Many people know the horror classic "The Exorcist" directed by William Friedkin. And many people, at least from St. Louis, know that the book the movie was based on was based from an exorcism that happened right here in St. Louis. The story began in 1949 in a small town in Maryland named Cottage City when a boy under the alias Robbie Mannheim or Roland Doe experienced strange symptoms and circumstances for over four months after apparently interacting with a Ouija board with an Aunt Tillie which included:

• strange sounds (water dripping, scratching, scraping, footsteps)

• objects moving (desks sliding, pictures shaking, objects flying across the room, etc.)

• Injuries and sensations (speaking Latin, claw-like sensations, scratches on his body)

Robbie's parents took him to see a medical doctor, a psychologist, and a psychiatrist. Between February and March of 1949 he went through psychological and physical testing at Georgetown University Hospital. But the tests failed to turn up any ailments for Robbie. 

On March 9th, 1949 Robbie's mother then moved the family to St. Louis to where Aunt Tillie lived hoping to find answers. They lived in a house in Bel Nor on 8435 Roanoke Drive. William Bowdern, S.J. was a pastor at St. Francis Xavier College Church at Saint Louis University and after visiting Robbie with Raymond Bishop, S.J. who was teaching at SLU's Department of Education they sought permission from the St. Louis Archbishop Joseph Ritter to perform the formal Rite of Exorcism. Ritter allowed them. 

From March to April they went through the process of the exorcism. Throughout the exorcism Robbie had extreme reactions to it. Violent, loud, and unbelievable reactions. Throughout the process they moved him to a few different locations than the Bel Nor house. It included the the rectory of College Church (St. Francis Xavier College Church), Alexian Brothers Hospital and Jesuit's White House Retreat Center. 

On Easter Monday April 18th, 1949 after a fitful and frightening ordeal Robbie was fully exorcised at the Alexian Brothers Hospital. He had received visions of St. Michael chasing the demon/devil away.  They closed the matter after finding the exorcism a success but never spoke publicly in order to protect Robbie's identity. William Bowdern died in 1983 and is said to never have spoken publicly about his experiences in the exorcism but that he only talked about it with close friends and colleagues. 

Finally in August 1949 Lutheran minister Rev. Luther Miles Schulze who originally observed Robbie in Maryland spoke about the events in public and several news outlets including the Washington Post wrote stories. A small article was included in The Catholic Review, which ended up being the basis of William Peter Blatty's novel that then inspired the movie The Exorcist which has become a horror classic.  

The origins of the parish are intimately connected with Saint Louis University. Archbishop Joseph Rosati gave the Jesuits permission to found a parish in conjunction with Saint Louis University. On April 12, 1840, the cornerstone of the new church was laid. The church was dedicated to Saint Francis Xavier; but, it was familiarly known as the College Church. It was the first English-speaking parish in the city, and served primarily the growing Irish population of St. Louis. As the city moved west, Saint Louis University (the College had received a University charter in 1832) decided to move with it due to changes in industrialization. In 1867, property was purchased in Lindell's Grove at Grand Boulevard (then Avenue) as a new site for the University. On June 8, 1884, the cornerstone for the new church was laid. The spire on top of the tower was not completed until 1914 and the stained glass windows were installed between 1929-1938. The College Church was newly renovated in 1990 to update and to keep up with the more modern times. 

College Church is the third oldest parish in St. Louis. The church was listed as a City Landmark in St. Louis in 1976. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a contributing property in the Midtown Historic District in 1978.

There has been no indication of any other exorcisms or anything of the sort being done after Robbie's in 1949 by the St. Xavier College Church. Saint Louis University proudly displays the story on its university page of legends of the university but other than that it has been very quiet. The most controversy that I have been able to find of the church is serious sexual abuse claims done by the clergy. They began an investigation that caused them to back on files all the way back to 1955. This all came to fruition after the sex abuse scandal in the Roman Catholic Church after a Pennsylvania grand jury reported decades of documented abuses and cover-ups involving hundreds of priests in 2017/2018. The College Church did not seem to deny it, admitted to sickness within the church and that "the body of Christ has been deeply wounded". But did not seem to take full accountability either of covering it up and harboring a few of these individuals. The St. Louis Post Dispatch listed names of the Jesuit priests who have records of sexual abuse claims against them involved not only at St. Louis University but a multitude of high schools:  over seventeen priests names were disclosed along where they worked/resided and when they worked. 

Other than those allegations many people say that the college church is quite inclusive now and representative of St. Louis as a whole. That they are LGBTQ+ inclusive and racially inclusive.

Background

The Alexian Brothers ministry began in the Middle Ages, as Europe slowly emerged from centuries of ignorance and superstition. They would tend the sick, feed the hungry and bury the dead. These were very unorthodox activities in the 12th century. Most people, out of fear, shunned the sick and dying, forcing them outside the city gates, to support themselves on the leavings of the more fortunate. When the plague hit in 1346 the Brothers stayed and risked their lives to nurse victims of the plague and care for them and bury them when they died. 

One of the first communities of Alexian Brothers was in Aachen, Germany. A fire had destroyed their house in Aachen in 1656 which they rebuilt into one of the first hospitals for the mentally ill.

From the French Revolution to wars the Brothers endured a lot. Until they were finally able to grow their numbers and their work began to spread to other countries. Brother Bonaventure Thelen landed in the United States in 1866 and established the first Alexian Brothers Hospital for men and boys in a small house on Dearborn Street in Chicago. They established hospitals in St. Louis, Missouri in 1870, Oshkosh, Wisconsin in 1880, and Elizabeth, New Jersey in 1892. 

St. Louis Location

The facility had a particular focus on caring for the poor and those with mental illness. It was considered a more credible hospital for being charity funded. Patients were taken there for quite serious injuries. The hospital became affiliated with St. Louis University in 1909. Though they only admitted male patients, there was an out-patient department that treated men, women and children. The Alexian Brothers’ Hospital operated a training school for male nurses from 1928 until 1952. This hospital was not a registered asylum so a lot of their more serious mental illness cases had to be sent to the state asylums. They were a charity funded hospital who occasionally received relief funds. A lot of the patients did not pay for their stay at the hospital so their revenue wasn't the highest it could be so charitable funds and donations helped the hospital a lot. They received anyone that needed their help no matter their color, income, or religion.

There has been a few accounts of cases at the hospital that shows the level of care that they gave to their patients.

They had National Mental Health Week Open Houses at the psychiatric treatment centers, the Alexian Brothers Hospital being one of them. 

A Charles Lurges, forty years old at the time, was at the Alexian Brothers Hospital in 1899 whenever he assaulted a warden. He had been in the hospitals care for over nine years. Brother Pius Egan of the hospital, firmly believed that Lurges was incurably insane. He had been diagnosed with dementia with attacks of acute mania. Egan suggested that Lurges should be put into an institution for the insane due to this attack but he was still quite protective over Lurges and therefore protective of all his patients. Another newspaper article said that the warden was beaten badly but apparently that was not the case. Egan said that the media made the assault more serious than it actually was. Egan said that Lurges was quickly overpowered and the warden only received a scratch on the cheek during the altercation. He also said that the mania had been in check for over five years without an outburst and that Lurges is normally a confused, but quiet and harmless fellow. He never put Lurges in strict confinement; he was allowed free range of the hospital and grounds and was allowed to do housework and gardening when he was able. He was able to be visited by family and only really needed someone to watch over him. Egan only wished to put him in a state institution because he believed that with these attacks it would be better for him to be treated there. 

After a hospital fire on Sunday November 30th, 1924 was started in the ward that housed their "insane and [those] suffering with nervous disorders" all forty two patients were removed with no injuries and no panic. The fire was started due to careless use of matches by a patient which they were not allowed to have because there was a strict no smoking rule. Though the patients were alarmed the attendants made sure they did not panic and were removed to safety. The news article said that the hospital was "devoted to the care of men, and the care of the insane, nervous and alcoholic patients has been a specialty." 

A Reverend N. H. Triplett had a hearing as to his mental condition in September of 1928. A Dr. Hillel Unterberg made a special study for mental and nervous diseases for twenty five years before the hearing. Triplett's stay was at the Alexian Brother's Hospital where he had the freedom of the grounds but was in constant surveillance of an attendant who must write down everything he does and says and he was not permitted to go out upon the street. The doctor stated "positively" that Mr. Triplett was of "unsound mind" and has not grown better because he has a form of dementia and has had it for at least two years. He was unsure if his state would get better but that time could only tell. His thinking and speech was slow and he showed signs of a nervous condition as well. He was well looked after at the hopital. 

In all, most people treated at the Alexian Brother's Hospital were treated decently and there was no complaints from the patients of their treatments from what I could find. The brothers and the physicians and wards felt quite protective and cared very much for their patients. 

The Alexian Brother's Hospital eventually filed for bankruptcy in 2020 and has since been shut down. 

Author Thomas B. Allen wrote "Possessed: The True Story of an Exorcism" after finding one of the Jesuit's priests hidden diaries at a hospital. He wrote of the events that are explained in the priests diary as well as his interviews with witnesses to Robbie's exorcism. The book was published in January of 1993 way after the publication of William Peter Blatty's The Exorcist and after the release of the movie version as well. Thomas B. Allen wanted to publish the truth behind the exorcism per the records of the priests and individuals involved. 

Author Mark Opsasnick questioned the entire case of the exorcism, some of it quite invasively. He did not believe in the concept of anonymity in cases like this one even if everyone swore to keep the child's identity a secret. He questioned everyone and everything involved. Which lead to him discovering discrepancies and false information through published accounts of the exorcism even including Thomas B. Allen's book. Many of the truth's are surface level like falsities of the truth of locations, and peoples accounts of coming to visit the boy and having exorcisms happen before the one in St. Louis. Ultimately Opsasnick did not believe that Robbie was possessed at all. According to him, "there is simply too much evidence that indicates that as a boy he had serious emotional problems stemming from his home life. There is not one shred of hard evidence to support the notion of demonic possession. The facts show that he was a spoiled and disturbed only child with a very overprotective mother and a non-responsive father."

Thomas B. Allen said that all of the experts of the time that he wrote the book believed that Robbie was just a "deeply disturbed boy". 

There has been much speculation on whether or not Robbie was actually possessed or had a mental illness or a condition that caused the episodes that ultimately led to and continued during the exorcism. 

One Reddit poster who has claimed to have done research on the story and who has claimed to have autism firmly believed that the case was one of a mentally ill kid who most likely had autism. Also that his outbursts and odd behavior were indications of meltdowns and not possession. His actions of throwing desks, screaming, growling and speaking in tongues (Latin) were all indications of an autistic meltdown per the poster. No one knew how to deal with Robbie or what was going on with him so calling in a priest and a church was a last ditch effort to "fix" him. Then of course the church would be more than happy to state that he was possessed. 

The only option for people to have besides possession was to believe that what was wrong with Robbie was that he was mentally ill or unwell. 

According to Michigan Coalition of Disability Rights' "Models of Disability" the religious model sees disability as "a punishment inflicted upon an individual or a family by an external force" and "the presence of 'evil spirits' is used to explain differences in behavior...acts of exorcism and sacrifice may be performed to expel or placate the negative influence, or recourse made to persecution or even death of the individual who is 'different'". 

Was this what was being done to Robbie? He mentally was different than everyone around him and the only way anyone could think to "fix" him was to perform an exorcism? Or was he truly possessed? Skeptics and researchers will most likely argue about this until the end of time. 

But it does raise questions about how these stories and/or myths can effect the way we see disabilities not only in the sense of religion but also in a medical standpoint. 

The movie The Exorcist raised a bunch of questions about the way that viewers saw the medical model and medical treatment. 

Amy C. Chambers stated that "The Exorcist became a long-term cultural touchstone for discussions of the tension between science and religion, the representation and treatment of mental health, and the position of religion in contemporary North America". The medical and psychiatric space takes on a role of trial and (a lot) of error and is no longer seen as the role of logic, cure, and control. Regan is seen as an experimental subject that must be controlled, probed, dissected, and resolved. Chambers goes on to say that sure the exorcism scenes were intense, but what really scared viewers were the medical sequences that were done on Regan. It showed the horrors that could be enacted upon the human body in the name of science. The Exorcist doesn't necessarily say that science is a failure but that it is incomplete and always evolving.  It questions the trust that we put in science and medical science. Therefore it can question the way that we see science and medical science diagnosing and explaining disability as well. 

"42 Patients Are Removed Safely In Hospital Fire." St. Louis Post Dispatch, 30 November 1924, p. 1. 

“An Insane Patient, Facts of the Condition of Chas. Lurges of New Orleans at The Alexian Hospital .” St. Louis Post Dispatch, 20 July 1899, p. 11. 

"Attacked by a Patient: Warden of Alexian Brother's Hospital Beaten by Charles Lurges." St. Louis Post Dispatch, 19 July, 1899, p. 8. 

"Jesuits with Local Ties Named on Abuse List" St. Louis Post Dispatch, 8 December, 2018, p A4. 

"Obituaries: Rev. William Bowdern, Jesuit; Figured in Reports of Exorcism." St. Louis Post Dispatch, 26 April 1983, p. 27.

"Rev. N. H. Triplett Again Declared to Be of Unsound Mind" The Marshfield Mail, 13 September 1928. p 1. 

"Tommorrow's Events" St. Louis Post Dispatch , 3 May 1951, p.51.

"The Alexian Brothers: Something of this Wonderful Order and its Revered Founder" St. Louis Post Dispatch, 2 December, 1888, p. 20

Chambers, Amy C. “‘Somewhere between science and superstition’: Religious outrage, horrific science, and The Exorcist (1973).” History of the Human Science , vol. 34, 2021, pp. 32–52. 

https://www.slu.edu/news/2019/october/slu-legends-lore-exorcism.php

https://beckerexhibits.wustl.edu/mowihsp/win/Timeline/Alexian.htm

http://www.alexianbrothers.org/aboutus/congregation-of-alexian-brothers-history/

https://shsmo.org/

https://sfxstl.org/about

https://jesuitarchives.org/collections/missouri-province-archive/saint-francis-xavier-college-church-collection/

https://unewsonline.com/2019/01/the-exorcism-that-haunts-slu-70-years-later/

https://www.stlpr.org/show/st-louis-on-the-air/2013-10-30/heard-of-the-exorcist-this-st-louis-event-inspired-it

https://www.reddit.com/r/Paranormal/comments/16y20cy/the_st_louis_exorcism_case_was_a_mentally_ill_kid/?rdt=59022

http://www.strangemag.com/exorcistpage1.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exorcism_of_Roland_Doe#cite_note-strangemag-1

Michigan Disability Rights Coalition's "Models of Disability" -http://www.bahaistudies.net/neurelitism/library/models_of_disability.pdf

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Francis_Xavier_College_Church

https://sfxstl.org/college-church-blog/2018/9/10/examen-on-clergy-abuse