All Saints Day All Saints Day, a Holy Day of Obligation, is the day on which Catholics celebrate all the saints, known and unknown. Every day in the Church year has a saint day, but the Solemnity of All Saints is when the Church honors all saints. While we have information about many saints, and we honor them on specific days, there are many unknown saints, who may have been forgotten, or have never been honored specifically. On All Saints Day, we celebrate these holy men and women, and ask for their prayers and intercessions. The date of November 1 was instituted by Pope Gregory 111 (731-741), when he consecrated a chapel to all the martyrs in St. Peters Basilica in Rome and ordered an annual celebration. This celebration was originally confined to the diocese of Rome, but Pope Gregory IV (827-844) extended the feast to the entire Church and ordered it to be celebrated on November 1. The whole concept of All Saints Day is tied in with the Communion of Saints. This is the belief that all of Gods people, on heaven, earth, and in the state of purification, are connected in communion. Catholic Christians believe that the saints of God are constantly interceding on our behalf. Our connection with the saints in heaven is one grounded in a tight-knit communion. Because of our common communion with and through Jesus Christ, our prayers are joined with the heavenly community of Christians. The vigil or eve of the feast, October 31, is commonly known as All Hallows Eve or Halloween. While some have considered Halloween pagan, as far as the Church is concerned the date is simply the eve of the feat of All Saints. The day after All Saints day is called All Souls Day, a day to remember and offer prayers up on behalf of all of the faithful departed. Excerpts taken from Church Year.Net, The Solemnity of All Saints Day
Posted on: Wed, 30 Oct 2013 03:29:08 +0000
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