Theophilus Riesinger, O.F.M. Cap., also known as Francis Xavier Riesinger (February 27, 1868 - November 9, 1941) was a German-American

Capuchin friar The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (; postnominal abbr. O.F.M. Cap.) is a religious order of Franciscan friars within the Catholic Church, one of Three " First Orders" that reformed from the Franciscan Friars Minor Observant (OFM Obs., now OFM ...

and Catholic priest, who became widely known as an

exorcist In some religions, an exorcist (from the Greek „ἐξορκιστής“) is a person who is believed to be able to cast out the devil or performs the ridding of demons or other supernatural beings who are alleged to have possessed a person, ...

in the United States.

Life

Riesinger was born in Germany. He later moved to the United States where he entered the Capuchin Order. He was ordained on 29 June 1899. In the summer of 1928, due to his previous experience in dealing with possessions, he was requested by the Bishop of Des Moines to conduct the rite of

exorcism Exorcism () is the religious or spiritual practice of evicting demons, jinns, or other malevolent spiritual entities from a person, or an area, that is believed to be possessed. Depending on the spiritual beliefs of the exorcist, this may be ...

on a Anna Ecklund a 46-year-old woman who was suspected of being possessed. While preaching at a parish mission in St. Joseph Parish in Earling, Iowa, he asked the permission of the pastor to conduct the ceremony in the parish. Receiving this, he chose a convent of Franciscan Sisters on the outskirts of the town for its privacy. After 23 days of performing the exorcism, Riesinger was exhausted. Two days before Christmas of that year, he claimed the demons were driven out, and the woman cried "My Jesus! Mercy! Praised be Jesus Christ!" Reverend Pastor Joseph Steiger, who oversaw the exorcism, gave his account to Reverend Carl Vogl in Germany, who published it as a pamphlet. This piece made it back to German-speaking Catholics in the United States and was translated into English in 1935 as ''Begone Satan'' by

Celestine Kapsner Reverend Father Celestine Kapsner O.S.B. (April 29, 1892 – January 1973), was a Catholic priest and exorcist who was stationed at St. John's Abbey at Collegeville, Minnesota, in the early 1960s. Biography Father Kapsner began working with St. Joh ...

, a

Benedictine monk , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , found ...

of Saint John's Abbey in Minnesota. Soon after, in February of 1936, ''Time'' published an article covering the pamphlet. Riesinger’s account of the exorcism was recorded by acquaintance Federick J. Bunse in 1934. It was titled ''The Earling possession case: An exposition of the exorcism of 'Mary', a demoniac.'' The church did not give approval for its publication. It remained unpublished until 2020, when it was included in Joseph P. Laycock’s ''The Penguin Book of Exorcisms''. Riesinger died on November 9, 1941. A necrology of Riesinger was placed on the Internet as part of the Capuchin Heritage Series.

References

External links

Roman Catholic Books
{{DEFAULTSORT:Riesinger, Theophilus 1868 births 1941 deaths German emigrants to the United States Capuchins People from Marathon, Wisconsin 20th-century American Roman Catholic priests Catholic exorcists Writers from Wisconsin Burials in Wisconsin Catholics from Wisconsin American exorcists German exorcists