Expert: Fr. Timothy Johnson - 12/7/2010

Question
Father, this is a complicated issue, but I will try my best to be brief.  About 20 years ago an egg was placed on the porch of my home.  The yolk was whole and unbroken, but there was no shell.  My parents had altercations with neighbors and it might have been one of them that put this ''spell'' or what I have come to believe is a curse on all inhabitants of our home.

My husband picked it up on a shovel and threw it out on the roadway.  He was Irish and believed it would negate any harm that might have been put upon us.

To make a long and terribly sad story short, he died shortly thereafter.  He was a strong, healthy man, but he sickened and died.  My parents died shortly thereafter within a year of each other (they never knew about the egg).

What followed thereafter has been a litany of loss and misery.  My late husband's family all went through enormous misfortune, death, losses.  I lost my family home and fortune.  I remarried, but my husband was diagnosed with dementia shortly thereafter.  Our only living son (I had two miscarriages -one on my birthday at the exact same hour I myself was born) is severely autistic.

The litany of tragedy follows my son and myself and anyone who comes to care for us to this day.

I have sought the help of three priests.  The last one blessed me with holy oil and said prayers of spiritual and physical healing, but we are still plagued.

If possible, I want to stop this if not for my sake, then for my son's.  Even at this late stage.

Where can I go for help?  Do I qualify for exorcism?  If so how do I go about asking for one?

I live in Salem, Oregon.

Answer
Hi, Susan:

I am very sorry to hear about your current difficulties and your past loss of your husband in somewhat strange circumstances.  You ought to have a Priest pray the Prayer of Exorcism Over a Place from the Roman Ritual.  If he feels it necessary to get the explicit permission of the local Bishop, then he ought to ask for it; though in most places it is presumed.
You and all your family members need to make intense, deep, and well-prepared general Confessions.  Celebrating the Sacrament of Penance is one of the greatest remedies against evil.  Then you need to assist at Mass as much as possible.
I think the Priest probably celebrated the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick with you.  You did not mention the Sacrament of Confession or Reconciliation.  There is probably generational sin that needs to be rebuked and bound in the Name of Jesus Christ, our Savior.
After trying the above, then you might approach the Chancery of your Diocese to do an investigation of your case; but first of all you need to do everything with the regular Sacramental Ministry of the Church through the Priests who act in the Person of Christ.
I wish you the best.  May God help you in every way necessary!

Fr. Timothy Johnson