Strength and Kindliness
All Saints Day
This week we celebrate:
Today, November 1st, is All Saints Day.
This is a solemn holy day of the Catholic Church celebrated annually on this date. The day is dedicated to the saints of the Church. The Communion of Saints means that all Christians, living and dead are united as the one family in God.
To learn more visit: http://www.catholic.org/saints/allsaints/
Tomorrow, November 2nd, is All Souls Day.
This is a time honoured tradition in our Catholic Church to remember our deceased family members.
To learn more visit: http://www.catholic.org/saints/allsouls/
So how does this all fit in with the Halloween celebrations of the 31st of October? Halloween has deep Christian roots. The early Celtic people celebrated the transition from summer to winter on 1st November. They believed that at this time of year, the veil between our world and the next was thinnest during this time. The Church adopted this same date in order to celebrate All Hallows or All Holies (also known as All Saints Day) this was to be a day to honour all the saints who died as followers of Jesus. Over time this became shortened to Halloween. Light, long a symbol of life in Jesus, was used on ‘Halloween’ Eve to welcome good spirits and ward off evil ones. Candles were lit and placed inside hollowed-out squash, turnips, or later, after the discovery of America, pumpkins. Children, wearing masks, would go ‘souling’ from door to door, begging for soul cakes for those in purgatory. This is the origins of Trick or Treat. All Souls Day follows on 2nd November and is a time in which we pray for all the dead, including our own special friends and family.
A Prayer for All Saints Day
Dear God, thank you for the example of the Saints.
I desire to join in their company, worshiping you forever in Heaven.
Please help me follow their footsteps, and yours, Jesus Christ.
Please help me to conform myself to Your image, seeking Your will in all things, as the Saints did.
Please help me to devote myself, and all that I do, to Your glory, and to the service of my neighbours.
Amen.
November is a sacred month dedicated to remembering those who have gone before us.
Kirrilee Westblade
Deputy Principal
Catholic Identity
Have you read this Season's edition of Australian Catholics?
https://www.australiancatholics.com.au/current/aust-catholic-magazine
Have your read the current edition of our Diocesan newspaper Sandpiper?