Demon Fighting Dominicans In The Episcopal Church
Under The Episcopal Church, The Dominican Order of Christ Our Savior is made up of Friars and Sisters in the Anglican Communion committed to Christ's merciful healing for all members of the Body of Christ. Their members profess vows of poverty (simplicity), chastity, and obedience to the Rule of St. Augustine as consecrated religious. Members may or may not be ordained to Holy Orders as well. Brothers and Sisters in formation receive comprehensive formation in Dominican spirituality, Thomistic theology, and most notably Anglican deliverance ministry. They do not discriminate on the basis of gender, sex, race/ethnicity, or sexual orientation, and professed members may be married or celibate.
Father Andrew Hook, Prelate of The Order of Christ our Savior, has served as the Dean of Saint Paul’s Cathedral in Springfield, Illinois. Father Andrew served as Diocesan Exorcist in the Diocese of Western Kansas and now currently in the Diocese of Springfield. He has received episcopal permission to attend exorcism conferences in the Roman Catholic Church and is host of the Saint Benedict Conference, an annual conference which focuses on this ministry.
Members receive comprehensive initial and continued formation in both the Dominican charism and deliverance within the Anglican tradition. Most, but not all members are usually specially appointed Diocesan Exorcists / Deliverance Ministers within the Anglican Communion. It is important to note that they do not license, commission, or appoint exorcists. This is solely the right of a Bishop Diocesan. However, they do provide robust formation through the lens of Dominican spirituality and Thomistic theology. They also provide fellowship and community for professed members who have discerned a strong vocation to both deliverance ministry and the Dominican Rule.
An Excerpt From Their Website
On Deliverance Ministry within The Episcopal Church
AUGUST 05, 2023 — The realm of the preternatural and all its encompassing diabolical works is an uncomfortable area of inquiry for many, and for good reason. This has been further influenced by the wide array of misinformation on these matters, including the over dramatization of exorcisms in film and television. Yet, The Episcopal Church still officially recognizes the legitimacy of this ministry, with references to exorcism both in An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church and the Book of Occasional Services. Exorcism accounts for approximately a third of Jesus’ ministry in the synoptic Gospels, and has been widely practiced throughout the history of the one holy catholic and apostolic Church. Recent innovations in modern medicine, psychology, and even environmental science have aided our understanding of atypical human behavior, often clarifying many cases once mistaken for demonic possession. On the other hand, there remain a compelling minority of cases suspicious of legitimate diabolical influence with no apparent medical or scientific explanation. In fact, the Roman Catholic Church publicly reports that this minority has been steadily increasing over the past decade, and has recently opened up its once exclusive Vatican training to clergy and laity of other denominations.
At present, The Episcopal Church has no standardized protocol or procedure for responding to reports of suspected demonic activity. Furthermore, there is no universal eligibility criteria for authorizing an exorcism, nor does The Episcopal Church recognize a proper rite or liturgy for this ministry aside from what a Diocesan Bishop may independently approve. According to the BOS, “The bishop [is] then [to] determine whether exorcism is needed, who is to officiate at the rite, and what prayers or other formularies are to be used”. We believe that this is not only a disservice to those in real need of the ministry of deliverance, but this also puts those with serious mental and/or physical illness at risk due to an inadequate evaluatory process or external referral protocol. The Episcopal Church falls short behind the majority of member churches of the Anglican Communion who share in a systematic process of triaging, evaluating, and addressing cases of suspected demonic activity. Namely, the Church of England, the Anglican Church of Kenya, the Anglican Church of Canada, and the Anglican Church of Australia are some of many churches who appoint Diocesan Exorcists and routinely operationalize high-acuity Deliverance Ministry Teams.
It has become increasingly evident that Episcopalians have a vested interest in this discussion for the sake of the faithful for whom the Church has a responsibility to care. In a holistic attempt to address this need, we have discerned the institution of the Order of Christ the Saviour (OCS), a new Christian community in formation in observance of Title III Canon 14 Section 2 of the Constitutions of the General Convention. The Order is an Anglican apostolic dispersed community that is devoted to the academic study, teaching, and practice of deliverance ministry intended to share Christ’s merciful healing and liberation. The Order and its members are vowed to a rule of life that adopts traditional Dominican spirituality in regular observance of daily prayer, life-long formation, and frequent participation in the sacramental life of the Church. This is an ongoing and lengthy discernment process opened to refinement and nuance as the Holy Spirit and the wider Church dictate.
We also find it prudent to acknowledge that deliverance ministry has a shameful history of being improperly weaponized against women, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, people of color, beloved individuals of other faith backgrounds, among many others. We firmly condemn this and commit to intentional acts of reconciliation as representatives of this ministry.
As we listen attentively to both the call from the Holy Spirit and the unique needs of the Church, we kindly ask for your fervent prayers as we embark on this endeavor for the love of the Body of Christ.
Principles of Deliverance Ministry in The Episcopal Church (Opinion)
We believe, Exorcism and Deliverance Ministry in The Episcopal Church must:
account for advancements in modern medicine, psychology, and science;
not be prohibitive or discriminatory on the basis of race, class, ethnicity, sexuality, and gender identity with regard to performing or receiving the ministry;
be available to all baptized members of the Christian Church;
be a private pastoral service kept in confidentiality;
be Christocentric in execution and authority, while beseeching the involvement of all three persons of the Godhead. Specifically, Jesus Christ is the chief exorcist and principal actor in the ministry, and all authority is derived from Him;
be primarily informed by Holy Scripture, supported by reason and traditions of the Church;
be primarily episcopal in office and nature, with ecclesial commissioning by laying on of hands for clerics, religious, and laity as appropriate;
adopt a systematic and liturgical approach to the assessment and treatment of suspected demonization;
permit the intercession of Holy Saints and Angels where appropriate;
be influenced by the protestant juridical and legalistic framework of spiritual warfare in conjunction with historical catholic doctrine on angelology;
involve the use of the Holy Sacraments gifted to the Church, namely Holy Eucharist, Reconciliation of a Penitent, and Anointing of the Sick in accordance with the 1979 Book of Common Prayer;
involve the use of sacramental objects, i.e. holy water, exorcized salt, and prayer beads;
necessitate regular pastoral care and collaboration with external healthcare services whenever necessary.
CHECK OUT THEIR WEBSITE: https://www.anglicanocs.org
