Father william bowdern biography

American Catholic exorcist (1897–1983)

William S. Bowdern (February 13, 1897 – April 25, 1983) was a Catholic priest^[1] 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 graduate of and taught at St. Louis University High School; he also taught at Saint Louis University.

Bowdern participated in an exorcism of Roland Doe in 1949. The incident became the basis of William Peter Blatty's 1971 novel The Exorcist.

Exorcism

Main article: Exorcism of Roland Doe

In 1949, Bowdern was assisted in the exorcism of an anonymously named boy by fellow Jesuit priest Walter Halloran. Author William Peter Blatty contacted Bowdern as part of his research for his novel The Exorcist. In a 2000 TV movie titled Possessed, Bowdern was played by Timothy Dalton.^[2][3]

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By Fr. Jerry Pokorsky ( bio - articles - email ) | Sep 28, 2021

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Archivists reveal the truth behind Exorcist myth

According to University archivists John Waide and Randy McGuire, almost every Halloween sparks interest in a diabolical episode in Saint Louis University’s history.

The archivists say that records show that more than 60 years ago SLU housed a supposedly demonically possessed boy whose story would inspire the film The Exorcist. Rumors have spread about the incident ever since, and now Waide and McGuire want to set the record straight.

“People always want to go with the story they believe most,” Waide said. “Sometimes stories get exaggerated over time.”

On Tuesday, Waide and McGuire gave a talk on the history of SLU’s connection to the exorcism. The presentation was held in the Grand Hall on the fourth floor of DuBourg Hall, which has been falsely rumored to have been the site of the exorcism.

The possessed boy, whom Waide and McGuire referred to as Robbie, only spent about four or five days at SLU. He grew up in Cottage Hill, Md., just outside of Washington, D.C. According to Waide, in January 1949, scratching sounds began to plague Robbie’s room and other strange things started to happen.

His bed shook, and objects mysteriously relocated themselves to various places in the house