Hawaii Catholic Herald
Mention the word “exorcism,” and most people probably think of splashy horror films with scenes too graphic to describe.
In fact, exorcism is a long-established practice in the Catholic Church, traceable to the ministry of Jesus Christ and of his disciples, acting in his name. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops describes exorcism as “a specific form of prayer that the church uses against the power of the devil.”
With the ministry of exorcism comes, naturally, exorcists, or those who are authorized to carry out exorcisms. The Diocese of Honolulu has partnered with HIM — Hawaiian Islands Ministries, a local faith-based organization — to host an internationally recognized exorcist for a series of talks in Honolulu this month.
Father John Szada of the Diocese of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, will give a public presentation at 6:30 p.m. May 14 at Sacred Heart Church in Honolulu in which he will discuss “the demonic: oppression, obsession and possession, how to tell if it’s spiritual or psychological, and what we can do in our everyday lives.”
“An Evening with An Exorcist: Life in the Spirit 2025” is advised for mature audiences. People can register online at himonline.org.
The day before his public talk, Father Szada will lead a workshop on exorcism for priests in the Honolulu diocese.
Msgr. Gary Secor, vicar general of the Diocese of Honolulu, said that “for some time now, the diocese has been receiving inquiries from persons who feel that they are being afflicted with some kind of satanic oppression. They either contact us directly or talk to their parish priest who refers them to the diocese.”
Priests have been seeking more information on how to minister to such individuals, Msgr. Secor said. “Almost all the cases we have experienced here are not full possessions requiring exorcism, but certainly situations where there is some demonic affliction needing deliverance, prayer, confession, etc.”
Similarly, Msgr. Secor said, HIM co-founder Dan Chun had sensed “that many evangelical Christians are looking for answers in dealing with the demonic (and know) that the Catholic Church has centuries of experience in this regard.”
Thus, Chun and Msgr. Secor — who are longtime friends — worked together to find an exorcist who could speak to lay faithful as well as clergy.
“If we do not believe in the devil then he has already won half the battle,” said Chun, a Presbyterian minister who founded HIM in 1983 with wife Pam, who is Catholic. “At the seminar we will hear how the evil one uses many portals to bring people into his realm … (the) seminar will alert us to the traps and give us hope, increased faith and tools to free people from the devil.”
Father Szada offered similar sentiments on the seemingly outsize role the devil is playing in the world today.
“It seems, for many different reasons, the demonic has grown very public,” he told the Hawaii Catholic Herald. “These are uncertain times, and with the loss of faith on the part of so many, demons take advantage of the confusion.”
As the Diocese of Harrisburg’s designated exorcist, Father Szada looks into requests for spiritual deliverance and recommends treatment to local parish priests.
“I also then actually conduct deliverance prayer sessions and when necessary, do the solemn rite of exorcism,” he said.
Father Szada holds a Ph.D. in psychology, which he said “makes my perspective on these matters a little different and in-depth from different points of view.”
Indeed, Chun said that when he and Msgr. Secor were looking for an exorcist to bring to Hawaii, they were hoping to find one who had a Ph.D. in psychology and who could determine “if someone had mental illness or if someone was demonically possessed.”
In addition to his appearance in Hawaii, Father Szada said he speaks elsewhere as he is invited and as his schedule allows. In September he will speak to the International Association of Exorcists in Rome.
“I hope people take seriously the existence and influence of the demonic, especially in everyday life,” he said. “The devil is real and so are his attacks.”
