Scrivener Posted March 13, 2005 Share Posted March 13, 2005 I noticed an odd coincidence the other day, when reading this story about a priest who died, reported to be the last living Jesuit who had participated in the (in)famous exorcism that took place (at least in part) at SLU (and upon which the book/movie "The Exorcist" was based). http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stor...ht=2%2Cexorcism The exorcism occurred in 1949, just about the time that the Billikens last really mattered on the national basketball stage. Since then, we've had a few brushes with success on the hardcourt. But on the whole, the Billikens have been star-crossed (if not to say cursed) ever since. Meanwhile, we've seen many other Jesuit institutions rise to basketball prominence -- and in some cases, manage to stay there (Georgetown, Marquette, Gonzaga, Xavier, to name a few). And we've seen our OWN ex-coach put together a Top 10 program just three years after leaving SLU. So I'm wondering if there might not be a connection: Could the demons exorcised from that young man in 1949...have somehow wandered west from DuBourg/Verhagen Hall...and taken up residence in the West Pine Gym? And if so, how long might we have to wait for our deliverance? I'm kidding, mostly, when I write this. I believe good recruiting is the surest path to consistent appearances in the Big Dance. But I also believe in the power of prayer. So what the heck: Perhaps the Billiken faithful could do something to 'reverse the curse'...by adding our favorite team to our Lenten intentions. The Prayer to St. Michael might be a good place to start... "St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in the day of Battle; Be our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the Devil. May God rebuke Him, we humbly pray, and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the power of God, cast into Hell, Satan and all the other evil spirits, who prowl through the world, seeking the ruin of souls. Amen." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billiken Rich Posted March 14, 2005 Share Posted March 14, 2005 Sorry but man, not god or evil spirits, is responsible for our record. If it makes you feel better, by all means....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brighton Posted February 4, 2021 Share Posted February 4, 2021 On 3/13/2005 at 6:31 PM, Scrivener said: I noticed an odd coincidence the other day, when reading this story about a priest who died, reported to be the last living Jesuit who had participated in the (in)famous exorcism that took place (at least in part) at SLU (and upon which the book/movie "The Exorcist" was based). http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stor...ht=2%2Cexorcism The exorcism occurred in 1949, just about the time that the Billikens last really mattered on the national basketball stage. Since then, we've had a few brushes with success on the hardcourt. But on the whole, the Billikens have been star-crossed (if not to say cursed) ever since. Meanwhile, we've seen many other Jesuit institutions rise to basketball prominence -- and in some cases, manage to stay there (Georgetown, Marquette, Gonzaga, Xavier, to name a few). And we've seen our OWN ex-coach put together a Top 10 program just three years after leaving SLU. So I'm wondering if there might not be a connection: Could the demons exorcised from that young man in 1949...have somehow wandered west from DuBourg/Verhagen Hall...and taken up residence in the West Pine Gym? And if so, how long might we have to wait for our deliverance? I'm kidding, mostly, when I write this. I believe good recruiting is the surest path to consistent appearances in the Big Dance. But I also believe in the power of prayer. So what the heck: Perhaps the Billiken faithful could do something to 'reverse the curse'...by adding our favorite team to our Lenten intentions. The Prayer to St. Michael might be a good place to start... "St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in the day of Battle; Be our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the Devil. May God rebuke Him, we humbly pray, and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the power of God, cast into Hell, Satan and all the other evil spirits, who prowl through the world, seeking the ruin of souls. Amen." Yeah. This is where the curse originated from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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