Catholic Priest Dresses as Dracula for 'Halloween Prayer Service'
A German priest's Dracula-themed Halloween prayer service, meant to evangelize via coffin and cape, has Catholics howling over sacrilege and the Church's desperate bid for relevance.
FREISING — A Catholic priest in Freising stunned worshippers by leading a Halloween-themed prayer service on October 31, 2025, dressed as Count Dracula, surrounded by artificial fog and a half-open coffin in St. George’s Cemetery chapel.
Fr. Michael Korell, the officiant, defended the spectacle as a missionary outreach to those distant from the Church, the UOJ’s Ukraine branch reports. He told Tribune Chrétienne that the vampire costume symbolized fearlessness toward death, while the coffin represented Christ’s empty tomb and the Resurrection.
The event, held on All Saints’ Eve, drew sharp backlash. While some praised its creativity, many Catholics condemned it as sacrilegious, accusing it of blending sacred worship with occult-tinged pop culture. Critics called the service “unworthy” and a desecration of holy space.
The Freising parish quickly clarified it was not a Mass but a communal prayer outside the main church to “preserve sacred dignity.” Officials insisted all elements carried purely Christian meaning, with no occult intent.
The incident has reignited fierce debate in Germany’s Catholic Church over cultural adaptation and the Synodal Path’s push for modernization. For many, it signals a deeper crisis: a Church prioritizing worldly appeal over reverence.
As the UOJ previously reported, the Catholic Church in Germany has closed over 650 churches in recent decades.
