The Roland Doe Exorcism of St. Louis

In the spring of 1949, a teenage boy known by the pseudonym Roland Doe underwent one of the most thoroughly documented exorcism procedures in American Catholic history. The case, which began in Maryland and concluded in St. Louis, Missouri, involved multiple priests, dozens of witnesses, and phenomena that participants described as unmistakably supernatural. The events later inspired William Peter Blatty’s novel “The Exorcist” and the subsequent film.

Background

Roland was a fourteen-year-old boy living in Cottage City, Maryland, a suburb of Washington D.C. He was described as an only child who had been particularly close to his Aunt Harriet, a woman with interests in spiritualism and the occult. She had taught Roland to use a Ouija board, and the two had conducted sessions together attempting to contact the dead.

In January 1949, Aunt Harriet died unexpectedly. Shortly after her death, strange occurrences began in the household. The family heard scratching sounds in the walls, initially attributed to rodents. Objects moved on their own. Roland’s bed shook violently while he slept. The disturbances seemed centered on the boy.

Escalating Phenomena

As weeks passed, the phenomena intensified. Roland’s mattress slid across the floor with him on it. Heavy furniture moved without visible cause. Objects flew through the air. Scratching sounds followed Roland wherever he went.

The family consulted their Lutheran minister, Reverend Luther Miles Schulze, who allowed Roland to spend a night at his home for observation. That night, Schulze witnessed the boy’s heavy armchair move across the floor with Roland seated in it. Objects flew off shelves. The minister later reported that he heard scratching sounds coming from within the walls throughout the night.

Schulze recommended the family seek Catholic help, as the Catholic Church had established protocols for dealing with such phenomena. The family contacted priests at Georgetown University in Washington.

Initial Catholic Response

Jesuit priests from Georgetown evaluated Roland and observed enough phenomena to recommend an exorcism. Father E. Albert Hughes was assigned to perform the ritual. During an early session, Roland allegedly slipped one hand free of his restraints and slashed Father Hughes’s arm with a piece of bedspring, requiring over one hundred stitches. The priest withdrew from the case.

The family then relocated to St. Louis, where they had relatives. They sought help from the Catholic Church there, hoping for a fresh start.

The St. Louis Exorcism

In St. Louis, the case came to the attention of Father William Bowdern, a Jesuit priest at Saint Louis University. Bowdern assembled a team that included Father Walter Halloran, Father William Van Roo, and other Jesuits. They began what would become over thirty exorcism sessions conducted between March and April 1949.

Father Halloran, who was present for many sessions, later described what he witnessed. Roland’s body contorted in impossible ways. Words appeared scratched into his skin from within, including the word “HELL” and other phrases in red welts. The boy spoke in voices not his own and demonstrated knowledge he could not have possessed.

During sessions, Roland’s body allegedly levitated above the bed. His face transformed, becoming bestial or ancient. The temperature in the room fluctuated wildly. Objects moved. The boy displayed extraordinary strength, requiring multiple adults to restrain him.

The Diary

Father Raymond Bishop, one of the Jesuits involved, kept a detailed diary of the proceedings. This document, which surfaced decades later, provided day-by-day accounts of the exorcism sessions. The diary described the phenomena witnessed, the prayers employed, and Roland’s responses.

According to the diary, the entity possessing Roland identified itself in various ways at different times. It reacted violently to holy water, sacred objects, and Latin prayers. It demonstrated knowledge of the priests’ personal histories and secrets.

The Conclusion

After weeks of sessions, the exorcism reached its climax on April 18, 1949. According to witnesses, Roland suddenly spoke in a clear, loud voice different from the demonic voices heard previously. He announced, “Satan! Satan! I am Saint Michael, and I command you, Satan, and the other evil spirits, to leave the body, in the name of Dominus. Immediately! Now! Now! Now!”

Roland then became calm. He reported that he had experienced a vision of a brilliant white figure driving out a dark presence. The phenomena ceased and never returned. Roland was released from the hospital and returned to a normal life.

Aftermath

Roland Doe went on to live an ordinary life. He married, had children, and worked for NASA. He reportedly never discussed the events of 1949 and may not have remembered them clearly. He died in 2020.

Father Halloran, who lived until 2005, gave interviews about the case in his later years. He remained convinced that the phenomena were genuine. He acknowledged some details in “The Exorcist” film were fictionalized but maintained that the core events he witnessed were real and supernatural.

The Exorcist Connection

William Peter Blatty, a Georgetown University alumnus, heard about the case while a student there. The story stayed with him for decades. In 1971, he published “The Exorcist,” a novel that fictionalized and dramatized the events. The 1973 film adaptation became one of the most successful horror films ever made.

Blatty changed the possessed child from a boy to a girl and relocated events to Georgetown. Many specific phenomena in the novel and film—the bed shaking, words appearing on skin, impossible contortions—were drawn from accounts of the Roland Doe case.

Historical Assessment

The Roland Doe case remains controversial. Skeptics suggest the phenomena could be explained by adolescent psychological disturbance, trickery, or exaggeration by religiously predisposed witnesses. The boy was never evaluated by independent psychiatrists, and no secular investigators examined the case at the time.

Believers point to the number of witnesses, the consistency of accounts, and the physical evidence—scratches, injuries, moved objects—as supporting genuine supernatural activity. The involvement of educated Jesuit priests lends credibility to the accounts.

The case stands as one of the most documented possession claims in American history, whatever its ultimate explanation. Its cultural impact through “The Exorcist” ensures it remains part of popular consciousness, while the underlying events continue to be debated by researchers and believers alike.