The exorcism of Clara Germana Cele – A forgotten story from 1906

 Clara Germana Cele was a Christian woman, who in 1906, was said to be possessed by a demon when she was a sixteen-year-old school girl at St. Michael's Mission in Natal, South Africa. The girl was an orphan of black origin and was baptised as an infant. At the age of sixteen, the girl made a pact with Satan and this is said to be the cause of her demonic possession. Clara later revealed this information to her confessor, Father Hörner Erasmus. In an account written by a nun, Clara was said to be able to speak languages of which she had no previous knowledge. This fact was also witnessed by others, who recorded that she "understood Polish, German, French and all other languages."The nun reported that Clara demonstrated clairvoyance by revealing the most intimate secrets and transgressions of people with whom she had no contact. Moreover, Clara could not bear the presence of blessed objects and seemed imbued with extraordinary strength and ferocity, often hurling nuns about the convent rooms and beating them up. The nun reported that the girl's cries had a savage bestiality that astonished those around her. In regards to the girls voice, an attending nun even wrote

The girl, according to some, was said to have levitated five feet in the air, sometimes vertically and sometimes horizontally; when sprinkled with holy water, the girl is purported to have come out of this state of her satanic possession. According to a Lutheran Pastoral Handbook, one possessing these symptoms is an indication that an individual is truly possessed, rather than suffering from a mental illness. Consequently, two Roman Catholic priests, Rev. Mansueti Director of the St. Michael's Mission) and Rev. Erasmus (her confessor), were appointed to perform an exorcism on Clara Germana Cele; this deliverance lasted for two days. During the exorcism, Clara's first action was to knock the Holy Bible from the priest's hands and grab his stole in an attempt to choke him with it. At the end of the exorcism, it was said that the demon was forced out and the girl was healed. According to the Christian argument, while most psychologists would like to dismiss this case as that of mental illness, they cannot fully explain why she never had a relapse. Clara went on to lead a normal and healthy existence, whereas schizophrenia and other dissociative disorders are often lifelong and require extensive psychiatric treatment. In the early to middle part of twentieth century, people were committed to sanitariums for these conditions. Yet, in this case, there seems to be no recorded residual effects. Full-blown mental illness rarely (if ever) goes away on its own.

Clara Got Possessed By The Evil Spirits

It was 1906, and Clara was a sixteen-year-old Christian student at St. Michael’s Mission in Natal, South Africa. Although the reason is unknown, some say that through prayers and prayers and others that as a result of strange rituals, they say that the young woman ended up making a pact with Satan. A few days later, Clara was suffering from a series of strange impulses.

In an account written by a nun, Clara rejected any blessed holy object such as crucifixes, she could speak and understand various languages of which she had no prior knowledge. This fact was also witnessed by others, who recorded that she “understood Polish, German, French, Norwegian and all other languages.”

She had knowledge about the thoughts and stories of the people around her, for example, she demonstrated clairvoyance by revealing the most intimate secrets and transgressions of people with whom she had no contact. A number of clear signs confirmed Clara’s demonic possession, as in the cases of Anneliese Michel and Roland Doe. She later revealed her possession to her confessor, Father Hörner Erasmus.

Gradually, Clara Became Like A Wild Beast

Clara’s behaviour changed as well, as she became more aggressive and showed an extraordinary physical strength. The nuns who attended Clara reported that Clara’s cries had a savage “bestiality” that astonished those around her. In regards to the her voice, an attending nun even wrote:

Moreover, Clara’s body also levitated up to five feet in the air, sometimes vertically and sometimes horizontally; and more than 150 people claimed to have been present during the levitations. When sprinkled with holy water, the girl is reported to have come out of this state of her satanic possession.

The Exorcism Of Clara Cele

Finally, two Roman Catholic priests, Rev. Mansueti, the Director of the St. Michael’s Mission, and Rev. Erasmus, her confessor, were called in to perform an exorcism on her, which lasted for two days. It is reported that Clara tried to strangle one of the priests with the stole, while the priests performed the ritual and the levitations were continuous. But at the end of the exorcism, it was said that the spirits were expelled from Clara’s body and she was healed During the exorcism, Clara's first action was to knock the Holy Bible from the priest's hands and grab his stole in an attempt to choke him with it. At the end of the exorcism, it was said that the demon was forced out and the girl was healed. According to the Christian argument, while most psychologists would like to dismiss this case as that of mental illness, they cannot fully explain why she never had a relapse. Clara went on to lead a normal and healthy existence, whereas schizophrenia and other dissociative disorders are often lifelong and require extensive psychiatric treatment. In the early to middle part of twentieth century, people were committed to sanitariums for these conditions. Yet, in this case, there seems to be no recorded residual effects. Full-blown mental illness rarely (if ever) goes away on its own.

Clara Cele’s Later Life & Death

For the next six years, Clara lived a demonic possession free life until she died in 1912 from heart failure at age 22. However, history had lost track of and forgotten Clara in some versions of her story.