Cardinal Egan Shuts Down Exorcism Ministry in NY Archdiocese ?!?!?

I'm told by sources that Cdl. Egan is shutting down the ministry of exorcism in New York. Dunno why. It does sort of seem to me like getting rid of all the fire extinguishers in a burning building in order to cut costs. I suspect bureaucrats with little pastoral experience (like Egan) just don't really believe in the reality of spiritual warfare and view the office as rather lurid and dramatic (and a waste of money). I hope his successor wises up and reinstitutes the office. It's not for nothing that Cardinal O'Connor appointed these guys. The devil is real, as this past year should have made clear to Cdl. Egan.

Not only is your priest wrong, he has it backwards. The holiness of sexuality is highlighted in virginity when practiced properly in context of the virtue of chastity. It is precisely in our failure as a Church to teach and live chastity and the other virtues that sexuality (as a function of Love) loses it's holiness and ability to generate not only physical life, but spiritual sacramental life as well.

Beautifully stated. I would give a lot to hear my parish priest say such - and to have faith that the Church's priests could be relied upon to teach such to my children.

The Faith begins at home, the domestic Church, if you will. Make sure you teach and practice your Faith as a witness to your children and allow them to respectfully understand why Father X and Sister Y are wrong in saying this and that and in doing that and this. Pray with them. It sounds like as they grow older, it is going to have to be your orthodox witness which sustains and leads them to the correct 'Way'.

Yes, it will. I wish the Church hierarchy were a greater ally in this process. Thanks, TotusTuus, for your valuable thoughts.

Yet this was a prayer that within my lifetime had been required to be said by all Catholics after every low Mass (the very early part of my lifetime, that's why I had never heard it before). Within just a few years it had disappeared as though it had never existed. 40 posted on 02/04/2003 12:00 PM PST by Maximilian

I make a point of trying to say the prayer to St. Michael every day, after every Rosary, and after every Mass. Diabolical phenomena are very real and can be a very highly disturbing experience when encountered directly. We need to pray for whomever ends up on the painfully unpleasant receiving end of such attacks and oppression.

I received new information on Fr. Fiore in a mass-distribution email today:

Subject: Fr. Charles Fiore
Date: Mon, 10 Feb 2003 09:36:51 -0500

Dear All,

I have talked with several people close to the situation in Madison, Wisconsin regarding Father's prognosis. It is not good. Although people continue to pray for a miracle, his chance of recovery seems to be at or near zero. He reportedly has no meassurable brain waves.

Father is connected to a ventilator. The family representatives, acting on Father's advance directive, will give him until about the end of this week. If by that time he doesn't come to, they will disconnect any extra-ordinary means.

To re-cap, Fr. Fiore suffered a fall in his house on Friday, January 31st and beeped for help. He was transported to St. Mary's Hospital in Madison. On Saturday, February 1st he suffered a heart attack and went into a deep coma. At that time it was reported that if he survives and recovers, it is likely that there will be some amputation of his leg due to severe ulcers (caused by diabetes). If he does not survive, his plan was to have a Requiem Mass at St. Mary's in Rockford.

Several of you have written and asked about Extreme Unction. I am pleased to report that Father received the sacrament twice. Once was between the fall and his heart attack. The other was on Monday, February 3rd. The first was by a Capuchin priest, whose name I do not know, and the second was by Fr. Brian Bovee of St. Mary's in Rockford.

Please continue your prayers for Father. None of us knows what the devil may be tempting this good priest with at this very moment.

Short of a miracle, my next message to you may very well be the plans for Father's funeral.

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