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In the autumn of the year, as the days get shorter and the darkness comes earlier, it is natural and proper to reflect on our own mortality and remember that we are safe in God’s care. When we take this perspective, we may better understand the Catholic connections of celebrating Halloween on eve of the feast of All Saints, or “hallowed” ones. Our faith reassures us that God is with us to conquer the scary things in life.
All Saints and All Souls comprise the two-day celebration of the Communion of Saints – those who are with God in heaven and those who are on their way to heaven. These two feasts turn our thoughts into things eternal and our Catholic hope of salvation.
On the Solemnity of All Saints, November 1, the Church venerates all the holy men and women who are in heaven now, praying for us. On this feast, not only can we pray to our favorite saints, but we can also call upon our departed brothers and sisters whom we believe are already with God. In my Catholic school, we enjoyed celebrating All Saints’ Day by dressing up as our favorite saints. The Solemnity of All Saints is a Holy Day of Obligation. Celebrate All Saints Day with your students with this activity. All Saints Day
A day later, on the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls’ Day), the Church remembers and prays for the faithful departed: our brothers and sisters who have died marked with the sign of faith. We pray for them to be fully united with God in heaven. This is also called the Day of the Dead, and families visit the graves of their loved ones to honor them and celebrate their lives. Gather your students for a classroom prayer for deceased loved ones and to affirm our faith in the Resurrection with these prayers. Prayers for the Day of the Dead
At this time of year, you may want to review or share with parents the guidance about Helping Children Cope with Loss, a Catholic Parenting 101 publication by Timothy Hogan, Psy.D., LP, CIRT.
We are a faith family that hopes in God’s love and mercy, during life and after death. The Family Life series, at every grade level, focuses on our relationships at home, The Family Album feature highlight saints from our heavenly “extended family.” They are our role models for a good moral life. Saint Teresa of Calcutta said that “holiness is not the luxury of a few people, but a simple duty for you and me.”
We are all called to become saints, and we can accomplish that by striving to follow God’s commands and being united with him in love. To be holy, to be a saint, means allowing God “to live his life in us,” as Mother Teresa taught. Learn more about Mother Teresa, Saint Dominic, and hundreds of other saints in the Saints Resource.
About the AuthorDr. Lauri Przybysz specializes in equipping families to live their vocation to be domestic churches and signs of God’s love. Lauri received the Doctor of Ministry from the Catholic University of America, and she has been both a Catholic middle school religion teacher and a faith formation coordinator at the archdiocesan and parish levels. She is the mother of six children and grandmother of 21.
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Family Life Second Edition
Family Life Second Edition is the newly updated edition of RCL Benziger’s leading K-8 supplemental program that addresses key concerns of today’s Catholic families. In every grade level, Family Life includes child safety education, promotes virtuous living, and strengthens Catholic identity.
The Family Life program reinforces the Catholic virtues and values that your students attain with their education. Family Life is an essential component of your school-based religious education program and meets Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) standards and benchmarks.