Brownsburg priest who performs exorcisms says the number of people requesting them is on the rise

TheIndyChannel ^ | Nov 1, 2016 | Mike Pelton

[Mrs. Don-o]

Demand for exorcisms is at an all-time high

WRTV INDIANAPOLIS -- A Brownsburg priest says the number of people requesting exorcisms is at an all-time high.

Father Vincent Lampert is an exorcist priest based out of St. Malachy Parish. He was appointed to his role by bishops of the Catholic church.

"I don't have any special powers or ability from a faith perspective. The power resides with the person of Christ," said Father Lampert.

The priest says more people are asking for help and he attributes that to the growing number of people turning away from the faith.

"Faith in God will lead us in one direction and lack of faith will lead us in another, so there does seem to be a correlation with people who believe they are experiencing evil in their life at the same time where faith in God is less relevant," said Lampert.

The priest says he gets around 20 calls or emails every week from people who believe they need an exorcism. Lampert says only about 10 percent of people who request an exorcism actually need one.

There is no quick fix with exorcism according to Lampert. Most exorcisms are less intense prayers to get rid of evil spirits. Lampert says he's performed three involving demonic possession, like those you see in Hollywood movies.

"The manifestations would include things like a person's eyes rolling back in their head, foaming at the mouth," said Lampert.

There were 12 exorcist priests in the U.S. when Father Lampert was appointed in 2005. There are now 50 - two of them in Indiana - and Lampert says he expects that number to increase in the coming years.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Fr. Lampert mentions eyes rolling back in the head, foaming at the mouth as signs of possession.

I'm betting he said a lot more that wasn't quoted, because these two items are not defining symptoms. They can be addressed in psychiatric/medical terms, and in fact the Church insists that people go through a psych and medical check-up before coming to the conclusion that there's something supernatural, demonic, involved.

Well over 90% of cases have medical/ psychiatric explanations. It's those remaining "rare" inexplicable cases which need exorcism.

More reliable signs of possession are:

• Powerful, repulsive reaction against anything consecrated to Christ (e.g. a crucifix, a Bible, holy water, the person of the priest)
• strength far beyond natural physical capacity (an 115-pound woman throwing a 220-pound man into a wall)
• infused objective knowledge (e.g. uneducated English-speaking possessed man, muttering in perfect Latin)
• infused sujective knowledge, i.e., knowledge of interior thoughts of exorcist (e.g. possessed person knowing the exorcist's mother's name, how she died, details of the deathbed scene, and the priest's feelings and thoughts at the time)

Forget frothing at the mouth. You got an agitated person shouting what your secret thoughts were 10 years ago, you got demonic intelligence in play.

[Gaffer]

Must be awakening ‘constituents’.

[Pelham]

I’d like to request an exorcism for Hillary Clinton, please.

[bgill]

[knarf]

No doubt evil is rampant, but I would not attribute it so much to possession but the love of the influence.

Like sex feels good, so does sin and people are weak for the pleasures of the flesh.

Not necessarily meaning the actual flesh, but also the pleasures of this world.

I battle with my appreciation for my mind ... I REALLY think I have my ducks in a row and I write as if I DO (tag line) and to me, that is sin if I dwell on it.

I don't need an exorcist, but I can imagine others getting wrapped up in various elements of themSELVES that they think they are possessed.

The born again Christian can come boldly to the throne of Grace and find mercy in a time of need and THAT is a cleansing experience every Christian is familiar with.

[napscoordinator]

My Sister, Brother in law and children are members of this church. She never mentioned this. I will ask next time I speak with her. Interesting for sure. My family and I have been to Mass there a few times during vacations and holidays.

[Mrs. Don-o]

There's a great deal of truth in what you say. Everyone is to some extent enmeshed in sin, and chooses it (for self-gratifying reasons) over od. This would be evil even if there wer no devil.

However, in some (comparatively rare) cases demonic possession is exactly what is going on. Keep in mind that in Jesus' public earthly ministry, He was quite often called on to exercise His power as an exorcist.

[Carthego delenda est]

“More reliable signs of possession are:”

•ability to crawl up the wall and onto the ceiling

There was a case in Indiana not too long ago where a possessed person did that in front of multiple witnesses.

[Mrs. Don-o]

I read about that. Right up the wall, across the ceiling, then landed with a blackflip in front of grandma.

The actual eyewitnesses included, as I remember it, trained medical personnel as well as somebody from hospital security.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Interesting. I do know that different dioceses have different policies on their official exorcists. In some, publicity about the priests like this is permitted; in others, it is strictly forbidden.

Sometimes the press obscures as much as it enlightens.

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