Demonic Foes by Richard Gallagher

Author:Richard Gallagher [Gallagher, Richard]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperOne
Published: 2020-10-06T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

Catherine—Mother, Housewife, and Possessed

Her Series of Exorcisms and What the Rituals Are Really Like

Shortly after my encounter with Lily, Father Jacques asked me to visit a woman with him in West Virginia, which he and I did regularly over a few years. During our drives there, we spoke at length. Hoping to learn as much as I could, I peppered him with questions about the genuine cases of possessions he had encountered over the years, which he described to me in detail. In between these tales, he also told me about the many false cases of possession he had come across, like Lily’s.

I felt an added urgency to learn from Father Jacques whatever I could because his health was in obvious decline. I was worried about my friend and repeatedly told him to take care of himself. A private man, he nevertheless told me that he had some heart problems, confiding in me that his physician advised him to watch his diet and exercise more. Despite his health problems, however, Father Jacques remained committed to caring for the men and women suffering at the hands of our various demonic foes, including Catherine in West Virginia, whose prolonged possessions continued to vex and concern him.

Catherine’s case was one of the more intractable possessions I’ve come across, and she had been working for many months with Father Jacques by the time he invited me to meet her. Father Jacques thought it would be good for my instruction to see a prolonged series of exorcisms with the same person. I had already witnessed quite a few rituals by then, but most of the cases he or Father A. worked on had been swiftly resolved.

Catherine lives with her husband, Carl, and their children in a rural town in northern West Virginia. Over the years, I have visited her at her home on twelve or thirteen occasions. Like Catherine, her small town has seen better times. Many of the town’s buildings are in severe disrepair or abandoned. Dust collects over everything. Catherine’s modest house is near the center of town, a short walk down a gravelly side path. The sparse backyard extends to a small wooded area, where brittle bushes struggle to stay alive.

Whenever we visited, Carl always greeted us at the front door. An unassuming, down-to-earth man, he maintained an equanimity and patience about his wife’s condition despite the terrible circumstances. Unfailingly polite, he welcomed us into his home and was effusive in his gratitude when we departed.

Their home is warm, lived-in, and comfortable, with sturdy wooden furniture. Family pictures fill the tables and walls, most of which were taken years ago when their children were younger and Catherine was happier and healthier-looking.

On my first visit, the smell of roast pork greeted us.

“Catherine has been in a bad state,” Carl said with a serious look on his face. “It was a tough night for her.”

He reminded Father Jacques how strongly Catherine reacted before an exorcism session—a common response, I learned, in many victims. This good husband, I realized, was trying to protect his wife from any undue stress.

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