had certified exorcists. Actually, each diocese was supposed to have at least one trained priest, I just didn’t know who it was. They kept that kind of information pretty quiet. I can imagine the amount of calls they would get if people knew who they were. Each bishop had to approve any potential exorcism. This was the first time I’d seen anything like this, and I’ve dealt with a lot.
The elevator dinged and the doors opened. I have to admit, I was shocked at what I saw. The priest was a young man, barely in his forties. I’m fifty-five. I expected someone older. This guy looked as if he might have just completed seminary last week.
“Father Pierce?” he asked.
“Yes, sorry to meet you under these circumstances,” I answered, as we shook hands.
“I know what you’re thinking, I look young. They sent me on missions to Africa right out of seminary. During that time, I was secretly enrolled in their exorcism school, because of some things I’d witnessed. So, here I am.”
“Well great, so how does this work—” before I could finish, the power went out again, plunging the hospital back into darkness. From Amanda’s room, we could hear loud crashing sounds, and a scream.
“HARLAN!” she shouted, but in a voice other than her own.
“That’s our clue to get started, I guess,” he said.
Chapter 18
4:00 a.m.
Father Harlan and I stepped into a small office on the fourth floor, and he opened his bag. He took out his purple stole and placed it over his shoulders. He also removed a copy of The Roman Ritual. The Ritual is the guidebook used by priests for several of the Sacraments, including the Rite of Exorcism. I noticed his copy was in Latin. He glanced at me as he prepared.
“Yes, the Rituale Romanum. I use it and cite it in Latin. This is so we don’t confuse anyone.”
“Confuse?” I asked.
“If I speak the words in English, and the person isn’t really possessed, they will react to what I’m saying, so might any family member in the room. In Latin, the demon will know what I’m saying, regardless of the language. So I cite it in Latin.”
“Well, that makes sense,” I said, while flipping through the volume. I studied Latin in the seminary, but rarely used it since.
“A couple of things, before we begin. “First, you are there to observe. What that also means, is I need your faith. I need you to pray. I’ve had many priests observe, who don’t believe in what we’re doing. The demon can use that against us. Understood?”
“Of course.”
“Next, you may have seen this already. The demon will talk in different voices. It will say things about you that no one else knows. It might know something about your childhood. It might even speak in a voice from someone in your past. Ignore that as well. The demon uses tricks to throw you off, to strike fear into us and to make us leave.”
“Yes, Father, it’s done that already. It accused a police officer of killing his own mother earlier. Although, one of the doctors did some research, and there might be some truth to that.”
“Really?” he stroked his beard gently. I guessed he grew the beard to make himself appear older, due to his position. “That’s quite unusual. The demon usually just lies.”
“That’s what I thought. In this case though, it said his mother didn’t die of cancer, but that he’d killed her. Dr. Bennett looked through her old records, and some of the files were missing. Plus, she died rather early into her diagnosis. So, something seems amiss. Just thought you should know.”
“Indeed. Well, we’ll leave that to the authorities and doctors to sort out. For now, our concern is delivering the girl from this demon”
“I understand. She exhibits incredible strength. It says its name is Legion, like in St. Mark.
The elevator dinged and the doors opened. I have to admit, I was shocked at what I saw. The priest was a young man, barely in his forties. I’m fifty-five. I expected someone older. This guy looked as if he might have just completed seminary last week.
“Father Pierce?” he asked.
“Yes, sorry to meet you under these circumstances,” I answered, as we shook hands.
“I know what you’re thinking, I look young. They sent me on missions to Africa right out of seminary. During that time, I was secretly enrolled in their exorcism school, because of some things I’d witnessed. So, here I am.”
“Well great, so how does this work—” before I could finish, the power went out again, plunging the hospital back into darkness. From Amanda’s room, we could hear loud crashing sounds, and a scream.
“HARLAN!” she shouted, but in a voice other than her own.
“That’s our clue to get started, I guess,” he said.
Chapter 18
4:00 a.m.
Father Harlan and I stepped into a small office on the fourth floor, and he opened his bag. He took out his purple stole and placed it over his shoulders. He also removed a copy of The Roman Ritual. The Ritual is the guidebook used by priests for several of the Sacraments, including the Rite of Exorcism. I noticed his copy was in Latin. He glanced at me as he prepared.
“Yes, the Rituale Romanum. I use it and cite it in Latin. This is so we don’t confuse anyone.”
“Confuse?” I asked.
“If I speak the words in English, and the person isn’t really possessed, they will react to what I’m saying, so might any family member in the room. In Latin, the demon will know what I’m saying, regardless of the language. So I cite it in Latin.”
“Well, that makes sense,” I said, while flipping through the volume. I studied Latin in the seminary, but rarely used it since.
“A couple of things, before we begin. “First, you are there to observe. What that also means, is I need your faith. I need you to pray. I’ve had many priests observe, who don’t believe in what we’re doing. The demon can use that against us. Understood?”
“Of course.”
“Next, you may have seen this already. The demon will talk in different voices. It will say things about you that no one else knows. It might know something about your childhood. It might even speak in a voice from someone in your past. Ignore that as well. The demon uses tricks to throw you off, to strike fear into us and to make us leave.”
“Yes, Father, it’s done that already. It accused a police officer of killing his own mother earlier. Although, one of the doctors did some research, and there might be some truth to that.”
“Really?” he stroked his beard gently. I guessed he grew the beard to make himself appear older, due to his position. “That’s quite unusual. The demon usually just lies.”
“That’s what I thought. In this case though, it said his mother didn’t die of cancer, but that he’d killed her. Dr. Bennett looked through her old records, and some of the files were missing. Plus, she died rather early into her diagnosis. So, something seems amiss. Just thought you should know.”
“Indeed. Well, we’ll leave that to the authorities and doctors to sort out. For now, our concern is delivering the girl from this demon”
“I understand. She exhibits incredible strength. It says its name is Legion, like in St. Mark.
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