by Eileen Quinn Knight, Ph.D. Profiles in Catholicism
Dr. Knight: Would you please share with us your early Catholic formation.
Archbishop Enright: On the day of my confirmation, in the early 60s, I was given a sign from God before the consecrated elements in Holy Communion, the Holy Eucharist, was offered to me in the mass. As the Bishop approached the altar rail and extended his arm out just before receiving it, he stumbled and replaced the Host with another. Even then, at the tender age of 7, I can still remember my mother asking me what my impressions were because it was something she had never witnessed. My mother was raised in a Catholic orphanage in upstate New York during the depression and believed in supernatural things.
Dr. Knight: Please tell us the significance of your high school years in formation.
Archbishop Enright: I've always been goal-oriented, following a particular direction, and motivated by an inner feeling of purpose.
Dr. Knight: You went to college and joined the seminary. How did you make that decision?
Archbishop Enright: Following the path that I believe was laid out and created by what I believe to be a divine sign from God many years ago.
Dr. Knight: You were called by God to be a priest. What is the significance of your call to be a follower of Christ? To be an exorcist?
Archbishop Enright: When I received God's calling to serve, it was many years before receiving Holy Orders; I had a vision from God. I had no idea that the ministry of exorcism would be part of my journey. It all started with a supernatural event that occurred when I was 11 years old. I was in the bathroom taking a shower when a blinding bright light came through the bathroom window, and as I closed my eyes, I saw myself wearing black clothing with a Roman collar and serving as a parish priest. Many years later, I made inquiries regarding the ministry of exorcism in the Church. I was assigned a mature mentor and was a bishop with many years as an experienced exorcist. I was his assistant for four years and was appointed the exorcist for that jurisdiction. In 1982, I created what is now known as "the process" for requested case assessments, and in that same year started the Order of Exorcists, which is now an international ministry with members in 24 countries.
Dr. Knight: You spent formation finding out your abilities and gifts through discernment. How was your discernment helpful to you personally?
Archbishop Enright: Discernment is something that develops over the years in profiling people who make claims of supernatural events, such as demonic possession and other related issues. It's a valuable tool, especially in this ministry where the decisions you make may be a matter of life or death, especially if the individual has psychological issues other than demonic. If the victim has a chemical imbalance psychosis and is not demonic, we would feed into his delusions, leading to possible suicide.
Dr. Knight: Do you think/feel that your life is somewhat a mosaic of your different gifts?
Archbishop Enright: God has created us in his image, which gives us a multitude of many gifts. Among discernment comes a deep understanding of being intuitive and a sense of well-being in interacting with others.
Dr. Knight: What do you want the readers to understand after reading this interview about being an exorcist?
Archbishop Enright: Being an Exorcist is NOT a career anyone can or would pursue, but a divine calling. This calling from God is necessary to succeed in a positive outcome for the ritual of exorcism. As a Sinner and an unworthy servant to God, I am blessed to be called for this ministry. My ultimate goal is to hear those words at the end of my journey when God will say, 'Well done, good and faithful servant.
Dr. Knight: What are some of the challenges of the future Church?
Archbishop Enright: The acknowledgment of "Dominus Iesus of 2000 AD" Declaration of the Holy See by then-Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (now-Benedict XVI, Pope emeritus) and Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone under the then-Pontificate of His Holiness John Paull II. "One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism, One Church, Churches that remain united to the Catholic Church by means of the closest bonds of Apostolic Succession and a valid Eucharist are true particular Churches."
We all need to unite in this battle of good versus evil; demons do exist, and we must prepare ourselves as the Army of God for the battle at hand.
Dr. Knight: What are some of the joys you've experienced as a writer of your new book?
Archbishop Enright: This is my first book which took me 41 years to write. I'm happy to complete this book as part of my legacy. I'm anticipating a lot of criticism because exorcisms are strictly confidential, and details should never be shared publicly.
Dr. Knight: As a priest what are some of the duties that you perform/pray?
Archbishop Enright: Besides the usual house blessings, celebrating mass, exorcism rituals, and demonic assessments, I believe in the power of prayer because I've seen many miracles, and I know I will see many more. I pray now that the peace of God will be you and everyone who is reading this article. Amen.
Dr. Knight: Thank you so much for offering us this interview and letting us see all the good works that an exorcist .does for us all,