Secret Love Police

Thomas describes his ministry as one of healing. “I don’t do exorcisms on demand,” he said. “It’s dangerous, and it’s not always what people need.

“I have to get to the root cause of what they’re suffering from — it is preternatural or psychological,” he said.

“In every instance I am called into, there is deep suffering,” Thomas said. “In most instances, it is not demonic, it’s a mental health issue. But either way, our church has a responsibility to help these people.”

In the seven years he’s been an exorcist, Thomas has worked with a dozen cases of possession among about 125 inquiries.

He counts three of the individuals as “delivered.” He is still working with another three. The others started the process but did not finish.

“My message to people is that Satan is real, demonic possession is real -- it’s not superstition, not myth, not medieval,” he said. “But the church has remedies.”

Thomas had been a priest for 22 years when his bishop of the Diocese of San Jose, Calif., asked if he would learn about exorcism. Not every diocese is required to have a priest trained in exorcism.

Thomas went to Rome on a sabbatical to study spirituality and took a class on the topic. He went deeper, studying with an Italian exorcist. A classmate from his class asked if he would be willing to share his experiences for a book.

The story of his internship inspired the book “The Rite” (2009), which was made into a movie released in 2011 starring Anthony Hopkins, who played the veteran priest. One marked difference in the film is that Thomas’ character is shown as a seminarian rather than an established priest.

“I couldn’t have told you seven years ago that I was called to do this,” Thomas said. “But I do believe in the personification of evil. I’m not afraid, and I believe that is a grace.

“I don’t find the work appealing, but in the same breath, I find it meaningful.”

Thomas used the $25,000 consulting fee from the film to start a fund to help those he sees when they need a referral for mental health or medical services and don’t have insurance.

Being an Exorcist is 

REAL BUSINESS 

Thomas describes his ministry as one of healing. “I don’t do exorcisms on demand,” he said. “It’s dangerous, and it’s not always what people need.

“I have to get to the root cause of what they’re suffering from — it is preternatural or psychological,” he said.

“In every instance I am called into, there is deep suffering,” Thomas said. “In most instances, it is not demonic, it’s a mental health issue. But either way, our church has a responsibility to help these people.”

In the seven years he’s been an exorcist, Thomas has worked with a dozen cases of possession among about 125 inquiries.

He counts three of the individuals as “delivered.” He is still working with another three. The others started the process but did not finish.

 Thomas had been a priest for 22 years when his bishop of the Diocese of San Jose, Calif., asked if he would learn about exorcism. Not every diocese is required to have a priest trained in exorcism.

Thomas went to Rome on a sabbatical to study spirituality and took a class on the topic. He went deeper, studying with an Italian exorcist. A classmate from his class asked if he would be willing to share his experiences for a book.

“My message to people is that Satan is real, demonic possession is real -- it’s not superstition, not myth, not medieval,” he said. “But the church has remedies.”

The story of his internship inspired the book “The Rite” (2009), which was made into a movie released in 2011 starring Anthony Hopkins, who played the veteran priest. One marked difference in the film is that Thomas’ character is shown as a seminarian rather than an established priest.

“I couldn’t have told you seven years ago that I was called to do this,” Thomas said. “But I do believe in the personification of evil. I’m not afraid, and I believe that is a grace. - Keep reading this story 

Via: Greenville Online