Doorway to Darkness

by M.P. Pellicer | Stranger Than Fiction Stories
Is there such a thing as a friendly ghost? Exorcists discuss the reality of haunted houses, and what's been the impact of ghost hunting reality shows, movies and books. 

---

Father Vincent Lampert, exorcist for the diocese of Indianapolis

Marriages end for a variety of reasons, many times with acrimonious accusations, but none as bitter as when infidelity​ is a factor.

They say time heals all wounds, but not always. In this story, the couple divorced and time passed. The ex-husband developed a terminal illness and before his death he asked his wife to forgive him. Her response was: "rot in hell!" Her pain over the end of their marriage and his betrayal were still fresh inside her. 

It seemed the peace that had eluded this couple in life, would continue even after one of them died.

The woman lived alone in what had once been their home. She started to notice things moving around in what had once been his favorite room. Their old wedding picture, which she had put away, kept showing up on a table. Things that were impossible to overlook such as furniture moving around, brought her to see Father Vincent Lampert, the exorcist for the diocese of Indianapolis. Was her husband haunting her out of revenge? How could she move on with her life, if her hard-hearted words had made them enemies once more?

Father Lampert assessed the situation and believed the man was in purgatory. He convinced her to forgive and pray for him. This ended the haunting.

---

Belief in an invisible world, allows you to believe in what is not seen.

This was not the first time Father Lampert received complaints of a haunting. In his experience celebrating Mass and praying for the person quiets down the activity. Then he knows that the person's soul is clamoring for prayers, which he said indicates it is a human soul and not a demon, otherwise there would be more turbulence if prayers are recited.

Father Lampert said, "I’m usually pretty cautious before I agree to celebrate a Mass, I would say prayers to drive away evil but not hold a Mass. I don’t want anything to happen that could profane the Eucharist."

Father Patrick (pseudonym) is a parish priest that is secretly an exorcist for his diocese. When asked if there was such a thing as ghosts he explained: "If, as an ordinary Christian, you do not recognize the invisible world, then you are blind to a lot of it. Sometimes they are attached to things here on earth. I believe that is what people report as ghosts—disembodied souls still attached to things or people."

He described where various times he has found a trapped family member that did receive a Christian burial, or was prepared for their death.

​He warns against a family asking a paranormal team to investigate, since they stir things up by asking or taunting a spirit in order to get a response.

---

There are other type of demonic attacks that are not possession

​Father Lampert retells that when he was appointed as an exorcist in 2005, he was only one of twelve priests in the United States. He was sent to Rome and trained under a Franciscan priest. He was there three months and sat in on 40 exorcisms.

As of 2023, there are 175 exorcists working in the country. He stressed that a person must undergo a psychiatric and medical evaluation, in order to determine if there's anything in the person's condition that cannot be explained.

Through his ministry there is not a day that he is not contacted about a demonic case, and he averages about 3,500 cases per year. However only one of 5,000 is actually a demonic possession.

---

There are three other types of extraordinary demonic activity. Infestation, the presence of evil in a location, or associated with an object, like a voodoo doll, for example. There's demonic vexation, which are physical attacks, and then demonic obsession, which are mental attacks.

Parker Bros. Ouija Board c.1960

​He handles about 1,000 per year, but in the same time span there are only 2 or 3 possession cases. All of them are different.

He described a case in Rome where he witnessed a body levitating about a foot out of the chair. Another time the person slithered on the floor like a snake. The face became distorted, and even the person's tongue flicked like a snake.

He emphasized that once the devil is cast out, the person needs to let God into their life.

Other persons who instead of being happy they are not possessed, have actually gotten angry when they're told that the devil is not to blame.

Exorcist Father Dan Reehil of the diocese of Nashville says that demons impersonate dead people, and when using a Ouija board they take the opportunity to embed themselves into your life. Father Lampert concurs with him, and points to the popularity of spiritism, satanism and magic practices with an increase for the demand for exorcisms. He said that despite the belief that it's all just fun and games, they are dabbling with evil.

Lately a "Holy Spirit Board" has been advertised as a way to help a person speak directly to Jesus.

Fr. Ernesto Caro of the diocese of Monterey, Mexico, also an exorcist claims that the game is a "trap from the devil".

---

Humans have a deep longing for God because God gives human life ultimate meaning, purpose and direction. I think the devil is kind of the opposite of that. The devil wants to bring about division, confusion, the lack of meaning, purpose and direction.