Priest involved with St. Louis exorcism dies

St. Louis Post-Dispatch ^ | 03/02/2005 | By John M. McGuire

[Romulus]

Priests who perform exorcisms have to be the bravest men in the world!

Just the most faithful, I think. Christ does all the heavy lifting.

[Joe 6-pack]

"That movie freaked us out! we slept together with the lights on for a month."

When I was 14 I was reading the book at home alone on a stormy night....the very night a couple of flying squirrels deecided to take refuge in our attic!

I'm still an insomniac.

[Wally_Kalbacken]

Wauwatosa, Wis.! My hometown! Ping!

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[hershey]

The book even scarier than the movie. Nightmares for weeks.

[kellynla]

good point!

[SkyPilot]

There is a book titled "Possessed" that chronicles the original account.

It is not for the faint hearted, or the spiritually lost.

[Ditto]

The book even scarier than the movie.

Ditto that. I wasn't a kid when I read it, and I had to put it down and walk away a number of times it disturbed me so much. The movie, IMHO, was a joke after reading the book. None of the subtility or suspense that made the book so deeply chilling. But I suppose that is true of any good book turned into a film.

[evets]

The boys parents were not Catholic, so before the exorcism the boy had to convert and receive religious instruction.

"I command you, whoever you are, unclean spirit, and all your associates,obessing this friend o God,
that by the mysteries of the Incarnation,Passion,ressurrection and Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ,
by the mission of the Holy Spirit and by the coming of the same Master of Judgement, give me your name, the day and hour of your exit, together with some sign,
and even though i am an unworthy minister of God, I command thee to obey in all these things nor ever again in any matter to offend this creature of God, or those who are here or any of their possessions....
"Depart therefore, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, give place to the Holy Spirit through the sign of the Holy Cross of Jesus Christ
our Lord who with the father and the same Holy Spirit lives and reigns now and forever, Amen."

[CitizenM]

Thank you for your respect. IMHO Fr. Halloran was a living embodiment of St. Michael the Archangel. He is well worthy of the peace he will have in Heaven.

[mombonn]

#21 - amen.

[Imaverygooddriver]

Demon leave this woman! The power of Christ compels you! The power of Christ compels you! The power of Christ compels you!

[TalBlack]

"Father Halloran gained a measure of renown as a paratrooping chaplain during the Vietnam War. At 48, he was then the oldest airborne chaplain at the time."

48 year old persons who jump out of planes into war zones are ENTITLED to a measure of renown.

Perhaps after that exorcisim Viet Nam seemed low key.

Quite a life. Rest in Peace, Father.

[stevio]

Jesus expelled demons, they are real. God bless this man.

[Imaverygooddriver]

Father will ya help an old alter boy? Dimi, why you do this to me?

[heartwood]

Peck is also a left-winger with a gut aversion to anything that might be considered conservative. He is pro-abortion. So the man is not capable of recognizing evil in all its guises.

[BonnieJ]

There is a movie called "Possessed" and Timothy Dalton plays Father Bowdern. It is much better than the Exorcist and apparently follows the original events closely.

[rface]

I'll look for it.....but I'll probably be too freaked out to watch it

[Romulus]

From a 30 Days interview with exorcist Father Gabriele Amforth:

30 Days: Don't you ever feel afraid of the demon?

Fr. Amorth: Me, for that animal? It is he who should be afraid of me; I act in the name of the Lord of the world. But as for him, he is nothing but God's monkey.

[SkyPilot]

Amen to Father Gabriele Amforth.