The Biblical Roots of Exorcism and Its Meaning for Ministry Today

THE BIBLICAL ROOTS OF EXORCISM AND ITS MEANING FOR MINISTRY TODAY

On September 28, at 7 p.m. in the Maas Center auditorium the Saint Benedict Institute hosted a lecture with Father Vincent P. Lampert, Priest and Exorcist for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, Indiana.

In the public imagination exorcism is the stuff of horror movies. The work of real-life exorcists, however, is much less sensational and much more pastoral, as the Rite of Exorcism is part of the healing ministry of the Roman Catholic Church.

The Saint Benedict Institute hosted the lecture “The Biblical Roots of Exorcism and Its Meaning for Ministry Today” by Father Vincent Lampert on Thursday, Sept. 28, at 7 p.m. in the Maas Center auditorium at Hope College. The talk addressed the definition and kinds of exorcism, the biblical basis for the ministry of exorcism, defense against the demonic, types and signs of demonic activity, and how this ministry relates to mental health questions.

“Evil is real. The devil is real. Jesus talks about the devil more than anyone else in Scripture. We shouldn't be fearful, but we should be knowledgeable,” said Dr. Jared Ortiz, assistant professor of religion at Hope College and director of the Saint Benedict Institute. “There has been an increasing demand for exorcists around the world and an increasing number of movies and television shows about them. We wanted to invite someone to speak to this phenomenon soberly and from a biblical point of view.”

Lampert is a priest and exorcist for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, Indiana. He currently serves as a pastor to St. Malachy Catholic Church in Brownsburg, Indiana.

The address was co-sponsored by the college’s Department of Religion, Campus Ministries program and Center for Ministry Studies.

If you missed the talk you can watch it below or on our videos page.

Meet the Priest

MEET THE PRIEST

Meet the Priest: An Interview with Fr. Nicholas Monco, O.P., Saint Benedict Institute’s New Chaplain

Where are you from and where did you go to college?

I was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. I went to  Claremont McKenna College where I double majored in philosophy and economics so as to be able to feed body and soul upon graduation.

When did you know you wanted to be a priest?

The basic desire to do whatever was most important in life was there since I first had any ambitions at all. The calling to priesthood didn’t explicitly start to emerge until senior year of high school and I managed to resist it until my senior year in college.

Could you say a little bit about your faith journey?

Growing up my family went to Mass every Sunday (even on vacation) and my father would pray with me every night before we went to bed until I was in about fifth grade. Despite the somewhat pious upbringing and a strong sense of duty I would not have described myself as personally pious. I did not protest going to Mass but I cannot ever remember looking forward to the experience or feeling anything when I prayed. In fact, from about the age of five I became very interested in money and girls—two obsessions left unabated until senior year of high school.

When I was a junior in high school I began reading some of the works of St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas, which I happened to find on the bookshelves in my room. It was a revelation. For the first time in my life I encountered intelligent people who wrote intelligent things about theology and I experienced the beauty of truth. That started to awaken things in my heart that had been dormant for a very long time. At the beginning of senior year of high school I made a good, long overdue confession. It felt great but that was quickly followed by a short and intense period of spiritual darkness that wrought the deepest part of the conversion. As the darkness lifted what remained was desire to pray, to go to Mass, and to love God in general.

What is your favorite Scripture verse?

One of my all-time favorites has to be Jeremiah 6:16: “Stand by the ancient road, ask the pathways of old, ‘Which is the way unto good?’ and follow it and you will find rest for your souls.”

What is the biggest challenge young people face?

That’s like asking, “Who is the most dishonest person in government?” So many choices.  A top contender would be a culture that promotes disconnection or superficial connections between people as opposed to deep and lasting friendships.

What Catholic devotion is most fruitful for you?

Offering Mass. If I could keep only one spiritual practice in my life it would be that. It grounds everything else.

What advice would you give a young person thinking of a religious vocation? Marriage?

Jesus said, “If you are faithful in little things you will be faithful in great ones.” Do the little stuff right every day and the big questions will sort themselves out. That means daily prayer, Mass at least once a week, regular confession, and works of mercy.

Habemus Sacerdotem! We Have a Priest!

Habemus Sacerdotem! We Have a Priest!

The Saint Benedict Institute is delighted to announce: We have a priest!  Fr. Nicholas Monco, O.P. has been appointed as the Saint Benedict Institute chaplain with a full-time ministry to Hope College.  He begins his ministry on August 1. 

Fr. Nick was born and raised in Chicago.  He went to Claremont McKenna College in California where he majored in philosophy and business.  He then pursued the priesthood with the Dominican Order of the Midwest Province.  He received a Master of Theology and Master of Divinity degree from the Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, MO, where he also earned a Certificate in Thomistic Studies.  He was ordained in 2013 and has taught Theology at Fenwick High School in Oak Park, IL, for the past four years.

We feel particularly blessed to have Fr. Nick join the Saint Benedict Institute staff.  Once the school year begins, Fr. Nick will offer daily Mass on campus, frequent confession, and weekly adoration.  He will lead Bible studies and the rosary as well as the Vocation Discernment Program.  Fr. Nick will be essential for our goal of forming students intellectually and spiritually so that they will be thoughtful and joyful witnesses to Christ's love.

We also feel particularly blessed to have so many friends and benefactors praying for us and supporting us financially.  We could not have done this without you!  That said, we still need your help!  Please keep praying for this ministry so that Fr. Nick will reach the students God wants him to reach.  And please consider supporting us financially, either through a one-time donation or by joining our monthly giving program, the Saint Benedict Society.  Your prayers and financial support will ensure that this ministry will continue.

Thank you and God bless you!

In the News: Catholic Faith at Hope College

In the News: Catholic Faith at Hope College

Father Bill VanderWerff joins Hope College students for dinner before an annual blessing of dorm rooms. Photo by Aaron Estelle.

As the St. Benedict Institute seeks to add a chaplain to its ranks, the leaders of this campus Catholic center at Hope College, a Christian institution of higher education in the Dutch Reformed tradition, know the ideal candidate will be someone who can form relationships with students and engage the academy in ecumenical discussion. He also should have a strong background in Scripture.

“We are guests on a Protestant campus that loves the word,” said Jared Ortiz, a Catholic assistant professor in the religion department at Hope and co-founder of the St. Benedict Institute. “And we need someone who loves Protestants.”

Read the rest at Our Sunday Visitor.

Wanted: Catholic Chaplain

We are hiring!

Since its inception, one of the Saint Benedict Institute's major goals has been to bring a Catholic priest chaplain to serve Hope College and its 600+ Catholic students. We are overjoyed to announce that we are now looking to hire for the 2017-2018 academic year!

Hope College, located in Holland, MI, was founded over 150 years ago in partnership with the Reformed Church in America. Hope is known for its rigorous academics, dynamic Christian community life, and commitment to ecumenism. The Saint Benedict Institute is an apostolate of the local Catholic parish, St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church, and the chaplain will be an employee of St. Francis de Sales in service to Hope College and the broader West Michigan community.

To download a copy of the job prospectus, click here. The position description is also included below (scroll down). Those wishing to support this mission financially may click here for more information. We thank you for your interest!

Campus Chaplain

Position Description

Mission

The Saint Benedict Institute seeks to promote and nurture intellectual work done from the heart of the Catholic Church, to foster an ecumenical community of Catholic Christians and friends committed to the renewal of culture, and to aid in the formation of intellectually and spiritually mature Christians by making available the riches of the Catholic tradition to Hope College and the wider community.

Background

The Saint Benedict Institute has a threefold mission which is intellectual, spiritual, and ecumenical. We are an apostolate of the St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church in Holland, Michigan, and we serve Hope College and the broader West Michigan community.  We sponsor a variety of programs aimed at cultivating intellectually serious Christians, forming students in the Catholic tradition, contributing to the ecumenical mission of the College, and nurturing the hearts of students so that they might learn to love God and their neighbors more deeply. Currently, we host a Catholic Speaker Series, a Catholic-Reformed Dialogue, spiritual retreats, a vocation discernment program for students considering religious life, spring break immersion trips to Haiti and inner-city Chicago, and an annual day of study.  We work closely with Hope College’s Campus Ministries and other academic departments to provide a faithful Catholic witness.  Please explore our website to see the kinds of things we do.

Description

We are seeking a priest chaplain to help establish and build the Catholic campus ministry at Hope College.  On average, twenty percent of the students at Hope College are Catholic, roughly 650 students.  Of these 650, we estimate that about 85% do not attend Mass—this is confirmed by the national average (Pew Research) and our own observations.  The priest chaplain will be responsible for building a credible Catholic witness on Hope’s campus, one which strengthens the faithful Catholic students, draws in the lapsed Catholics, and embraces the non-Catholic students in ecumenical friendship. This priest would be responsible for forming Catholic students as faithful Catholic witnesses in an ecumenical environment and would work closely with the local Catholic parish and Hope College’s Protestant campus ministers to deepen the commitment of all students to the faith we hold in common.  The Catholic chaplain would work to foster a Catholic spiritual rhythm that works in harmony with the ecumenical character of Hope College.  Start date would be August 1, 2017

Responsibilities    

• Celebrate daily and weekend Mass, train altar servers, and cultivate a love of reverent liturgy

• Encourage and offer regular Confession

• Provide opportunities for Eucharistic Adoration

• Lead Bible studies and Catholic devotions (e.g., rosary, Divine Office, processions, etc.)

• Lead the Vocation Discernment Program, including weekly prayer and direction

• Offer spiritual direction and informal counseling to students

• Foster a sense of Catholic community

• Bear robust witness to the joy of being Catholic and the beauty of Catholic traditions

• Engage in formal and informal ecumenical dialogue on campus and in the community

• Train students to engage in peer-to-peer ministry

• Organize service opportunities

• Supervise lay Catholic volunteers and missionaries (e.g., FOCUS)

• Participate in and bless Saint Benedict Institute events

• Collaborate with Catholic priests at St. Francis de Sales Church

• Partner with Hope College’s Campus Ministry to coordinate efforts

• Preach occasionally at Hope College’s chapel services

• Partner in Saint Benedict Institute fundraising initiatives

Qualifications

• A Catholic priest in good standing

• A pastoral vision guided by Evangelii Gaudium

• A theological vision that accords with Ex Corde Ecclesiae

• A deep love of Scripture and fluency in it (see Verbum Domini)

• Solid understanding of faith development and the spiritual needs of emerging adults

• Experience working in ecumenical environments and a commitment to the receptive ecumenism St. John Paul II articulates in Ut Unum Sint

• Ability to preach well and connect to large and small audiences

• Ability to present the faith in a winsome and irenic manner

• Fluency in Spanish, while not required, is a bonus

Application

Open applications accepted until the position is filled. Please send all materials to the Executive Director, Dr. Jared Ortiz, at jared.ortiz@saintbenedictinstitute.org.  Please provide:

• a curriculum vitae,

• a list of three references with contact information (one reference should be a superior; another should be a student or parishioner you have worked with),

• a list of the five most important books you’ve read with a brief explanation of why,

• an answer to the following:

In light of the mission of the Saint Benedict Institute and the unique ecumenical environment of Hope College, how would you help build a Catholic culture that ministers to a community with a wide range of faith commitments? (Please answer in 500 +/- words.)