Michael, the Archangel ‘Intervention’

When Bowdern started the exorcism rites, Roland began to spit at the priests, threatening them with violence, commanding them to leave and making sexual proposition towards them. Undeterred, Bowdern and Hollaran recited the exorcism prayers every night straight for full three weeks. The priests that kept the diary of the exorcism were injured and recorded the blow taken by him. “It was far beyond the strength of an ordinary child of his age.” In the act of desperation, as Roland kept swearing and his mouth was foaming, Bowdern says “The hell with it, just use a ball gag!” in order to shut Roland’s mouth.

Bowdern, Hollaran and the priests were tired. It almost three week of exorcism rites performed on Roland but there are no significant results. They were seemed to lose hope on Roland. The marks and scratches continued to appear on Roland’s body. Sometimes forming words, sometimes not. But the priests won’t give up; they tried other methods, which is to give Roland communion wafer. Initially, Roland decline the wafer, but one day without reason Roland accept the communion wafer, shocked the priests around him. But the result was not as expected, Roland’s aggressiveness intensifies and to the extent that Roland seems to levitate, bringing much surprise to the priests.

But then, days later, in the middle of one of the worst displays of violence and hatred the priests ever seen, Roland for the first time in many days spoke in a clear voice “Satan! Satan! I am Saint Michael, and I command you, Satan and the other evil spirits, to leave the body now”. The priests believe that Saint Michael, the archangel in Christianity, helped them by purging the child’s body. After what was believe to be the intervention of Michael, Roland attended mass for the first time and he seems at ease. Then the family went back to Cottage City and Roland Doe grow up and become a normal person, rumored says that he worked with NASA when he was adult but all the information was a secret as Father Bowdern vowed to protect Roland’s identity.