[Paul Gustave Doré, Satan depicted in Milton’s Paradise Lost, 1866]
I received the following note:
“My adult, college-aged daughter converted to witchcraft/paganism and, in
her words, ‘violently rejects,’ her Catholic faith. She lives away at college
and now avoids contact with us and other family members whom she views
as traditional Catholics. Recently, she has been successful at convincing a
younger sibling, also an adult, to stop going to Mass and question
Catholicism. What should we do? Is it problematic for her to return home-
even if she wants to do so? We pray for her all the time, but she seems to be
actively working against certain family members.”
Sadly, this issue is becoming common. For example, one social media account of a self-proclaimed witch has half-a-million followers. WitchTok, a subset of Tik Tok for witches, boasts of having 30 billion views! While I understand and support the importance of women’s rights and a valid, healthy feminism, witchcraft might be thought of as feminism gone awry … although there are male “witches” as well.
Witchcraft is inherently tied to the dark kingdom, whether intended or not. It is not surprising that it would lead to a “violent rejection” of the Christian faith. Satan hates Jesus and his Church. The increasing spate of violence against the Church reflects this hatred. Since Spring of 2020, there have been over 300 known attacks against Catholic Churches in the USA.
What should the parents do for their daughter who became a witch? Certainly, as they noted: fervent persevering prayer. Never underestimate the power and importance of a parent’s prayer. Parent have a God-given authority over a child and their prayers are uniquely efficacious. On our APP/website, we have provided a special prayer for such purposes.
I would not recommend cutting off relations with the daughter but rather continuing to love and welcome her. However, it is a problem if the daughter returns home and practices witchcraft in the house. This can negatively affect everyone present. When adult children return home, there should be basic rules within parents’ houses, which likely includes no unmarried cohabiting, no illicit drug use, and I would include no occult practices.
If the daughter was willing, some family counseling might be helpful, particularly if there were other sources of strain within the family. Moreover, speaking to other siblings would be important as well, particularly in light of the daughter trying to convert them.
Some basic education about the dangers of witchcraft and the occult are needed both in our families and the wider society. Frankly I think the Church is not doing enough to teach and to warn people. Church leaders often do not realize how widespread and dangerous these occult practices are. The resulting demons of divination are particularly difficult, although not impossible, to cast out. We have provided a prayer to assist: “Pray With Me: Casting Out Spirits of Divination“.
Perhaps the best witnesses to the evils of witchcraft are from those who practiced witchcraft for years and left.** I have worked with several and what I noticed among them all was a darkness, heaviness, and isolation that surrounded them. They were miserable, joyless, and often angry. Satan cannot share with you what he does not have. He is without joy and he is angry and miserable.
Jesus promised us his joy and peace: “That my joy may be yours” (Jn 15:11) and “My peace I leave with you” (Jn 14:27). May God give each of you Jesus’ overflowing joy and peace this day and always!
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*Don’t miss our next free monthly deliverance session this Monday May 20th! Rosary at: 6:30pm Eastern USA time and Deliverance Session 7-8pm. Register here or go to our website and register: www.catholicexorcism.org (If you have already registered and received a link, no need to register again.)
**There are a number of videos on the internet of former witches who converted to Christ. A simple google search will yield many.
***Join us on YouTube: @stmichaelcenter
****Beware of scammers! There is someone posing as Msgr. Rossetti on social media and pirating our posts. They are contacting people asking for money for an orphanage in Africa. This is a scam. If you want to contribute to our ministry, go directly to our website and donate safely.
