Each year, the Church celebrates the feast days of All Saints and All Souls at the beginning of November. All Saints Day used to be called All Hallows Day (hallow is another word for holy and so the night before was called Hallows Eve which was then shortened to Halloween). People dressed up in costumes and displayed pictures of ghosts and tombstones as ways to make death seem less scary.
People can find death to be frightening because it seems to be the end of life but as Christians, we know that death is not the end. We have eternal life through Jesus’ death and resurrection. That is why the Church offers us an even better way of remembering those who have died. On these two feast days we remember that we are connected to one another through the Communion of Saints. Saints are people who were just like us, but they did difficult things even when it was hard or they didn’t want to, because they loved God.
We pray to God and because we believe that the saints are now living with God in heaven, we ask them to pray to God with us and for us. We do not know the names of all the saints, some of them were so much like Jesus when they died that the church has declared them as Saints, definitely in heaven. There are also people in heaven who we don’t know of and so the Church honours all of those in heaven on the feast of All Saint’s Day, each year on 1 November.
On 2 November each year, the Church remembers with the feast of All Souls, all those who have died but who are not yet living fully in God’s presence. By placing these two celebrations next to each other on the Church calendar, we are reminded of the bond in the Communion of Saints, which we here on earth share with those who have died.
We pray for those who taught us good things and made sacrifices for us. We pray for those who prayed for us while they were on this earth. We pray for the most forgotten souls. We pray for those who had great responsibilities in their lives. We remember the holy souls in purgatory and pray for them that they can be with God, face to face. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.
All Saints Mass will be celebrated on Wednesday, 1 November:
9.00 AM St Dominic’s Church, Innaloo
2.00 PM Our Lady of Good Counsel Church, Karrinyup
7.00PM St Dominic’s Church, Innaloo
All Souls Mass will be celebrated on Thursday, 2 November
9.00 AM Our Lady of Good Counsel Church, Karrinyup
7.00 PM St Dominic’s Church, Innaloo
November Mass envelopes are available at the back of our parish churches.