Raymond J. Bishop (January 15, 1906 – February 19, 1978) was a Catholic

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

who was one of the several involved in the case of exorcising a boy in Maryland, who allegedly was possessed after using a

ouija board The ouija ( , ), also known as a spirit board or talking board, is a flat board marked with the letters of the Latin alphabet, the numbers 0–9, the words "yes", "no", occasionally "hello" and "goodbye", along with various symbols and grap ...

. The case inspired author

William Peter Blatty William Peter Blatty (January 7, 1928 – January 12, 2017) was an American writer, director and producer. He is best known for his 1971 novel, ''The Exorcist'', and for his 1974 screenplay for the film adaptation of the same name. Blatty won ...

to write his 1971 novel ''

The Exorcist ''The Exorcist'' is a 1973 American supernatural horror film directed by William Friedkin and written for the screen by William Peter Blatty, based on his 1971 novel of the same name. It stars Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Lee J. Cobb, Kitty W ...

''.

Life

In 1949, Father Bishop taught at St. Louis University, where one of his female students asked for help concerning her 13-year-old cousin (for reasons of anonymity referred to by the pseudonym Robbie Mannheim), who she said had been experiencing supernatural attacks after playing with a ouija board, and who had gone through one unsuccessful exorcism. Bishop contacted his close friend, Father

William S. Bowdern William S. Bowdern (February 13, 1897 - April 25, 1983) was a Catholic priest of the Society of Jesus in St. Louis, Missouri. He was the author of ''The Problems of Courtship and Marriage'' printed by ''Our Sunday Visitor'' in 1939. He was a gradua ...

, and they performed another exorcism on the boy. In the 1950s, Bishop was sent to Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, where he taught for more than 20 years. He died on February 19, 1978, in Nebraska.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bishop, Raymond J. 1906 births 1978 deaths Catholic exorcists Saint Louis University faculty Creighton University faculty 20th-century American Roman Catholic priests American exorcists