Obituaries for October 2025
Let us pray for our dearly departed clergy and religious whose Masses of Christian Burial were held in October.
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them.
May the souls of all the faithful departed,
through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
Amen.
Sister Rita Fritzen, OSF
A Mass of Christian Burial was held on October 11 at Immaculate Conception Church in Fayetteville, NY, for Sister Rita Fritzen, OSF. She died on October 7.
Born in Orange, NJ, she was a Sister of St. Francis for 40 years.
Sister Rita’s ministry began in education. She served as an admissions consultant for St. Bonaventure University, the associate director of Catechesis for the Archdiocese of Newark, and the principal of All Saints Catholic Academy in Bayonne. In 2021, she was elected to the Leadership Team of the Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities as a general councilor. In July of 2025, Sister was elected as general minister of the Congregation.
Sister Rita was pre-deceased by her parents, Edward L. and Mary Ann (Finley) Fritzen, her brother, Robert, and a sister, Mary Patricia. She is survived by her brothers, Edward, Thomas, and James; her sisters, Ann Marie Tetar and Jean Fritzen; and many nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews.
Father Gerard J. Graziano
A Mass of Christian Burial was held on October 21 at Saint Matthew’s Church in Ridgefield, NJ, for Father Gerard J. Graziano. He died on October 12. Father Graziano was 90.
He grew up in Cliffside Park, NJ, the son of the late Patrick and Beatrice (née Dingley) Graziano. Father Graziano was a four-sport varsity athlete, earning letters in football, basketball, baseball, and track. He attended Seton Hall University and Immaculate Conception Seminary and was ordained in 1961.
Father Graziano’s assignments included Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Newark, St. Anthony’s in Union City, Our Lady of the Visitation in Paramus, St. Anthony’s in Northvale, and Immaculate Conception in Hackensack. After retiring, he lived at St. Matthew’s Church in Ridgefield, where he continued to serve the parish community and remained a beloved spiritual presence.
In his later years, he was a beloved resident of Emerson Health and Rehabilitation Center, where he frequently administered the sacraments to residents, including celebrating Easter Mass, hearing confessions, distributing ashes on Ash Wednesday, and administering the Sacrament of the Sick.
Father Graziano was predeceased by his parents and by his brother Ronald. He is survived by his sister-in-law, Jeanne Magri, and by many nephews, nieces, grand-nieces and grand-nephews, one great-grand niece and two great-grand nephews.
Father Hilary Milton, O. Carm
A Mass of Christian Burial was held on October 23 at Saint Thomas the Apostle Church in Salem, MA, for Father Hilary Milton, O. Carm. He died on October 19 in Salem. Father Milton was 89.
Born to John Milton and Mary E. (Donnelly) Milton in Melrose, MA, he entered the Carmelite Junior Seminary in Hamilton, MA, in 1950. He later entered the Carmelite Novitiate in New Baltimore, PA, in 1956, where he took the religious name of Hilary. Father Milton was ordained to the priesthood at the La Salette Shrine in Ipswich, Massachusetts in 1963.
Before his ordination, Fr. Milton had received a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from St. Bonaventure University in Olean, NY, in 1960. He later received a Master of Arts degree in Pastoral Counseling from St. John’s University, Brooklyn, NY, in 1974, and a Master of Divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1976.
After serving on the Faculty of DeSales High School in Louisville, KY, Fr. Milton was sent to Lima, Peru, joining the faculty of Nuestra Señora del Carmen High School and Nuestra Señora del Carmen Parish in Miraflores, Lima. Fr. Milton later returned to Lima as Associate Pastor at the Miraflores parish.
For fifty years, Fr. Milton served in numerous Carmelite parishes in New Jersey, including at St. Joseph Parish, Bogota; St. John Parish, Leonia; St. Anastasia Parish, Teaneck; St. Joseph Parish, Demarest; St. Anastasia Parish, Teaneck, and St. Cecilia Parish, Englewood. In addition to his parish work, he also served as the Director of Mount Carmel Cemetery in Tenafly.
Fr. Milton retired to the St. Cecilia Priory in Englewood, NJ, and later resided with his twin sister, Mary Milton, in Salem, MA. He is survived by his sister.
Sister Catherine Murphy, FSP
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on October 27 at Marian Woods Chapel in Hartsdale, NY, for Sister Catherine Murphy, FSP (formerly Sister Margaret Rose). She died peacefully on October 21 at the age of 91.
Sister Catherine was born in Philadelphia, PA, to Rose and John Murphy. She grew up in a large family with eight siblings. When a friend invited her to visit Mount St. Francis in Peekskill, PA, she met the Franciscan Sisters for the first time. The experience drew her to religious life. In 1954, shortly after making a retreat to discern her vocation, she entered the Franciscan community.
Professed in 1956, Sister Catherine ministered as a childcare worker at St. Joseph’s Home in Peekskill and later at Lt. Joseph P. Kennedy Home in the Bronx. She later studied at Ladycliff College in Highland Falls, NY, in preparation for a teaching career.
Sister Catherine was an elementary school teacher in several parish schools in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. After earning a teaching certificate in social and emotional development from St. Joseph’s University, she became a learning disabilities specialist at the Paoli Development Center. She spent the next several years there and later at Northern Home for Children, both in Philadelphia.
After her mother’s death, Sister Catherine moved to New Jersey. She provided social services to the residents of New Community in Newark, a place that offered much support to those on the margins of society. She then served as a tutor at St. Martin de Porres Village in Paterson, New Jersey. In her later years, she volunteered at the Passaic Neighborhood Center for Women, which supports immigrant women and their children in a safe environment. In retirement, she lived at Marian Woods, an independent, intercommunity residence for religious sisters located in Hartsdale, New York.
Sister Catherine is survived by her brother, George Murphy, and sister, Margaret Higgins, as well as several nieces, nephews, grandnieces, and grandnephews.
Father José Maria Parcon
A Mass of Christian Burial was held on October 14 at Immaculate Conception Parish in Secaucus, NJ, for Father José Maria Parcon. He died on Oct 5. Father Parcon was 65.
Born in 1960, he obtained Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Theology degrees before his ordination in 1989 in Casiguran, the Philippines.
Father Parcon later moved to the U.S. and served for more than 25 years as a priest in the Archdiocese of Newark.
The parishes where he served as a Parochial Vicar include Saint Anne Parish in Jersey City, Sacred Heart Parish in Bloomfield, Saint Columba Parish in Newark, Parish of the Resurrection in Jersey City, Holy Redeemer Parish in West New York, Saint John Church in Orange, Saint Paul the Apostle Parish in Jersey City, Saint Elizabeth of Hungary Parish in Linden, and Immaculate Conception Parish in Secaucus. He also served as Administrator of Saint Columba.
Father Parcon ministered to the Holy Name Society and taught Bible classes during his priesthood. He was also very involved with the Knights of Columbus.
Sister Virginia Stanton, SSJ
A Mass of Christian Burial was held on October 27 for Sister Virginia Marie Stanton. She died on September 11 at Saint Joseph Villa in Flourtown, PA. Sister Virginia was 102.
The daughter of Edward and Emily (nee Murray) Stanton, she attended Catholic schools as a child and teenager.
Sister Virginia entered the Sisters of Saint Joseph, Chestnut Hill, in 1942. Her final vows were professed in 1950.
Her ministry brought her to the dioceses of Allentown, Camden, Harrisburg, Newark, and Philadelphia. Sister Virginia taught in classrooms and later worked in adult faith formation, helping many people discover meaning and hope in their lives.
She was known as an advocate for the poor and for standing beside the marginalized, living the Gospel call to love inclusively and courageously.
Sister Virginia was predeceased by her parents, Edward and Emily (nee Murray) Stanton, her brothers, Edward, Francis, and Thomas, and her sister, Helen. She is survived by her many loving nieces, nephews, and their extended families.
