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S1 E28 - Fr Bob Bailey - RC Priest, Demonologist and an Educational Director in Spiritual Warfare
0 Playsin 3 days
Father Bob Bailey, also known as the "Paranormal Padre," is a retired Roman Catholic priest, demonologist, and Spiritual Warfare and Education Director at The Holy Sword Apostolate
Fr Bob told me about his visits to the Vatican and talked about various stories involving Spiritual warfare between good and evil, and the game plan for dealing with Demonic incidents.
We discussed the fine line between paranormal and demonic activity and mental health.
Fr Bob then explained why it is always best to protect yourself before, and after, any investigation.
He then spoke about his time on the TV show Paranormal State, meeting and working with Lorraine Warren, as well as spirits recognizing that priests are on an investigation, and deciding to behave.
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Transcript
Intro
Introduction and Father Bob's Background
00:00:12
Lee Hatfield
Hello everybody and welcome to the latest episode of Paranormal Chronicles. My name's Lee, your host, in case you could ever forget. And tonight I am more than delighted to have Father Bob Bailey with me.
00:00:25
Lee Hatfield
Father Bob is a retired Roman Catholic priest, a demonologist and a spiritual warfare and education director at the Holy Sword Apostolate.
00:00:37
Lee Hatfield
I hope I said that right.
00:00:38
Fr_ Bob Bailey
You did.
00:00:39
Lee Hatfield
Father Bob. Father Bob, welcome.
00:00:41
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Thank you. Thank you. It's great to be here.
00:00:44
Lee Hatfield
say As we were just saying off air, it's been yeah quite difficult to tie you down, but we've managed to to get it, so we can hopefully have some good fun and some good questions tonight.
00:00:56
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Awesome.
00:00:56
Lee Hatfield
sir So before we start, can you just tell us a little bit about yourself, please?
00:01:02
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Sure. As I said, I'm a retired ah ah Catholic priest. I had to retire early because of health reasons. like I can't drive anymore and I have neuropathy, but been a priest for 34 years. and you know so The good thing is that when you're retired, you get to set your own agenda. so It's left me more time to you know to devote to spiritual warfare education to the apostle and all of that so I'm having a great time with that working with another priest on the west coast so the both of us together ah ah trying to help that um um I live in Rhode Island which is the smallest state in the Union
00:01:52
Fr_ Bob Bailey
and Let's see, I'm of Italian, Irish, or French-Canadian descent.
00:02:02
Lee Hatfield
Nice mixture there.
00:02:03
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Oh yeah, that's pretty much Rhode Island.
00:02:04
Lee Hatfield
yeah Yeah.
00:02:07
Lee Hatfield
So let's start at the
Influence and Encounters with the Papacy
00:02:08
Lee Hatfield
very beginning. What kind of pointed you in the direction of your priesthood?
00:02:18
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Well, from a very young age, I wanted to be a priest. And I think the one who had the most influence on me was my mother's cousin was a priest from Italy. And then he came to America to serve in Rhode Island. And my grandparents lived next door, so he would come every Tuesday to have supper with them.
00:02:40
Fr_ Bob Bailey
And then, you know, i was a little older, you know, I had an interest in spirituality. So right after supper, he would go outside and sit and smoke his cigar.
00:02:51
Fr_ Bob Bailey
And he and I would just have a couple hours of conversation every week. And that got my interest in, you know, we discussed a number of topics, including miracles and the reality of evil, the devil, angels, and all of that. So I got a really great education, a solid education at a very young age.
00:03:12
Fr_ Bob Bailey
And I think that's what, you know, gave me my interest in wanting to become a priest. From what my family tells me is something that they knew and that I wanted ever since I was a child. I used to play priest. I used to play mass when I was a kid, as a lot of people did back then. and And so once I was in junior high school and then high school, that's when it solidified to be an actual priest.
00:03:39
Fr_ Bob Bailey
goal that that I was definitely headed to.
00:03:43
Lee Hatfield
So being from the Roman Catholic faith, yeah, everybody's idea of the pinnacle is Vatican City, yeah, with the Pope and all that.
00:03:55
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Mm-hmm.
00:03:56
Lee Hatfield
So have you actually managed to to pay a visit?
00:04:00
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Yes, I didn't study in Rome. I studied in Maryland, which I loved there. But i did I met St. John Paul II. I had a private mass with him and and got to meet him.
00:04:15
Fr_ Bob Bailey
i saw Pope Benedict when I went on sabbatical. And then what ended up happening was the year that he decided to retire, i was going on that sabbatical. I happened to be in in Rome, and i was there for the election of Pope Francis.
00:04:38
Lee Hatfield
Oh, wow.
00:04:38
Fr_ Bob Bailey
So that...
00:04:38
Lee Hatfield
That must have been a fascinating experience.
00:04:41
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Yeah, it was very historic. I can remember the night as clear as day. But yeah, so yeah, I didn't study in in Rome, but I got to spend a good, you know, a few times there.
00:04:48
Lee Hatfield
Yeah.
00:04:56
Lee Hatfield
Because I um lucky to actually visit Vatican City when I was doing the tourist thing, like in in the mid-2000s.
00:05:02
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Mm-hmm.
00:05:04
Lee Hatfield
And, you know, if you ever go to Italy, you have to go to Rome and then you have to go to to the Vatican City. you cannot go You cannot go to Italy and not go to the Vatican.
00:05:13
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Right.
00:05:18
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Right.
00:05:18
Lee Hatfield
Am I right?
00:05:18
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Right.
00:05:19
Lee Hatfield
Yeah.
00:05:20
Fr_ Bob Bailey
There's so much history there.
00:05:20
Lee Hatfield
Okay, so... Oh, absolutely. And being being from Canada, I always tell people that, yeah yeah yes, I'm from England, but I'm also from Europe, where the history comes from.
00:05:32
Lee Hatfield
Because ah ah over here, you've got a couple of hundred where going back in Europe and England, you've got thousands of years of history.
00:05:41
Lee Hatfield
So what kind of got you involved with being an exorcist in demonology then?
Demonology vs. Exorcism
00:05:50
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Okay. Well, i'm I'm not an exorcist. I mean, all priests have the power of it, but it's a specialized thing that you have to receive special permission from the bishop to do.
00:05:53
Lee Hatfield
OK.
00:05:56
Lee Hatfield
OK.
00:06:01
Fr_ Bob Bailey
I've not done full-fledged exorcism.
00:06:01
Lee Hatfield
Right.
00:06:03
Fr_ Bob Bailey
I've done deliverance ministry. But...
00:06:06
Lee Hatfield
OK.
00:06:07
Fr_ Bob Bailey
well Well, I guess I was, ah ah because of my mentoring by my cousin who's a priest, I was always interested in miracles and apparitions of Mary and the saints and, you know, and and things happening around the world.
00:06:24
Fr_ Bob Bailey
So, and those those really are paranormal. It's just Christian paranormal. So it wasn't, I didn't find it to be a great step of faith to believe in spirits and and all of that because I already believed in in the supernatural.
00:06:45
Fr_ Bob Bailey
But I always liked horror movies and I was always interested in the supernatural. um And I felt a calling, an inner calling since I was young to ah ah help in the area of spiritual warfare and the battle between good and evil.
00:07:03
Fr_ Bob Bailey
That's really where you know, where my interests lie in in the paranormal umbrella.
00:07:11
Lee Hatfield
Okay. And yeah as I just made yeah that first mistake by calling you an exorcist, you're actually a demonologist as well as ah ah spiritual warfare educator.
00:07:17
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Yeah, that's okay.
00:07:23
Lee Hatfield
So what does that kind of entail from from your point of view? What's your kind of day-to-day kind of activities?
00:07:33
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Well, I mean, demonology, ah know, there are people who are like experts in like multicultural history of demons and all of that. And I've learned some from really good demonologists. But as far as when I call myself a demonologist, I mean, there really is no actual...
00:07:55
Fr_ Bob Bailey
grouping or whatever or you know organizational thing it's just like I know the anatomy of a demon and i know how the demon works and really they're a high level low level but a demon is a demon is a demon and you deal with them the same way so you know there's hundreds of people out there calling themselves demonologists and I said well you know what I studied it in the seminary so I'm going to call myself a demonologist why not i studied this I studied the theology of it, you know?
00:08:26
Lee Hatfield
but And there's one thing that I find really fascinating talking about the paranormal world is that anybody that gets scratched, they automatically think it's a demon.
00:08:39
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Right.
00:08:40
Lee Hatfield
And the philosophy that I come back and tell them is, well, if I want to speak to you and you've got your back to me, I'm going to call your name. If you don't answer me, the next natural thing is for me to reach out and to try to get your attention.
00:08:56
Lee Hatfield
So people being scratched, that could be just the interaction of a spirit trying to get your attention. And it's not necessarily a malevolent entity that's causing that.
00:09:10
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Correct, correct. and you know and And that's the thing that a lot of people don't understand. I mean, there's more to it. I mean, you could tell after a while if it's malevolent. i mean, if it goes beyond that and it's scaring you to death and it's purposely you know trying to harm you, then you know it's a malevolent spirit.
00:09:29
Fr_ Bob Bailey
But, you know, so there are spirits trying to get your attention that will move things around, you know, or, you know, you'll you know you'll find things, you'll hear noises or whatever. And and yeah, you're right. it is to get your attention, you know, so that, you know, you'll be attentive to whatever they're trying to communicate. so
00:09:54
Lee Hatfield
yeah And I know that the first time you and I met, you was actually teaching a ah a guest speaker from the Paranormal Phenomena Research and Investigation, or PPRI, and and we did a four-week course of demonology.
00:10:03
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
00:10:13
Lee Hatfield
And it's actually really interesting to actually break it down. It's because when, correct and correct me if I'm wrong, when people are talking about demons, we're talking about the Roman Catholic Church.
00:10:26
Lee Hatfield
We're not talking about other religions. That's correct. Am I right?
00:10:31
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Well, from my perspective, it would be because that's what I operate out of. Well, not just necessarily the Roman Catholic Church, but the Christian Church.
00:10:40
Lee Hatfield
ah ah Okay, yeah.
00:10:41
Fr_ Bob Bailey
You know, but again, we handle things a little differently than, say, people who are more fundamentalist Pentecostal. We might be a little bit more discerning as to trying to find out whether it is an actual evil spirit or something else that can be explained, you know.
00:11:02
Lee Hatfield
Yeah, because there's a very fine line between having items moving and it being of a potential paranormal nature rather than having things moving and it being being of a ah demonic nature.
00:11:12
Fr_ Bob Bailey
home
00:11:19
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Correct. Correct. And there's also you know, this thing's called telekinesis or even poltergeist activity, you know.
00:11:20
Lee Hatfield
So...
00:11:24
Lee Hatfield
Yeah.
00:11:28
Lee Hatfield
So if somebody was experiencing... let's just put it something bad in their house that they can't explain and they call you in.
Investigating Demonic Activities
00:11:40
Lee Hatfield
Do you have kind of like a ah ah checklist of things that you, yeah yes, no, yes, no kind of thing to to determine if it's a demonic or something else?
00:11:53
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Well, I think that that would try to be set before I even go in.
00:11:57
Lee Hatfield
Okay. Okay.
00:11:58
Fr_ Bob Bailey
So there'd be questions I would ask and get information so that I can look at it all and get a game plan as to what we do when we come in. And so that when I come in, if there's activity going on,
00:12:14
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Again, i don't conjure, and that's the thing. When we go in there for an investigation, we're not conjuring. That's forbidden by the scriptures. so We're trying to figure out if there's something already there and what it is that's already there.
00:12:27
Fr_ Bob Bailey
That's enough problems. You don't want to start conjuring something in that's not there.
00:12:30
Lee Hatfield
Oh, for sure. Yeah.
00:12:31
Fr_ Bob Bailey
yeah So, yeah, if fi love if it's doing harm If it's threatening, if, you know, like you talk about the scratches, if if it continues and it's really bad, then, you know, I would go in and and try to ask, and I would ask in the name of the Lord for it to answer my questions or to give me some kind of a...
00:12:59
Fr_ Bob Bailey
response. you know And if I find after an investigation that it can be explained, and sometimes it can be, it can be you know there are things that faulty ah ah or old appliances give out that that can give someone the feeling of being watched and paranoia. And then i would say, you know, I think there's this case here. We need to update you know some of your appliances.
00:13:28
Fr_ Bob Bailey
You won't have those. Again, I forget what it's called coming out of them.
00:13:34
Lee Hatfield
PMS, PMS, electromagnetic fields.
00:13:35
Fr_ Bob Bailey
ah e yeah e Yes, yes.
00:13:37
Lee Hatfield
yeah
00:13:38
Fr_ Bob Bailey
and And also, if you know it's things that people are hearing and all that, and and then it can be explained. like There was one where like the washing machine or dryer was going off at a certain time, and when you got when I was upstairs, I was able to hear it and say, well, this is what it was.
00:14:00
Fr_ Bob Bailey
you know Or... whatever or And sometimes it could be a person's emotional state that creates hallucinations in their own mind, which is tough because I would think they'd be relieved, but lot of times they're not, and you can't convince them otherwise that it's not demonic.
00:14:21
Fr_ Bob Bailey
That's tough, and I'm sure you've come across that. Yeah.
00:14:24
Lee Hatfield
Exactly. and And one thing that you actually taught us on the course and Elliot carried on and in the other weeks is that just because people are hearing voices or are experiencing, it doesn't mean that it's of a paranormal nature.
00:14:43
Lee Hatfield
It could be of a mental health nature.
00:14:44
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Correct.
00:14:46
Lee Hatfield
And that's a very fine line between the two.
00:14:46
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Yes. Yes. Yes. And, you know, and what I tell people, and sometimes it can be a little bit of both. So, you know, if I find that there's something going on, if there's trauma going on, it seems like there's trauma in the person, I would say, okay, I'm going to bless your house.
00:15:06
Fr_ Bob Bailey
I'll do a house liberation. i said, but you have to do part B. Part B is i you need to get checked out by a psychologist or a medical doctor, and you need to do what they tell you.
00:15:19
Fr_ Bob Bailey
So both of those together, the two pronged A and B, will help to alleviate the problem. But if you do one without the other, it's it's not going to be complete.
00:15:31
Lee Hatfield
yeah and and that's a really good point because we have a a questionnaire so if you if you call us to say that you're experiencing
00:15:38
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Mm-hmm.
00:15:42
Lee Hatfield
X, Y, and z in your property, we will send you a questionnaire. This questionnaire is like nine pages long. yeah it goes It really goes into depth, so but it covers yeah have you suffered any mental health issues?
00:15:49
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Mm-hmm.
00:15:55
Lee Hatfield
Are you on any medication? yeah Are you are you a a regular drug taker? That kind of thing. ah do Do you drink? And I feel that we have to cover that because you have to get all the jigsaws to that puzzle before you can put it together.
00:16:05
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Mm-hmm.
00:16:09
Fr_ Bob Bailey
yes
00:16:11
Lee Hatfield
so we are Our mentality is if somebody does not want to answer all those questions, then it's either not as realistic as what they say or they've got something that they're hiding.
00:16:27
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Yes. Yes. and And also things of how often do you watch horror movies or paranormal shows? Have you had psychics come in?
00:16:38
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Because let me tell you, sometimes, you know, you get ones that are that are just not authentic and they they can lead you down the wrong path, you know.
00:16:51
Fr_ Bob Bailey
So, know, we ask all those other, those type of questions too. What what was their exposure to the paranormal before? You know, had they had an investigation?
00:16:59
Lee Hatfield
So, exactly, yeah. So can you remember your very first time that you got involved with an unknown entity?
00:17:10
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Yes. it i was i was with a couple from Rhode Island. They're um i don't know if you know the Johnsons.
00:17:21
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Keith yeah keithhan and his wife, Sandra.
00:17:21
Lee Hatfield
I've heard of the name, yeah.
00:17:26
Fr_ Bob Bailey
and I become friends with them and I would go to watch their show. They did a a weekly or bi-weekly show. and so We got to talking. well One day he asked if I would assist at a house, that there was some activity.
00:17:42
Fr_ Bob Bailey
so I went and I blessed the house. I didn't experience personally too much, but it did solidify, like, yeah, this is what I want to do as part of my ministry.
00:17:53
Fr_ Bob Bailey
so And then soon after that is when I we met Ryan Buell with Paranormal State and was would be get called in if there was a docker.
00:18:05
Fr_ Bob Bailey
you know a docker case for the show. so But yeah, that was my first that was my first actual entering a house like that. I've had encounters with evil before but not in that that kind of type of it.
00:18:24
Lee Hatfield
So when you get invited for want of an easier expression, do you protect yourself before you go to do prayer and that kind of thing?
00:18:34
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Yes. yeah Yes. i This is a thing I try to share with and I used to do a long time ago when I had another group called PWSM that we would go and give little workshops on what to do for investigators.
00:18:51
Fr_ Bob Bailey
And I tell them you need to protect yourself because you don't know what you're walking into. You know, it could be you think it benign and it could be something malevolent or you just need to do that.
00:19:03
Fr_ Bob Bailey
I mean, I advocate that you're protecting prayers every day. And I do it every day in protection because if you start doing the work like this, especially encountering darker entities, then you're marked.
00:19:21
Fr_ Bob Bailey
They know who you are. So you've got to cover your bases or else you're going to get attacked, you know, even in your personal life. And it's not a ah pitchfork in horns, but it's just, you know, like little things will get to you. and But yeah, I always tell them you need to pray before you get and protect yourself before you go into a a ah location and then after.
00:19:48
Fr_ Bob Bailey
and you need to command that nothing follows you home. Because that that can happen. That can happen.
00:19:56
Lee Hatfield
Yeah.
Faith's Role in Paranormal Work
00:19:57
Lee Hatfield
and And that's actually interesting because, correct me if I'm wrong, but for somebody who likes the paranormal, likes to go on investigations, but is not necessarily religious, if they do a prayer, it going to have the same effect?
00:20:19
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Nope.
00:20:19
Lee Hatfield
to if somebody who's religious like yourself.
00:20:22
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Yes.
00:20:22
Lee Hatfield
So how can someone like that protect themselves?
00:20:26
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Well, that's the thing. I mean, if you're going into the paranormal, and this is a rather newer phenomenon, younger groups coming up, they don't want to hear the wisdom of the ages. They think we're all washed up. you Oh, you don't understand.
00:20:40
Fr_ Bob Bailey
But if if you believe you know that in the paranormal, you've got to believe in good versus evil. you got to believe God and the devil. And Yeah, you're right. if you don't If you don't have that faith, then you're only saying words.
00:20:55
Fr_ Bob Bailey
like Like, I remember seeing people wearing rosary beads around their neck. And it's like, okay, those rosary beads, don't care if they're blessed or not.
00:21:06
Fr_ Bob Bailey
what The power of the rosary, it comes through the prayer. And the reason why they're powerful with me is because I pray the rosary every day. And that's where the power comes from. If not, it's a trinket.
00:21:18
Fr_ Bob Bailey
A blessed trinket, yes, okay, but it's not going to have the same power and efficacy, you know, so it's it's your personal faith that has to be your shield.
00:21:29
Fr_ Bob Bailey
If not, then, you know, and and this is what I see happening nowadays. In some instances, they go in without that, and they end up making things worse.
00:21:42
Fr_ Bob Bailey
for the clients because they open doors and they don't know how to shut them. and
00:21:47
Lee Hatfield
Yeah.
00:21:50
Fr_ Bob Bailey
And using other methods of divination which can be dangerous.
00:21:50
Lee Hatfield
and
00:21:54
Lee Hatfield
yeah good big good Yeah, because I know that, yeah, anytime anybody uses the D word, they're automatically assuming that something's of a dark nature, but it's not always going to be the case.
00:22:11
Lee Hatfield
I was talking to somebody a few months ago about fairies. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it's not a demon. And people get or people want to tar everybody with the same brush, so to speak, by, okay, because I got scratched or because it's it's moving things around, it's got to be a benevolent entity.
00:22:22
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Right. Right.
00:22:36
Lee Hatfield
It's got to be bad, so it must be a demon. But in reality, it's not.
00:22:40
Fr_ Bob Bailey
right
00:22:43
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Yeah, i you know, growing up, i always thought fairies were benign thing until I got into the paranormal world. And it's like, ooh, the fae, they're not always kind.
00:22:53
Fr_ Bob Bailey
It's like, wow.
00:22:54
Lee Hatfield
yeah
00:22:55
Fr_ Bob Bailey
So people from the British Isles, it's like, they can be formidable. formidable. ah
00:22:59
Lee Hatfield
Oh, for sure. So what would you say the percentage, I know it's going to be difficult to put a number on it, but the percentage of genuine demonic infestations, if you like, compared to, okay, this is not of a not of a ah demonic nature.
00:23:00
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Yeah.
00:23:19
Lee Hatfield
Can you kind of put like a percentage to that?
00:23:20
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Yeah, if I do 10 cases, I would say six have maybe have some kind of a merit to it. Some kind of a merit to it. Not demonic, necessary, but some.
00:23:33
Lee Hatfield
Thank you.
00:23:34
Fr_ Bob Bailey
and Well, man maybe five. Maybe half. Half and half. So my my philosophy is it never hurts to bless a home. It gives peace of mind and it puts positive in the house.
00:23:48
Fr_ Bob Bailey
So, yeah... um But because of my work on Paranormal State, it's usually when I went in to do it is after they've already established that there's something there.
00:24:02
Fr_ Bob Bailey
So I would say all of them had some kind of a merit to
00:24:07
Lee Hatfield
Yeah.
00:24:08
Fr_ Bob Bailey
But I've been called into a number that just, you know, or I know they're inviting it in and they don't want to do it. They want me as a as a magician.
00:24:18
Fr_ Bob Bailey
You go in, you do the work, you leave, and they don't have to do anything. And it's like, no. It's kind of like if you contract to a you know like like a disease, like say you have cancer or whatever, and you've got to follow a regimen after that, and you'll be okay.
00:24:26
Lee Hatfield
Yeah.
00:24:38
Fr_ Bob Bailey
you know or whatever, diabetes like I have. and But you cannot not do anything because your life has already been touched by this disease. Same thing with with the demonic. you know And even if it's positive spirits, you've got to create you know rules for your location and say, okay, you've got to be the You're the homeowner right now. you know And I try to cross spirits over.
00:25:09
Fr_ Bob Bailey
In my Catholic faith, we believe in purgatorial spirits, which makes all the reason in the world, makes all the sense in the world, in the paranormal world, that they're on their way, but for some reason, whatever, they're either stuck Or they didn't want to go, and they have free will.
00:25:31
Fr_ Bob Bailey
So I have tried to pray them into the light. And I do that every time I say Mass. I ask St. Michael and one of the other angels to give me souls to the Mass that during that prayer, they'll be released into the light.
00:25:46
Fr_ Bob Bailey
And so... you know I like to think that that has a good... I hate going into haunted places and keeping souls there who might be trapped.
00:25:59
Fr_ Bob Bailey
I think that's cruel, and I think it's Disneyland-ish to do to them.
00:26:05
Lee Hatfield
Yeah.
00:26:05
Fr_ Bob Bailey
at their
00:26:05
Lee Hatfield
And it's all about money in some some locations.
00:26:07
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Oh, it is. It is. Yep.
00:26:12
Lee Hatfield
So if this location light really annoys you, you'll just go in and cleanse it just to get your own back. so like so this was This will stop you getting your money.
00:26:18
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Yeah.
00:26:21
Lee Hatfield
Yeah.
00:26:22
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Yeah. Well, there there was there was one place that's notorious, and we went into an area, and and a bunch of people were there. So we got they got activity, and I happened to walk in there, and we found out that it was saying, help me, help me.
00:26:37
Fr_ Bob Bailey
So I said, okay, guys, i think this soul wants to cross. So I had them all help. So i said, okay. and And I commanded, i said, now I ask that nothing can prohibit you, and I had them all sing Amazing Grace and then say the Lord's Prayer as the soul crossed and then to give a sign.
00:27:01
Fr_ Bob Bailey
And there was like a blinking of light. And I said, see what we did? Collectively, we we saved at least a soul. I don't know how many, but at least one. And I said, I don't dare tell anybody that from the place.
00:27:13
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Yeah.
00:27:15
Lee Hatfield
and And that brings me nicely towards my next point. So when you cleanse or when you move a spirit on, How many different prayers do you, is is there, or do you just stick to the Lord's prayer or is there other prayers that you could use?
00:27:36
Fr_ Bob Bailey
I do is... At least during Mass and stuff. I have St. Michael and then there's another Archangel, Remiel, who also escorts souls.
00:27:48
Fr_ Bob Bailey
And then we have a saint that's the patient saint of the of purgatorial souls, St. Nicholas of Tolentino. So I ask the three of them to be with me. to St. Michael to light the way with his fiery sword and the other two to to escort the soul.
00:28:05
Fr_ Bob Bailey
I have a little ritual that I do. And I pray for mercy for the soul. And then ask, I read a psalm. And then I ask during the Lord's Prayer that they move on.
00:28:18
Fr_ Bob Bailey
And it's simple. It's simple.
00:28:21
Lee Hatfield
Okay, so at what point after doing all your demonology and your spiritual warfare, at what point did somebody walk up to you and go, we would like your assistance on a TV show?
Television Appearances and Collaborations
00:28:38
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Well, that happened with Paranormal State. Because what happened was i was watching you know Ghost Hunters and I was really getting into it because it's like ah ah growing up I had an interest but none of my friends did.
00:28:50
Fr_ Bob Bailey
So it went latent. And now it's like, oh, I'm watching this stuff.
00:28:54
Lee Hatfield
Thank you.
00:28:55
Fr_ Bob Bailey
So my parishioners, my young parishioners said, oh, Father Bob, if you like... paranormal If you love Ghost Hunter, you're going to love Paranormal State. And I said, what's that?
00:29:06
Fr_ Bob Bailey
And they told me. And I watched it, and I liked it because Ryan was faith-based. He would pray. So I took a chance and wrote to him. And he wrote right back, and that began a friendship.
00:29:20
Fr_ Bob Bailey
And I told him I really wanted to meet him sometime, and he was in Massachusetts, right next door to you know to Rhode Island. And he said, would you want to meet? I said, I'm there.
00:29:31
Fr_ Bob Bailey
So then a few days later, he said, well, we might need your... We might need your expertise. Would you mind helping us if we need it? I said, sure. So he said, well, how do you feel about being on TV? I said, I've never been on TV.
00:29:46
Fr_ Bob Bailey
so And we worked out well together, and it it was fine. And that began ah ah few seasons until... It was tough. I mean, I had a full-time job as a pastor. so sometimes you wouldn't know until couple of days before. And I couldn't just, after a while, just drop everything in my duties and go. so but like But three seasons I worked, and I got to meet a lot of wonderful people and work with a wonderful group.
00:30:14
Fr_ Bob Bailey
PRS. But yeah, that was that.
00:30:16
Lee Hatfield
Yeah.
00:30:17
Fr_ Bob Bailey
And then ah ah couple of seasons of The Haunted from what from two of our cases that they picked up. And then i just recently did one with Expedition X on the Discovery Channel, I believe.
00:30:34
Lee Hatfield
Yeah, I think so, yeah.
00:30:35
Fr_ Bob Bailey
And they were, yeah, they were great. Great, great. So that's probably going to come out in the fall sometime because it was right next to The Conjuring House. So I'm sure they're going to put that out once the movie comes on.
00:30:45
Lee Hatfield
oh
00:30:47
Fr_ Bob Bailey
So.
00:30:48
Lee Hatfield
Yeah, and but that's that's got a whole story within itself.
00:30:52
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Oh, my gosh. I don't know if you've been following it, but it's embarrassing.
00:30:58
Lee Hatfield
and Yeah, i have um've so I've seen some of it and it's like, what is going on?
00:30:58
Fr_ Bob Bailey
That the owner. Ugh.
00:31:04
Lee Hatfield
It's just crazy.
00:31:06
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Yeah, yeah.
00:31:06
Lee Hatfield
But one thing that I would like to speak to you about is you had the honor to work with Ed and Lorraine Warren.
00:31:16
Fr_ Bob Bailey
I didn't work with Ed Eddard already passed, but I did work with Lorraine.
00:31:19
Lee Hatfield
Oh, okay. okay Okay.
00:31:21
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Yes, yes.
00:31:21
Lee Hatfield
How is that being for somebody who's so pristine in the paranormal world?
00:31:28
Fr_ Bob Bailey
It was wonderful. We got along... There was an immediate relationship there. And of course, she loved priests, so you know it was a natural thing.
00:31:39
Fr_ Bob Bailey
But i learned yeah i learned from her, and she was just a joy. She had a great sense of humor. and She was great to hang out with and you know in between what we had to do.
00:31:51
Fr_ Bob Bailey
And, you know, I valued that. I really did. and In fact, I tell people this all the time. At one point, we were just hanging out in the hotel at the bar and ah ah sharing a glass of wine.
00:32:04
Fr_ Bob Bailey
And I said, you know, you remind me of a ah paranormal Mary Poppins. I said, I can just see you with a bun in her hair coming down with your with your umbrella.
00:32:10
Lee Hatfield
<unk>
00:32:13
Fr_ Bob Bailey
And then you're packed, you have holy water and the Bible and rosary beads and and and all that. And she started giggling. She loved it. She loved it. So it all goes, hello, Mary Poppins.
00:32:23
Lee Hatfield
You can much
00:32:26
Fr_ Bob Bailey
ah but
00:32:26
Lee Hatfield
just imagine that. Because my over here, I know it was released a while ago, but they showed the Enfield Poltergeist three-parter and the Warrens actually went to England to to help with that. and and yeah I know it's TV and things that are on TV are not exactly...
00:32:47
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Yeah.
00:32:49
Lee Hatfield
how it happened in real life. But it was really interesting.
00:32:51
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Even the Conjuring, even the original Conjuring, ah ah so the beginning was pretty accurate, but then the other facts became askew. It's like, why? Why are you going to do that? the Truth is more scarier than fiction.
00:33:07
Fr_ Bob Bailey
You know?
00:33:07
Lee Hatfield
Absolutely.
00:33:08
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Right.
00:33:08
Lee Hatfield
Yeah. So the fact that you've always been involved with the paranormal, have you actually actually experienced anything that you can't explain yourself?
00:33:19
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Yeah, but i I will tell you that in as long as the time, and I think it's because I'm a priest, I've never seen like a full-bodied apparition yet, at least not of a spirit.
00:33:33
Fr_ Bob Bailey
I've not seen things fly off shelves and all of that. I've gone to places where they say, oh my gosh, the cupboard's open. the I say, oh, I'm going, yes, I want to see this.
00:33:44
Fr_ Bob Bailey
And it goes dormant when the priest comes in because they don't want to they don' want to give away.
00:33:48
Lee Hatfield
Yeah.
00:33:49
Fr_ Bob Bailey
so say But I have like the the last house that I had done. yeah i actually went into a room to bless it and I felt pushed out of there.
00:34:00
Lee Hatfield
Wow.
00:34:01
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Yeah. And a little bit, I'm not psychic, I'm not i'm not im not a medium, nothing like that, but there is a thing of discernment of spirits, and and lately it seems that I've been, that's been heightened a little bit, probably to do the work, and I call that the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
00:34:21
Fr_ Bob Bailey
and And when I pray for healing, sometimes words will come through too, but again, not, not, Not words clairvoyant or anything that, just from the Holy Spirit. And I'll say, this is a word I have for you. I have no idea what it means, but take it for what it is.
00:34:41
Fr_ Bob Bailey
But yeah, not you know i guess it's the hazards of being a priest that they don't want to show that in front of you.
00:34:50
Lee Hatfield
Yeah, occupational hazard.
00:34:53
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Some priests have. like Exorcists certainly have.
00:34:54
Lee Hatfield
Yeah.
00:34:57
Fr_ Bob Bailey
and i've seen i did one case where I worked on a young lady for a few hours and then started to see that but that it was formidable and that she was exhibiting signs of possession.
00:35:11
Fr_ Bob Bailey
I said, oh boy, I need to stop right here and now. This is above my pay grade. so I stopped and then I called the local bishop who I happened to know and And he knew me, so that was great. And so he said, okay, I can handle it from here.
00:35:25
Fr_ Bob Bailey
I said, do you have an exorcist? He said, yes. I said, okay. But it was an interesting story because when we got called, it was in nearby Massachusetts. So I went with my partner at PWSM, it was just he and I. And his wife, who was our case manager, decided to come with us.
00:35:44
Fr_ Bob Bailey
So we're driving and she always loved to have iced tea. So she has iced tea in her hand. She goes, oh, this iced tea smells like urine. I said, what?
00:35:55
Fr_ Bob Bailey
So I go, come on. So the husband grabs it. He smells it. He said, oh. So now, of course, skeptic here. I'm going, yeah, right. So I grab it. It's like, oh, it does.
00:36:06
Fr_ Bob Bailey
It does. So I said, guys, I don't know what we're walking into. I said, something's going to happen. We walk into and she's on the bed in a pool of urine.
00:36:19
Lee Hatfield
Wow.
00:36:20
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Of her own urine. Yeah.
00:36:21
Lee Hatfield
That is, that's crazy.
00:36:21
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Yeah. Yeah, that was. That was. And she had, I mean, she had a boyfriend who was very muscular and he could just about keep her down.
00:36:32
Fr_ Bob Bailey
And she was speaking in you know and in languages and in guttural kind of tones. So it was that was the first... I had been, when I was younger...
00:36:51
Fr_ Bob Bailey
and in my twenties, been on a team for an exorcism. I, I wasn't, I wasn't a priest then, but that one was, it was exhausting because of the, the amount of time that it took and not realizing what it was. I just thought it was a deliverance, you know,
00:37:08
Lee Hatfield
That's crazy. Yeah. And I know that a lot of people that are involved with the power and the paranormal, they want to see stuff like that because yeah half of it's because of the interest, a genuine interest in what procedures take place to exercise that spirit from from the individual.
00:37:34
Lee Hatfield
But I think a lot of it is also a morbid kind of like, I want to see what happens.
00:37:40
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Curiosity. Yes.
00:37:41
Lee Hatfield
Exactly, exactly. And do you find that's always the case? Well, not always the case, but do you find that's the case in a lot of examples?
Challenges in TV Portrayals of Paranormal Investigations
00:37:49
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Frustratingly, yes. Like I've gone on Paracons and I've been able to hear people say, oh, did you go to this place? Did you go to that place? Oh, I'll go into this place. And it's all for their own for their own entertainment, going to all these smart-to-play.
00:38:05
Fr_ Bob Bailey
But how many clients are you helping? That's the telltale. This is not a club. And it's like and and and that's what I find in some instances.
00:38:12
Lee Hatfield
Yeah.
00:38:17
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Not all, but in some. And that's for me, personally, that's frustrating because it's not It's not a game. Yeah.
00:38:25
Lee Hatfield
No. Yeah. and And one thing that we do thrive upon with my my group is, at the end of the day, but the individual that's being affected yeah the client or whatever you want to call them, that their their feelings, ah their emotions are paramount.
00:38:48
Lee Hatfield
So if you can go and to prove that it's yeah black mold or EMF, like we mentioned earlier, or you they've got a rodent problem, as long as you are helping that person and then you can find out that it's not paranormal,
00:39:04
Lee Hatfield
It may be a little bit disappointing for the team. However, at the end of the day, you're still helping that individual.
00:39:11
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Absolutely.
00:39:12
Lee Hatfield
And that's that's what's key right now. yeah
00:39:15
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Yes.
00:39:15
Lee Hatfield
it's not It's not to yeah get gold stars and to get your name on Broadway with flashy lights.
00:39:22
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Yeah.
00:39:23
Lee Hatfield
It's helping that individual.
00:39:25
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Exactly. and And I go for the same with with the homeowners. You would think that they would be relieved. And some are. But others are not. They just, they want that to be paranormal.
00:39:40
Lee Hatfield
Yeah.
00:39:41
Fr_ Bob Bailey
And you know there's there' some cases I've been on too that are kind of well known that I won't go into for the sake of not wanting to name names, but where they go from one one expert to another for attention.
00:39:58
Fr_ Bob Bailey
They just want the attention. you know And they're not doing anything to actively rid the spirit. you know
00:40:06
Lee Hatfield
yeah
00:40:06
Fr_ Bob Bailey
And that's a shame. Because that's all for profit. That's all it is.
00:40:10
Lee Hatfield
Exactly. And yeah you can watch a lot of these TV shows and you know damn well that what you're seeing on this person's video is 100% fake.
00:40:23
Lee Hatfield
You know it is. Sort of like, oh, there's that door moving, but what's behind the what's behind the door? And you never see the other side of the door. Or if you do, there's still enough time that they walk through, open it, and if there's another exit, that someone's had time to actually to leave.
00:40:42
Lee Hatfield
And it's it's really sad that it's getting that it's getting like that when you've when you've got genuine people that do want to help people.
00:40:44
Fr_ Bob Bailey
It is. Right, and that's the frustration even, i know Ryan has had that in paranormal state because not every case gets solved.
00:41:01
Fr_ Bob Bailey
You know, or not the way that... And you're facing production who wants to make a show. So, you know, you've got that tension going on. So it's tough with television. And plus, the frustrating thing is, like with Paranormal State, they might have been there a week, four or five days doing this, but it all gets encapsulated into a 50-minute show.
00:41:27
Fr_ Bob Bailey
So people think the reality is within an hour... everything is done and that's just not true.
00:41:32
Lee Hatfield
Yeah.
00:41:33
Fr_ Bob Bailey
You know, it's not based in reality, but, uh, yeah, I, I, it's, it's tough.
00:41:33
Lee Hatfield
Yeah.
00:41:43
Fr_ Bob Bailey
It's tough.
00:41:45
Lee Hatfield
is Well, yeah unfortunately, we are coming towards the end. So what's next on the horizon for Father Bob?
Future Plans and Collaborations
00:41:53
Lee Hatfield
Got anything in the pipeline?
00:41:55
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Yes. Next month I'm going to California. my My other partner who's a priest, an Orthodox priest in California, he's kind of the West Coast partner. I'm the East Coast partner. He's doing a paracon on the USS Hornet.
00:42:13
Fr_ Bob Bailey
So I'm going there to speak.
00:42:14
Lee Hatfield
Oh, wow.
00:42:15
Fr_ Bob Bailey
And actually, i mean, we talk to each other every day, but I've never physically met him. so But yet we work together as partners in the ministry.
00:42:22
Lee Hatfield
That'll be cool.
00:42:24
Fr_ Bob Bailey
So I'll get to meet him live for the first time. and And then continue to go to a a few places, to Illinois and to...
00:42:38
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Kentucky. Maybe. Maybe. It's the whole Annabelle thing. I don't know where that's going to go.
00:42:44
Lee Hatfield
Oh, yeah, they the things that have happened with over the last week with regard to that, it's it's shameful.
00:42:44
Fr_ Bob Bailey
like
00:42:50
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Yeah. he was ah ah he was He was a very good friend of mine. ah Yeah.
00:42:55
Lee Hatfield
I'm sorry to that.
00:42:57
Fr_ Bob Bailey
So I'm going to the funeral this week. so Yeah. It's just I can't even watch the TV when it comes on. It's like and people have been so cruel. So cruel.
00:43:06
Lee Hatfield
Yeah, that's ridiculous. Okay, my friend, it's been an absolute pleasure talking to you. I'm glad that I've finally managed, you know, the fact that I've finally managed to tie you down and get you on, even though you've been gallivanting around Europe on vacation.
00:43:13
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Same here.
00:43:23
Fr_ Bob Bailey
ah It's also a pilgrimage.
00:43:24
Lee Hatfield
But like say, okay, okay, ah okay. Let's mention that bit as well. But Father Bob, it's been an absolute pleasure and I thank you for your time.
00:43:34
Lee Hatfield
You have a great rest of the evening.
00:43:34
Fr_ Bob Bailey
Oh, you're welcome.
00:43:36
Lee Hatfield
Thank you. Take care.
00:43:36
Fr_ Bob Bailey
You too. Take care. Bye-bye now.