By Charmaine Garcia
Special to the Herald
“So, you’re walking through the cemetery tonight, are you? What do you expect to see? Spooky ghosts?”
With these words, the gravedigger (played by Harold Callejo) greeted us as we entered Oahu Cemetery on Nov. 2 — All Souls’ Day — for the Back from the Dead Cemetery Walk. He warned us that those we were about to meet that night had a message for us. He bid us not to waste the time of the dead, but to listen.
“Remember your death,” the gravedigger said as he urged us to prepare for our own death.
With that, we began a guided tour through the dark, windy cemetery, lit only with meager flashlights and dimming lanterns.
We first met a man (Paul Garcia) being purged in the fires of purgatory. He encouraged us to make time for God, to trust him and to live for him. The man begged us for prayers and asked us not to forget him.
We moved on to meet St. Cecilia (Rachel Gochenouer, supported by Sofia Garcia), a young early Christian martyr who inspired us to be a witness of our faith, like her. She reminded us that our life is short and passing and we must sacrifice to gain eternity.
Shortly thereafter in the shadows appeared St. Therese of Lisieux (Makena Duffy). She explained how easy it was to get to heaven if we only approached difficulties like little children and did small things with great love.
As we walked farther along, two brightly lit creatures skipped toward us (Gianna Garcia and Elsa Melander). They identified themselves as children from heaven. They told us all about our guardian angels and how they protect and pray for us.
St. Martin de Porres (Eddie Barinque) greeted us next. He told us he was so joyful and happy because he lived in service of others and asked us how we were helping those in need.
St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein), played by Amy Sullivan, then explained her life story — one that led her from Judaism to atheism to her eventual conversion to Catholicism and her entry into religious life as a Carmelite nun. While she suffered greatly, she explained that with God, there are no coincidences, that God ordains all.
St. Teresa Benedicta understood that God had placed her in Auschwitz, where she was gassed in 1942, to be love in a place where there was no love. In her words, “Where there is no love, put love and you will draw out love.”
Harold Callejo, above left, portrayed the gravedigger in the debut isle presentation of the Back from the Dead Cemetery Walk, which offers an alternative to horror-based Halloween activities. Makena Duffy, above, played St. Therese of Lisieux, one of the saints highlighted during the walk, which took place on All Souls’ Day in Oahu Cemetery. (Courtesy Diocese of Honolulu Catholic Committee on Scouting)
A soul from heaven (Eden Lee Murray), whose name was unknown to us, ended our encounter with the dead. She tried to explain the beauty and the blessedness of our true home, but words failed her. So she quoted Scripture: “Eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, nor has it entered the human heart, what God has ready for those who love Him (1 Cor 2:9).
With that the walk ended. Attendees were encouraged to venerate relics in the chapel, join others praying the rosary for the deceased, or enjoy hot cider, cookies and quiet fellowship on the lanai.
Prior to the walk, Peter Cruz, custodian of holy relics in Hawaii, discussed the lives of the saints and martyrs we met in the cemetery and brought relics of the saints. He also brought relics of the saints who encouraged us to remember and pray fervently for the holy souls in purgatory.
The Back from the Dead Cemetery Walk was directed by Stephanie Conching, a longtime Catholic school educator and an accomplished performer and director who gave generously of her time and talent to this unique drama. Karen Loebl, also an accomplished performer and the youth and young adult minister at Mary, Star of the Sea Parish in Waialae-Kahala, assisted her.
The walk was presented by the Diocese of Honolulu Catholic Committee on Scouting with Boy Scouts of America Troop 311. Scouts from other troops across Oahu helped to guide guests safely through the cemetery at night. The actors, both professionals and amateurs but all people of faith, remarked that they had been changed by the experience.
The Back from the Dead Cemetery Walk was founded in the early 2000s by Father Brian Nolan, who at the time was campus minister at McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland.
Dismayed at the sadistic nature of the ever-popular haunted houses in the area, he put together a cemetery walk in which people would encounter saints who would tell their stories and encourage others on the path to holiness.
In Father Nolan’s first attempt at presenting the walk, only six college students came through to meet the saints. Undaunted, he continued to write monologues for more saints, hoping to reach more people.
Now, 20 years later, the Back from the Dead Cemetery Walk in Maryland is held on multiple nights throughout October to accommodate the crowds that come to encounter the saints. In Hawaii, the premier production brought in more than 100 people.
God is good. We are truly blessed!
Charmaine Garcia is chairperson of the Diocese of Honolulu Catholic Committee on Scouting.
