Catholics visiting St. James of the Marches Parish in Totowa, N.J., had the chance to see and hear from an assortment of the Church’s popular saints — and a possible saint to be — during its Back from the Grave seasonal event, held on the evening of Oct. 29 — ahead of Halloween, All Saints Day and All Souls Day.
A cast of St. James’ confirmation students, 8th graders, and adults dressed up and portrayed more than a dozen featured saints at “stations” that started in front of the rectory and wrapped around the church. At least 100 visitors, including families, took a tour, visiting each station and listening to each actor speak in first person as the saint.
The saints included St. Joan of Arc, St. Patrick, St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta, St. Pio of Pietrelcina, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Frances Cabrini, St. Faustina, St. Mother Ann Seton, St. Kateri Tekakwitha, St. Augustine of Hippo, St. Michael the Archangel, St. James of the Marches, the parish’s patron, St. Teresa of Avila, St. John the Baptist, the patron of the Paterson Diocese, N.J., and St. Therese of Lisieux. The display also included Blessed Fulton J. Sheen, who was beatified in September and had personal ties to the diocese.
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Father Joseph S. DeMarzo III, parochial vicar of St. James, produced Back From the Grave, with the support of Father Marc Mancini, the parish’s pastor. The event, originally called Back from the Dead, was started by a deacon at Mother Ann Seton Shrine in Emmitsburg, Md. Father DeMarzo first produced a Back from the Grave in 2024 at Assumption Parish in Morristown, N.J., where he served as a transitional deacon while a diocesan seminarian.
The event also included games and treats. The adjoining St. James Place was blocked off for participants’ safety.
“Back from the Grave was a success. It was a great opportunity — and great evangelization effort — to help Catholics do something fun while concentrating on ‘the meaning of the season’: All Saints Day [on Oct. 1] and All Souls Day [on Oct. 2]— for the souls and heaven and the souls in the way,” Father DeMarzo said.
