No, if we go in, we want all the folks that<em>would</em>be assisting with the ritual at the exits, because they're the best-equipped to handle the undead hoards.  Particularly if we throw up the Hallow zone for +4 to turning checks (even a level 1 Cleric could cause quite a bit of unrest among the living with that).  Whatever plan we pick, we should go all out in making sure it works.<br/><br/>In other news, Consecrate is a cheaper alternative to Hallow (a base of 50g instead of 5,000g for the spell itself) that doesn't grant the Death Ward or Protection from Evil effects, but provides a bigger turning bonus (since it'd almost inevitable include a Host altar once suitably enlarged), and grants the undead a -2 on a ton of checks.  I still think Hallow's the way to go, but penalties to the hoards may be more important than blocking the elites' special abilities.