Saints go marchin’ in for uplifting All Saints Day celebration
For the first time since a devastating fire in 2019, the Church of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Franklin Lakes welcomed students from the neighboring Academy of the Most Blessed Sacrament to its newly reconstructed sanctuary for the parish’s beloved All Saints Day celebration on Nov. 1.
Dressed as saints and singing “When the Saints Go Marchin’ In,” students in grades 3 through 8 processed into the restored church, filling it with color and reverence. There they attended a Mass led by Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus John W. Flesey, who was assisted by third and fourth graders preparing the readings and offering the gifts. After the Mass, the young “saints” took the opportunity to educate visiting parents, parishioners, and peers about the lives and legacies of the holy figures they represented, sharing stories that highlighted the saints’ deep faith and personal connections with Jesus.
This year’s cast of saints included St. Teresa of Calcutta, St. Joan of Arc, and the recently canonized St. Carlo Acutis. St. Alphonsus Liguori, founder of the Redemptorists — the religious congregation to which Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., Archbishop of Newark, belongs — was also featured. And in honor of the new church building, several students re-enacted scenes from the church’s stained-glass windows, which depict St. Albert the Great, Pope St. Pius V, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Catherine of Ricci, St. Agnes of Montepulciano, and St. Thomas Aquinas.
“The entire day reminded us that we are surrounded by the communion of saints, whose lives are shining examples of encouragement for us,” said Father John R. Job, the parish’s pastor, who concelebrated the Mass with Bishop Flesey. “It was very impressive to see the multitude of saints descend upon Most Blessed Sacrament.”
To learn more about the Church of the Most Blessed Sacrament and its reconstruction, visit www.mostblessedsacrament.ws.
Featured image: The newly reconstructed Church of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Franklin Lakes hosted students from the neighboring Academy of the Most Blessed Sacrament for the parish’s All Saints Day celebration on Nov. 1, 2024. (Photo courtesy of the Church of the Most Blessed Sacrament)
