Although its meaning has been distorted in our secular world, today is what Halloween ("All Hallows Eve") is all about, the Feast of All Saints. This holy day, observed on November 1, is a "solemnity" in the Catholic Church. That means it's a Holy Day of Obligation and all good Catholics should hightail it to Mass.
It fortuitously happens that this year All Saints Day falls on a Sunday, so the headcount at church should be healthy. Tomorrow, November 2, is All Souls Day. It's not a Holy Day of Obligation, but many Catholics go to Mass to pray for their deceased relatives. These departed loved ones could very well be unknown saints in heaven. I can think of a few in my own family who might already have made the cut.
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| "All You Holy Men and Women Pray for Us" Refrain of the Litany of the Saints (which I'll be singing in choir at noon) |
