WatchListenThe Rite In 2007, the Vatican announced a new initiative to educate clergy in the rite of exorcism. Roman Catholic officials stated they wanted priests trained to expel demons in every diocese to handle the estimated half-million exorcism requests the Church receives annually. Matt Baglio, a reporter in Rome, was intrigued by the announcement and spent time with an American priest undergoing this training. The result was his nonfiction book The Rite: The Making of a Modern Exorcist. And The Rite, in turn, is a cinematic fictionalization "inspired by [the] true events" Baglio wrote about.
This intense spiritual thriller revolves around two dramatically different characters. Michael Kovak is a seminarian on the verge of taking his priestly vows … or dropping out due to doubts about God's existence. Father Lucas, in contrast, is a veteran—and unconventional—Italian exorcist. Their paths cross when Michael's priest suggests that he spend a few months in Rome participating in the Church's new training class for exorcists, which he hopes will allay Michael's spiritual questions.
Father Lucas immediately invites Michael to witness an attempted exorcism of Rosaria, a pregnant 16-year-old girl. The girl's exorcism is a work in progress, we learn, one that could take anywhere from months to years. The key, Lucas says, is getting the demonic entity to divulge its name, which in turn gives the priest the authority (in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit) to expel it permanently.
The demon is not cooperating. And Michael is skeptical. He peppers Lucas with questions about how someone can know whether a person is truly possessed or merely mentally ill. Even as Rosaria exhibits behavior that can only be attributed to supernatural means—she knows things about Michael she could not possibly have figured out on her own, for example—Michael clings to his conviction that what she really needs is psychiatric help, not spiritual deliverance. Joining him in that skepticism is Angeline, a journalist who wants to write about the church's renewed emphasis on exorcism.
When things go from bad to worse for Rosaria, Michael and Father Lucas find themselves vulnerable to a terrifying demonic assault. And if they are to survive, Michael must once and for all lay to rest his unbelief.
Because, as Father Lucas warns, "Choosing not to believe in the devil won't protect you from him."
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New MTV Show 'Skins' Demonstrates Challenges Facing Parents NECEDAH, Wis., Jan. 28, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- Many parents today are greatly confused about what it takes to raise their children as Christians.
The myriad ways the culture actively undermines even their best efforts only compounds the situation. For instance, on January 17, MTV debuted the controversial new show "Skins," which drew a staggering 3.3 million viewers and featured graphic portrayals of underage drug abuse and sexual activity. It joins a litany of other shows glorifying sexual license such as, "Desperate Housewives," "Two and a Half Men," "Gossip Girl," and syndicated reruns of "Sex and the City," not to mention hit music rife with suggestive and misogynistic lyrics.
It is not just the popular culture that inhibits parents' efforts, either. Relativistic attitudes, materialism, and an increasingly permissive society make it very difficult for parents to enable their children to understand the importance of swimming against the tide.
One book that seeks to help change this is Parenting on Purpose! by Jason Free, the new release from MercySong distributed by Catholic Word Publisher Group. The soft-cover, 184 page book gives parents specific ways to raise their children as real Christians.
According to Free, the book helps parents guide children into "a lasting and fulfilling relationship with God" and away from the attractions of false forms of culture. Featuring often humorous advice on how to build relationships, prayer, a non-materialistic worldview, and, yes, a desire for chastity, each chapter concludes with practical tips on how to put that advice into action.
"Many of us parents worry we are bad parents," says Free. "Most of us aren't, but we are confused. We want our kids to be happy and to be good, responsible Christians. However, with all the conflicting messages out there -- be permissive or not; be strict or not -- we don't know how to help them get there.
"Parenting on Purpose! helps parents develop a personal plan to lead their kids to an awareness of their Christian identity so that that our values, beliefs, and attitudes will become as natural to them as breathing. So will rejecting obstacles to their happiness such as shows like 'Skins.'"
Catholic Word is a publisher group of over 20 Catholic publishers and music producers whose joint mission is to bring souls closer to Christ through the Catholic Church. A few of their best-selling authors include Jeff Cavins, Fr. Donald Calloway, Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, Matt Pinto, and Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle. Christian Newswire
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In 2007, the Vatican announced a new initiative to educate clergy in the rite of exorcism. Roman Catholic officials stated they wanted priests trained to expel demons in every diocese to handle the estimated half-million exorcism requests the Church receives annually. Matt Baglio, a reporter in Rome, was intrigued by the announcement and spent time with an American priest undergoing this training. The result was his nonfiction book The Rite: The Making of a Modern Exorcist. And The Rite, in turn, is a cinematic fictionalization "inspired by [the] true events" Baglio wrote about.
This intense spiritual thriller revolves around two dramatically different characters. Michael Kovak is a seminarian on the verge of taking his priestly vows … or dropping out due to doubts about God's existence. Father Lucas, in contrast, is a veteran—and unconventional—Italian exorcist. Their paths cross when Michael's priest suggests that he spend a few months in Rome participating in the Church's new training class for exorcists, which he hopes will allay Michael's spiritual questions.
Father Lucas immediately invites Michael to witness an attempted exorcism of Rosaria, a pregnant 16-year-old girl. The girl's exorcism is a work in progress, we learn, one that could take anywhere from months to years. The key, Lucas says, is getting the demonic entity to divulge its name, which in turn gives the priest the authority (in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit) to expel it permanently.
The demon is not cooperating. And Michael is skeptical. He peppers Lucas with questions about how someone can know whether a person is truly possessed or merely mentally ill. Even as Rosaria exhibits behavior that can only be attributed to supernatural means—she knows things about Michael she could not possibly have figured out on her own, for example—Michael clings to his conviction that what she really needs is psychiatric help, not spiritual deliverance. Joining him in that skepticism is Angeline, a journalist who wants to write about the church's renewed emphasis on exorcism.
When things go from bad to worse for Rosaria, Michael and Father Lucas find themselves vulnerable to a terrifying demonic assault. And if they are to survive, Michael must once and for all lay to rest his unbelief.
Because, as Father Lucas warns, "Choosing not to believe in the devil won't protect you from him."
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New MTV Show 'Skins' Demonstrates Challenges Facing Parents
NECEDAH, Wis., Jan. 28, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- Many parents today are greatly confused about what it takes to raise their children as Christians.
The myriad ways the culture actively undermines even their best efforts only compounds the situation. For instance, on January 17, MTV debuted the controversial new show "Skins," which drew a staggering 3.3 million viewers and featured graphic portrayals of underage drug abuse and sexual activity. It joins a litany of other shows glorifying sexual license such as, "Desperate Housewives," "Two and a Half Men," "Gossip Girl," and syndicated reruns of "Sex and the City," not to mention hit music rife with suggestive and misogynistic lyrics.
It is not just the popular culture that inhibits parents' efforts, either. Relativistic attitudes, materialism, and an increasingly permissive society make it very difficult for parents to enable their children to understand the importance of swimming against the tide.
One book that seeks to help change this is Parenting on Purpose! by Jason Free, the new release from MercySong distributed by Catholic Word Publisher Group. The soft-cover, 184 page book gives parents specific ways to raise their children as real Christians.
According to Free, the book helps parents guide children into "a lasting and fulfilling relationship with God" and away from the attractions of false forms of culture. Featuring often humorous advice on how to build relationships, prayer, a non-materialistic worldview, and, yes, a desire for chastity, each chapter concludes with practical tips on how to put that advice into action.
"Many of us parents worry we are bad parents," says Free. "Most of us aren't, but we are confused. We want our kids to be happy and to be good, responsible Christians. However, with all the conflicting messages out there -- be permissive or not; be strict or not -- we don't know how to help them get there.
"Parenting on Purpose! helps parents develop a personal plan to lead their kids to an awareness of their Christian identity so that that our values, beliefs, and attitudes will become as natural to them as breathing. So will rejecting obstacles to their happiness such as shows like 'Skins.'"
Catholic Word is a publisher group of over 20 Catholic publishers and music producers whose joint mission is to bring souls closer to Christ through the Catholic Church. A few of their best-selling authors include Jeff Cavins, Fr. Donald Calloway, Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, Matt Pinto, and Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle.
Christian Newswire