It’s not often that we celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints on a Sunday; the last time we did so was 6 years ago in 2020! And, on Monday, we will celebrate Commemoration of all the Faithful Departed, commonly known as All Souls. Both of these annual feasts speak powerfully about one of the very important tenets of our faith: belief in everlasting life for everyone. And they have ancient roots in our Church. The Solemnity of All Saints dates back to the days of ancient Roman. At that time, the people throughout the Empire often considered their ancestors to be gods or goddesses and would worship them. Many regions would have a public holiday when they would dress in the garb of these deified ancestors and parade through the streets of their cities, towns and villages.
The early followers of Christ turned this into a celebration of the martyrs, dressing like the martyrs and processing through the streets just as the Romans did. It became an official holy day in the Eastern Church in the 4th century and Pope Gregory IV established this commemoration for the entire Church in 835AD. It was originally celebrated on Easter Friday, but then in the late 9th century, the Solemnity of All Saints was transferred to 1 November to counter the Celtic pagan feast of the Druids.
The Commemoration of all the Faithful Departed, commonly known as All Souls Day, is also rooted in an another ancient tradition, dating back to the 2nd century, and focuses on those who have died and are in Purgatory, preparing themselves to enter Heaven. Tertullian mentions it in his writings. St. Odilo of Cluny established a memorial of all the faithful departed in 988AD, and this memorial was added to the official Church calendar in the 13th century.
Speaking of tradition, our school has a wonderful tradition of having our first graders select a saint and then dress up as that saint for a school prayer service where a short biography of each of the selected saints is read. I always look forward to this celebration and am often surprised and delighted by the saints who were selected. Our first graders led us in this celebration recently. As usual, many proud parents and grandparents joined our school family. Of course, several of our first graders selected the Blessed Mother and St. Joseph, along with the always-popular Ss. Francis, Catherine of Siena and Patrick. But two saints were represented whose names I had never heard: Hugh of Lincoln and Margaret of Antioch. I always enjoy learning about new saints!
We are all part of one Church, gathered together by our Lord. As most of the Mass prefaces acknowledge, we join with the saints in praising our God with endless acclaim. And, at every Mass, we remember those who are still in Purgatory. We pray for “our brothers and sisters who have fallen asleep in the hope of the resurrection and all who have died in your mercy” (Second Eucharistic Prayer) and we ask God to give them “kind admittance to your kingdom” (Third Eucharistic Prayer).
The Church has traditionally dedicated the entire month of November to prayers for all the souls of the faithful departed. Fr. Kien and I assure you that we will remember all of your beloved family members who have died, especially those you listed on your All Souls envelopes, which will be kept next to the tabernacle throughout the month. And, all those who have lost a loved one over the past year have been invited to join together at the 11:30am? Mass next Sunday where their loved ones will be remembered as we all offer prayers for their eternal happiness. Both of these celebrations, All Saints and All Souls, offer us a good opportunity to reflect on the ultimate purpose of our lives – union with God and all the faithful in the everlasting joy of Heaven!