Originally published at The Crux

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Archbishop James R. Golka blesses members of the congregations during the recessional procession at the end of the Mass of Installation for Golka as the sixth Archbishop of Denver, March 25, 2026, at the CoBank Arena at the National Western Center in Denver. (Credit: Timothy Hurst/The Denver Post via AP.)

At the urging of his archbishop, a prominent Catholic exorcist in the Denver Archdiocese is taking a one-year break from public speaking and interviews which have garnered millions of views on social media.

Instead, Father Chad Ripperger will use his “one-year fast” to devote himself to the Society of the Most Sorrowful Mother, the semi-contemplative religious community he founded and the people it serves, the archdiocese announced in a Monday statement.

The decision arose from a meeting Ripperger had with Denver Archbishop James Golka, who asked the Catholic priest to consider taking the break.

“Fr. Ripperger readily agreed,” the statement said, adding that Golka is grateful for Ripperger’s “priestly service, exorcism ministry and for the generous spirit in which he received this request.” It also said they’ll revisit this arrangement together at the end of the year.

Efforts to reach Ripperger through the archdiocese were not immediately successful, and the archdiocese declined to provide more details, including what led to the archbishop’s request.

Ripperger’s yearlong fast comes about four months after Monsignor Stephen Rossetti, another Catholic exorcist who gained notoriety on social media, was removed by Cardinal Robert McElroy after serving as the exorcist for the Washington, D.C., Archdiocese