The story of the exorcism of Anna Ecklund became the talk of the town despite several tries to keep it a secret. Between August and December of 1928, a heavily demon-possessed woman was subjected to intensive exorcism procedures.

ToggleWho was Anna Ecklund?

Anna Ecklund, whose real name may have been Emma Schmidt, was born on March 23rd, 1882. Her parents were German immigrants, and she grew up in Marathon, Wisconsin. Jacob Ecklund, Ecklund’s father, was a notorious drunkard and womanizer. Her father opposed the idea of Catholic Churches. However, since her mother was a Catholic, Ecklund grew up in the church.

The Demonic Attacks

Ecklund began exhibiting unusual behaviour when he was fourteen years old. Every time she went into a church, she became extremely unwell. Ecklund was a participant in a series of extreme sexual actions. She also developed a negative attitude about priests, and she vomited after receiving communion as a result.

As soon as Ecklund was met with sacred and holy items, his temper flared up. As a result, Ecklund stopped going to church. She had deep despair and became a recluse as a result of this.

Ecklund’s aunt, Mina, is suspected of being the perpetrator of her attacks on her niece. Mina was rumored to be a witch, and she was also having an affair with Ecklund’s father at the time.

Horrible events which Anna Ecklund Went through while being Possessed

The poor 14 year old possessed woman hissed like a cat and howled “like a group of savage monsters going unleashed”. She floated through the air and landed above the door frame, indicating the demonic possession. In addition to verbal abuse, the priest was subjected to physical assaults that left him “trembling like a leaf caught in the whirlwind.”

Whenever the holy water was applied to the skin of the possessed woman, it used to burned off. To check the authenticity of her possession, the priest applied fake holy water on her to which she did not even bother to respond. Her face grew distorted, her eyes and lips expanded to enormous proportions, and her stomach hardened.

She used to vomit at least twenty to thirty times every day that too when she did not even have a proper diet. The possessed woman began to speak and understand Latin, Hebrew, Italian, and Polish, as well as other foreign languages. However, the question is that what led to these frightening events?

The First Exorcism of Anna Ecklund

Ecklund’s family turned to the local church for assistance. Ecklund was placed under the supervision of Father Theophilus Riesinger, a priest who specialized in exorcisms. In his observations of Ecklund, Father Riesinger noted that she reacted strongly to religious things, holy water, prayers, and rites in Latin.

Ecklund, who was thirty years old at the time, was subjected to an exorcism by Father Riesinger on June 18, 1912. She was able to return to her regular self and was no longer under the influence of demons.

The Last Three Sessions of Exorcism

Ecklund stated that she was haunted by the spirit of her deceased father and aunt throughout the subsequent years. Ecklund sought the assistance of Father Riesinger once more in 1928. Father Riesinger, on the other hand, desired to perform the exorcism in complete secrecy this time.

As a result, Father Riesinger sought the assistance of Father Joseph Steiger, a priest from St Joseph’s Parish. Father Steiger decided to perform the exorcism in his parish, St Joseph’s Parish, in Earling, Iowa, because it was more quiet and secluded than the location of the other churches.

Ecklund was carried to the parish on August 17th, 1928.  The first session of the exorcism was scheduled to begin the following day. Father Riesinger and Father Steiger, as well as a couple of nuns and a housekeeper, were present for the exorcism.

When Ecklund was being exorcised, she detached herself from her bed and floated through the air, landing far above the door to the chamber. Ecklund burst out howling in a loud voice.Aside from defecating and vomiting excessively, Ecklund shouted, hissed like a cat, and suffered physical aberrations throughout the three rounds of the exorcism. When holy water was applied to her skin, it sizzled and burned.

When Father Riesinger inquired as to who was in possession of her, he was told that there were “several.” In addition to Beelzebub, Judas Iscariot, Ecklund’s father, and Ecklund’s aunt Mina, the demon claimed to be Beelzebub.

It was revealed during the exorcism that Anna Ecklund’s suicide was orchestrated by Iscariot, who was there. Ecklund’s father desired retribution against Ecklund since Ecklund had refused to engage in a sexual connection with him while he was still living. And, with the assistance of Ecklund’s father, Mina claimed to have cast a curse on the aforementioned Ecklund.

During the exorcism, Father Steiger stated that the devil threatened him, telling him that he would have to withdraw authorization for the ritual. Father Steiger’s car was involved in a collision with the bridge’s railing a few days after the claim was made. He did, however, manage to make it out of the car alive.

The Freedom from the Demons

Ecklund’s condition continued to deteriorate as the days passed. The final exorcism session took place on December 23rd, and Ecklund shouted  “Beelzebub, Judas, Jacob, Mina, Hell! Hell! Hell!” Praised be Jesus Christ.   Ecklund suddenly leapt from her bed and said, “They are gone,” before collapsing.

During the exorcism, Ecklund recounted having visions of awful conflicts between spirits, which she described as “horrific.” After the three sessions, she was extremely depleted of stamina and was severely emaciated. Ecklund went on to live a peaceful life and eventually died on July 23rd, 1941, at the age of fifty-nine.