William S. Bowdern
Encyclopedia
Father William S. Bowdern, S.J. (February 13, 1897 - April 25, 1983) was a Jesuit
Roman Catholic priest
in St. Louis, Missouri
, United States
. He was the author of The Problems of Courtship and Marriage printed by Our Sunday Visitor
in 1939. He was a graduate of and taught at St. Louis University High School; he also taught at St. Louis University. Bowdern was the lead exorcist
in the exorcism
of Robbie Mannheim a thirteen-year-old Lutheran boy in 1949; the case became the basis of William Peter Blatty
's novel, The Exorcist
. Bowdern was assisted in the exorcism by fellow Jesuit priest Father Walter Halloran
.
by his spiritualist aunt, who was also a very close friend. Following the death of his aunt, the boy — named in records only as "Robbie" and sometimes referred to simply as "R" — began using the Ouija Board on an increasingly obsessive basis. Unusual auditory phenomena began to occur, which according to Thomas B. Allen's book Possessed: The True Story of an Exorcism, sounded like "a dripping tap". The noises continued and seemed to center on the bedroom of Robbie's grandmother, whose name is not mentioned in the records. Later the manifestations escalated to scratching noises emanating from the walls of the house. Robbie's father allegedly dismantled entire walls in search of the noises' source, which he presumed to be rats nesting. After the family's Lutheran minister advised them to seek Catholic
help, two exorcisms were performed on separate occasions. The first exorcism ended dramatically after Robbie was restrained in a bed in a Catholic hospital. During the rite
s, Robbie slipped one of his hands out of the restraints; he then broke a bedspring from under the mattress and used it as an impromptu weapon, slashing the priest's arm from wrist to shoulder and causing a wound that required over one hundred stitches.
When author William Peter Blatty was investigating the reported case of exorcism in St. Louis, he received a letter from Father Bowdern saying that, although Blatty's intentions were good, he would not assist in the project because of a vow he had made to protect the boy's identity. He further wrote that "the only thing I can tell you is that the case I was involved in was the real thing. I had no doubt about it then, and have no doubt about it now."
Although Father Bowdern remained convinced until his death in 1983, Father Walter Halloran
later gave a statement expressing his scepticism. He claimed that he was unable to either confirm or deny that the boy was actually possessed. According to Allen's book, Halloran is alleged to have said that he saw nothing beyond that capable of a boy of Robbie's age: there was no demonstration of super-human strength (even though at one point Robbie is alleged to have broken Halloran's nose), and Robbie did not speak in tongues because Robbie (or the possessing spirit) refused to converse in Latin
. On the occasions that Robbie did speak Latin, Halloran stresses that he only seemed to repeat words and phrases that he had heard numerous times during the rites of exorcism.
According to Allen, Robbie was heard on one occasion speaking Aramaic, but this is not confirmed. The name of the sole witness to the occurrence is not mentioned in Allen's book.
In 2000, a TV-movie titled Possessed
, based largely on Allen's book, was made about the case. Father Bowdern was played by Timothy Dalton
.
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
Roman Catholic priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He was the author of The Problems of Courtship and Marriage printed by Our Sunday Visitor
Our Sunday Visitor
Our Sunday Visitor is a Roman Catholic publishing company in Huntington, Indiana which prints the American national weekly newspaper of that name, as well as numerous Catholic periodicals, religious books, pamphlets, catechetical materials, inserts for parish bulletins and offertory envelopes....
in 1939. He was a graduate of and taught at St. Louis University High School; he also taught at St. Louis University. Bowdern was the lead exorcist
Exorcist
In some religions an exorcist is a person who is believed to be able to cast out the devil or other demons. A priest, a nun, a monk, a healer, a shaman or other specially prepared or instructed person can be an exorcist...
in the exorcism
Exorcism
Exorcism is the religious practice of evicting demons or other spiritual entities from a person or place which they are believed to have possessed...
of Robbie Mannheim a thirteen-year-old Lutheran boy in 1949; the case became the basis of William Peter Blatty
William Peter Blatty
William Peter Blatty is an American writer and filmmaker. The novel The Exorcist, written in 1971, is his magnum opus; he also penned the subsequent screenplay version of the film, for which he won an Academy Award....
's novel, The Exorcist
The Exorcist
The Exorcist is a novel of supernatural suspense by William Peter Blatty, published by Harper & Row in 1971. It was inspired by a 1949 case of demonic possession and exorcism that Blatty heard about while he was a student in the class of 1950 at Georgetown University, a Jesuit school...
. Bowdern was assisted in the exorcism by fellow Jesuit priest Father Walter Halloran
Walter Halloran
Father Walter Halloran, SJ was a Jesuit Roman Catholic Christian priest who, at the age of twenty-six, assisted in the exorcism of Robbie Mannheim, a thirteen year old Lutheran boy in St. Louis, Missouri who it is said became possessed after using a Ouija board...
.
Exorcism
The boy allegedly became possessed after being introduced to a Ouija BoardOuija
The Ouija board also known as a spirit/fire key board or talking board, is a flat board marked with the letters of the alphabet, the numbers 0-9, the words "yes", "no", "hello" and "goodbye", and other symbols and words are sometimes also added to help personalize the board...
by his spiritualist aunt, who was also a very close friend. Following the death of his aunt, the boy — named in records only as "Robbie" and sometimes referred to simply as "R" — began using the Ouija Board on an increasingly obsessive basis. Unusual auditory phenomena began to occur, which according to Thomas B. Allen's book Possessed: The True Story of an Exorcism, sounded like "a dripping tap". The noises continued and seemed to center on the bedroom of Robbie's grandmother, whose name is not mentioned in the records. Later the manifestations escalated to scratching noises emanating from the walls of the house. Robbie's father allegedly dismantled entire walls in search of the noises' source, which he presumed to be rats nesting. After the family's Lutheran minister advised them to seek Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
help, two exorcisms were performed on separate occasions. The first exorcism ended dramatically after Robbie was restrained in a bed in a Catholic hospital. During the rite
Rite
A rite is an established, ceremonious, usually religious act. Rites in this sense fall into three major categories:* rites of passage, generally changing an individual's social status, such as marriage, baptism, or graduation....
s, Robbie slipped one of his hands out of the restraints; he then broke a bedspring from under the mattress and used it as an impromptu weapon, slashing the priest's arm from wrist to shoulder and causing a wound that required over one hundred stitches.
When author William Peter Blatty was investigating the reported case of exorcism in St. Louis, he received a letter from Father Bowdern saying that, although Blatty's intentions were good, he would not assist in the project because of a vow he had made to protect the boy's identity. He further wrote that "the only thing I can tell you is that the case I was involved in was the real thing. I had no doubt about it then, and have no doubt about it now."
Although Father Bowdern remained convinced until his death in 1983, Father Walter Halloran
Walter Halloran
Father Walter Halloran, SJ was a Jesuit Roman Catholic Christian priest who, at the age of twenty-six, assisted in the exorcism of Robbie Mannheim, a thirteen year old Lutheran boy in St. Louis, Missouri who it is said became possessed after using a Ouija board...
later gave a statement expressing his scepticism. He claimed that he was unable to either confirm or deny that the boy was actually possessed. According to Allen's book, Halloran is alleged to have said that he saw nothing beyond that capable of a boy of Robbie's age: there was no demonstration of super-human strength (even though at one point Robbie is alleged to have broken Halloran's nose), and Robbie did not speak in tongues because Robbie (or the possessing spirit) refused to converse in Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
. On the occasions that Robbie did speak Latin, Halloran stresses that he only seemed to repeat words and phrases that he had heard numerous times during the rites of exorcism.
According to Allen, Robbie was heard on one occasion speaking Aramaic, but this is not confirmed. The name of the sole witness to the occurrence is not mentioned in Allen's book.
In 2000, a TV-movie titled Possessed
Possessed (2000 film)
Possessed is the name of a 2000 Showtime original movie starring Timothy Dalton, based on events appearing in the book Possessed by Thomas B. Allen, which is inspired by the exorcism case of Robbie Mannheim;...
, based largely on Allen's book, was made about the case. Father Bowdern was played by Timothy Dalton
Timothy Dalton
Timothy Peter Dalton ) is a Welsh actor of film and television. He is known for portraying James Bond in The Living Daylights and Licence to Kill , as well as Rhett Butler in the television miniseries Scarlett , an original sequel to Gone with the Wind...
.
Further reading
- Possessed: The True Story of an Exorcism, Thomas B. Allen, 1993, ISBN 0-553-47177-5