The Rite: The Making of a Modern Exorcist

Matt Baglio was a freelance journalist living in Rome when he learned about a class the Vatican was offering on exorcism that was open to the public. Mr. Baglio thought it would give him enough information to write an article if he attended the class. He was wrong, from what he learned in class and contacts made, the author was able to write this book and has a new look on life. In this class Mr. Baglio met and an American Priest from California who was appointed by his bishop to become the diocese exorcist. The book is written mainly as a biography of this priest, Father Gary Thomas. So with the investigative eye of a journalist, the insights of the exorcist and interviews of the subjects of some exorcisms we are given a glimpse into the world where good still battles evil. The small biography of Father Thomas is a fast read that shows the sad truth that most priest do not even believe in the devil until the come face to face with pure evil. This was where Father Thomas was until he started the class to become an exorcist and actually started attending some exorcism. Every diocese is supposed to have an official exorcist appointed but the majority live in Italy and there is only a handful in the U.S.A. Most countries have none at all. The author also covers the teachings of the Catholic Church on demonic possession and the basis for the belief in the rite of exorcism. Through Father Thomas' eyes we are shown different forms of possession and learn that each exorcist is a unique individual with his own strength and weaknesses. In order for the rite to be successful both the possessed and the exorcist must have faith in God. For the rite is a manifestation of God's benevolence and deliverance and the priest is only the conduit of His grace as a priest is for all the sacraments. And there is no standard situation when it comes to demonic possession or for how long the exorcism could take, which can sometimes years. I found this a very interesting read and the author has a very short section at the end where he shares from his own personal experience from his time researching for this books. The author also provides copious notes and a bibliography. From his own words it is obvious he has many more notes from which he can pull from. So perhaps the author will write a book from his own perspective giving us a look behind the Rite and delve deeper into the subject. The book is a good yet brief introduction to the subject matter.

I am a Catholic but hadn't given too much credence to exorcists nor to demonic possession---both seemed pretty Fundamentalist in nature to me. It was our Pentecostal friends after all who nattered on and on about demons and curses. Being Catholic, however, I also know that we see and experience a tiny sliver of all that is, with much eluding us. With that in mind I read "The Rite: The Making of A Modern Exorcist" with an open mind. Having read it, I am a believer. It is not the lurid details of some of the episodes related---nothing matches the drama depicted in the movie "The Exorcist" and thus nothing shocks me. What compelled my belief was the simple mundanity of the exorcist's lot. Father Gary Thomas, the subject of the book, does not claim to know much of anything about demonic possession nor what drives it. He relates some speculation, but that's about it. He does demonstrate that there are people who cannot find help for what ails them through doctors and psychiatrists nor through the normal sacrament of anointment the Church offers. They find help only through exorcism. This is not to say that "The Rite" is a New Agey therapeutic book. Far from it. It concerns spiritual warfare as seen (and unseen) by the participants. It is a riveting read for skeptic and believer alike.

Baglio was a journalist in Rome when he heard about a new class at a Vatican-affiliated university on exorcism. Fascinated if the church in fact still believed in it, he attended and met one Fr. Gary. This American priest came to provide this interesting window into exorcism today in the Roman Catholic church. This is a great read about how the American bishops were encouraged to appoint a priest to be trained in Rome as their exorcist. Californian Fr. Gary is such an appointee, and then the book unfolds his trip to Rome, class and development as a certified exorcist. Not all of this was new to me, except that I too had the major misperception that the Rite of Exorcism, if done properly, cast the demon/s out immediately. Fr. Gary discovers this also, that for some it took decades. The proliferation of demon activity in Italy shocked me as well, but shouldn't as we know the proliferation of the occult is growing worldwide. So much for all spirituality being the same. We Lutherans concur with this belief that the devil and his cohorts are real and active. Before my being certified at Seminary to be eligible for a call into the ministry, three sem professors questioned me for three solid hours on theological matters. At the end, one asked: do you believe in exorcism. I quickly answered yes. They then demanded that I provide evidence supporting this from Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions, which I did. They then asked what I would do to determine that a person was potentially demon possessed, and how I would proceed. I responded with much the same criteria that is used in this book by these exorcists, and that I would contact them to find out how to proceed. Many Christians besides Roman Catholics hold these same Biblical views about demon possession and exorcism. Interested parties will want to read two good volumes on this: J.W. Montgomery edited a great volume: Demon Possession, and Kurt E. Koch's "Occult Bondage and Deliverance."

This book gives a bird's eye view of the Roman Catholic Church in training a priest to be an exorcist. This book is excellent because the author presents the topic of exorcism from the view point of an objective investigation done by a top notch news reporter. You get to see how a priest is trained to deal with Satan and his demons using the power of prayer, blessings and rituals in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. This book should be read by any one interested in demonology or thinking about entering the priesthood.

This is a well-written book by a journalist who covers an American priest's sabbatical in Rome to learn how to administer exorcism. The book lays a solid foundation for understanding both the practical and theological underpinnings of the actions of demons as understood by the Catholic Church and its measured response to claims of possession. One of the things that makes the book interesting is the reserved and often skeptical approach that the Church takes evaluating claims of possession and its insistence that psychiatric and other disorders be ruled out before proceeding forward. Another strong aspect of the book is that it shows the education and apprenticeship that the priest undergoes in becoming appointed as the exorcist for a diocese. The author does an excellent job of describing the personalities of the key subjects of the book and presents descriptions of exorcisms in a very measured way. If you are looking for a book that covers an obscure part of the Catholic Church in a respectful and matter-of-fact manner, The Rite would be an excellent choice.