All Saints’ Day is a day of the Solemnity of all saints, which the Catholic Church celebrates every 1st of November. On this day, Catholics commemorate all the saints of the Church—all those men and women who have attained Heaven and are in the presence of God. It is generally considered a holy day of obligation, which means that Catholics must attend the Holy Mass on this day unless there is a reason for excuse such as an illness. It is also a national holiday in most Catholic countries.
It was Pope Boniface IV who first established this feast day of All Saints’ by consecrating the Pantheon in Rome to our Blessed Mother and all the Saints on 13th of May in the year 609 and had been celebrated since. In the 18th Century, Pope Gregory III chose November 1 as the holy day of the saints, martyrs and their relics.
Although millions of souls, or even billions, are already in Heaven as saints, this day’s solemn dedication mostly focuses on popular saints which are officially part of the Catholic Church canon of saints—those who have lived as great witnesses of Christ and true examples of holiness. These Saints are an inspiration and a reminder to us, the Catholic faithful, that eternal life with God in Heaven is what we must all strive for here on Earth.
All Saints in Heaven, pray for us!
Prayer for All Saints’ Day
Almighty ever-living God,
by whose gift we venerate in one celebration
the merits of all the Saints, bestow on us, we pray,
through the prayers of so many intercessors,
an abundance of the reconciliation with you
for which we earnestly long.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
— Amen.
Source of prayer: DivineOffice.org
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