 On November 1st we celebrate All

Saints' Day. It is also known as All

Hallows' Day and occurs the day after
All Hallows’ Eve (Hallowe'en). It is a
feast day celebrated on 1st November
by Anglicans and Roman Catholics.
 It is a holy day of obligation (i.e. we
must attend Mass on this day)
 Every day in the Church calendar has a saint day
(e.g. St. Patrick’s saint day is on 17th March), but
the Solemnity of All Saints is when the Church
honours all saints, known and unknown.
 While we have information about many saints,
and we honour them on specific days, there are
many unknown saints, who may have been
forgotten, or never been especially honoured.
 On All Saints Day, we celebrate these saints who
are all in heaven, and we ask for their prayers
and intercessions.
 Remembering saints and martyrs and
celebrating their lives on a particular day each
year has been a Christian tradition since the
4th century AD.
 In 837AD, Pope Gregory IV extended the
festival to remember all the saints, changed
its name to Feast of All Saints and fixed the
date to 1st November.
 The whole idea of All Saints Day is linked with
the belief in the Communion of Saints. This is
the belief that all of God's people, on heaven,
earth, and in the state of purification (called
Purgatory), are linked together in a
communion.
 In other words, we believe that the saints of
God are just as alive as you and I, and are
constantly praying before God (interceding)
on our behalf.
 All Souls' Day is marked on 2nd November, directly
after All Saints' Day, and is an opportunity for us to
remember (commemorate) and especially to pray for
those who have died who are not yet in heaven.
 Some souls have died without being fully ready to
meet God. We call the place where these souls are
Purgatory. Purgatory is a place or state where we get
"cleaned up" before entering into the presence of
Almighty God.
 Just like the Saints in heaven pray for us on earth and
their prayers benefit us, so the prayers and Masses we
offer are of help to the souls in Purgatory.
 Praying for the dead is an ancient Christian
tradition. In 998AD Odilo, Abbot of Cluny
(France), set aside a specific day for
remembering and praying for those in
Purgatory. This started as a local feast in his
monasteries and gradually spread
throughout the Catholic Church towards the
end of the 10th century AD.
 There are many customs associated with All Souls Day, and these
vary greatly from culture to culture. In Mexico they celebrate All
Souls Day as el dia de los muertos, or "the day of the dead."
 In the Philippines, they celebrate "Memorial Day" based loosely on
All Souls Day. Customs include praying novenas for the holy souls,
and ornately decorating relatives' graves. On the eve of All Souls
(i.e. the evening of All Saints Day), people go door-to-door,
requesting gifts and singing a traditional verse.
 In Hungary the day is known as Halottak Napja, "the day of the
dead," and a common custom is inviting orphans into the family and
giving them food, clothes, and toys.
 All of these customs show the wide variety of traditions related to
All Souls Day.
 In November we often attend the graves of our loved
ones who have died and pray for them.
 We can light a candle in a Church for our loved ones.
 We can think about happy times we spent with our
loved ones and thank God for them.
 We may have a Mass offered up for the intentions of
the Holy Souls.
 In school we may have a Remembrance tree where we
can put memorial cards of relatives who have passed
away and pray for them during our school assembly or
during religion time in our classroom.
 Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord and may
everlasting light shine upon them, may they
rest in peace. Amen
Write a prayer for the
departed love one’s
and read it before the
Sunday mass.