Father Vince Lampert was a young priest when he first visited the old farmhouse. As it was his first time working in the role of exorcist, he was understandably nervous. He kept reminding himself that it was just a meeting. Eventually, the woman of the house invited him in.
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It all started 15 years before, when she had tried to help a friend. She’d said, “What’s ever in you, I invite to come into me,” and felt an immediate change. Her life had fallen apart. They had seen neurologists, psychologists, and all kinds of doctors with no luck. Father Lampert was their last resort.
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Father Lampert suggested a prayer for her, to ask God to give her the strength to deal with the situation. No sooner did he finish an invocation of the Holy Trinity than the woman lunged at him, obviously possessed. Father Lampert was facing a real-life possession.
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A year earlier, at Father John Ryan’s funeral, Father Lampert was approached by the bishop and asked to take over as the exorcist for Indianapolis. It had been Father Ryan’s role, and it was now going to be Father Lampert’s. He hadn’t wanted the job at first, but the decision was made.
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Father Lampert went to Rome, where he began studying with one of the most skilled exorcists in the world, Father Carmine De Filippis. While Father Lampert watched and studied his technique, Father Carmine performed exorcism after exorcism.
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Father Lampert saw many thing that frightened him. Father Carmine continued to remind him that the paranormal events were just parlor tricks by the demons to distract him from what he was supposed to be doing.
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When Father Lampert returned to the United States, a package awaited him. It was Father Ryan’s stole and prayer book. Father Lampert put on the stole, and the hairs on his neck stood on end.
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Flash forward to the couple in the old farmhouse. Father Lampert remembered Father Carmine’s repeated admonition to only perform an exorcism on holy ground. Fortunately, he had also remembered the forehead trick Father Carmine used to end an exorcism session. He knew the demon was only restrained, and knew he had to find holy ground as soon as possible.
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Father Lampert finally found an old, disused convent that had a chapel. He brought the couple to the convent and, with the help of an assistant priest, began his first exorcism.
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The possessed woman caught sight of the younger priest, and declared that they would get tired before “we” did. Father Lampert realized that he was dealing with more than one demon. Mustering his confidence, he began to demand the demons tell him their names. Slowly, they did.
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The woman briefly escaped the chapel, and the priests gave chase. When they finally found her, Father Lampert persisted in his prayers until finally, slowly, the last demon left her. Her fifteen year battle was over. Father Lampert had survived his first exorcism.
