tells His Story" by Gabriele Amorth. This one
>is very good also, but many readers may find it distinctly Catholic.

> About demons, Father Amorth wrote: "I have heard demons tell me
>many times that they suffer more during exorcisms than in hell. When I ask
>"Why don't you go to hell, then?" they answer, "Because we are only
>interested in making this person suffer."
> Here we see clearly the diabolical wickedness: the devil knows
>that he cannot possibly benefit from the suffering that he causes. On the
>contrary, he knows that his eternal punishment will increase. Even so, even
>at the cost of his own suffering, he cannot stop causing evil simply for
>evil's sake. At Amazon here. You may be able to get it cheaper elsewhere.

> Father Amorth argues that to deny the reality of Satan is, in
>essence, making the redemptive death of God's Son on the cross meaningless.
>If the devil is not real and does not actively seek the ruin of souls,
>Christ's mission was for naught. Father Amorth reminds all the faithful of
>the primary truth that Satan exists and must be fought with all available
>means and by all persons within their vocation (i.e., religious, laity).

> Read: "Glimpses of the Devil : A Psychiatrist's Personal Accounts of
>Possession, Exorcism, and Redemption" by M. Scott Peck, MD

> In this astonishing new book, Doctor Peck reveals his work as an
>exorcist and attempts to establish a science of exorcism for future
>research. It offers the first complete account of exorcism and possession by
>a modern psychiatrist. Peck knows that many readers will be skeptical of or
>perplexed by his report, and thus he emphasizes that he himself scoffed at
>the idea of demonic possession before encountering Jersey Babcock. Peck
>became involved in her case mostly to "prove the devil's nonexistence as
>scientifically as possible." But a comment by Jersey at their first meeting
>"blew the thing wide open." "Glimpses of the Devil" is not packed with
>supernatural tales of levitating beds or head-spinning victims. Rather, the
>two 25-year-old cases he chronicles involve women who hear voices and behave
>in a manner that Peck says cannot be explained by conventional science. At
>Amazon here. You may be able to get it cheaper elsewhere.

> Get one thing straight. Satan is real, and demons are real!
> Jesus said so!

>Other Great Links at Bible Probe

> Figure the Odds - Over 300 Prophecies Jesus Fulfilled

> Near Death Experiences

> Real Miracles and Angel Visits

> Read: Muhammad, Terrorist or Prophet?

> Read about Jesus's Appearance to a Muslim

> Bible Codes found in the Bible

> Jesus Codes found in the Bible

> Christian book reviews

> The Exodus Happened
> - See Chariot Wheels found in the Red Sea

This posting belongs in alt.fan.dennis-wheatley.

------------------------------------------------
"The real dichotomy in today's world is between reason and religion.
The future of civilisation rests upon how many people realise that and do something about it."

D Silverman FLAHN, SMLAHN

AA #2208

Back to "The Usenet Project" Main Page - Back to Starve.Org Main Page - Contact - Starve Archive