Southern Nebraska Register
Fourteen adult actors and more than 25 support staff are preparing for the third annual “Back From the Dead” (BFTD) cemetery walk at Calvary Catholic Cemetery, 3880 L St., Lincoln.
The late-October event is scheduled near Halloween to help walkers reflect on the four last things: death, judgment, heaven and hell. Adults and older teens (15 and up) are invited to the walk.
Participants are guided through the cemetery and encounter actors dressed as martyrs, saints, and others who have come fictitiously “back from the dead” to encourage people to live holy lives in accordance with Christ’s teachings.
The walk is organized by Blake and Cheryl Winter of St. Joseph Parish in Lincoln, who attended a similar BFTD walk three years ago in Maryland.
This spring, members of the Winter family went on a Jubilee Year Pilgrimage to Italy and visited the graves of two of the saints walkers will “meet” this year: St. Carlo Acoutis and Blessed Bartolo Longo. Cheryl Winter said she begged the saints to intercede for people who attend the walk, and for those volunteering for it.
The event is a half-mile walk, held outdoors, in the dark, with a guide. The duration of the walk is approximately one hour and 20 minutes.
Walks will take place Oct. 24, 26, 27, and 29. Slots of 15 guests are available, departing from the cemetery’s St. Charbel Chapel at 6:15, 6:30, 6:45, 7, 7:15 and 7:30 p.m. on each date.
Organizers caution the walk is not handicapped-accessible and may feel strenuous. People with poor night vision should not attend. Accordingly, two indoor events with no walking are available on All Soul’s Day, Nov. 2, at 2 and 4 p.m. These performances will take place in the St. Charbel Chapel, which is handicapped accessible.
Three hundred people attended last year’s “sell-out” walk; 400 attendees are expected this year.
In the peaceful setting of the cemetery, walkers are warned to remember their deaths and to prepare for it. Characters along the path teach about God’s providence, mercy and love, as well as the courage of the martyrs, the holiness of the saints, and the reality that one could lose his or her soul. The walk is a living catechesis, based on the Catholic Faith, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and the living tradition of the saints. It has been described as reverent, inspiring, and thought-provoking.
Priests will be available to hear confessions each evening or afternoon of the event on the cemetery grounds.
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Courtesy photos
While some characters from the 2024 walk will return, most of the people walkers “meet” this year are new to the walk.
The BFTD walk was created by Father Brian Nolan of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. All BFTD actor’s scripts have been given an imprimatur – permission to be printed – and a “nihil obstat” – indicating scripts contain nothing contrary to Church Doctrine. In addition, Msgr. Timothy Thorburn, of the Diocese of Lincoln, has reviewed and approved all scripts used on the walk at Calvary Cemetery.
The “Back From the Dead” cemetery walk is free, but space is limited. Participants must have a ticket to attend. To sign up for the event, go to https://www.signupgenius.com/go/calvarybackfromthedeadcemeterywalk2025 to reserve departure date and time.
Free-will offerings will be accepted.
