Special Lesson: All Saints’ and All Souls’ Day

I. All Saints’ Day (November 1)

1. Halloween comes from the traditional English phrase All Hallows’ Eve, which literally means
All Saint’s Eve (October 31)
-This means it is NOT a celebration of the creepy, demonic, diabolic, or the ghoulish that
is often associated with Halloween (e.g., skeletons, jack-o-lanterns, zombies, devils, etc.)
-This is the celebration of saints, therefore this is the celebration of the DIVINE and HOLY

2. Saints, in common language, are the FRIENDS of GOD, and are spending eternity with Him
in HEAVEN
-They have spent their lives doing the will of God
-Their lives are a series of consistent ‘YES’ to God’s invitation to love
-WE ARE ALL CALLED TO BE SAINTS (Universal call to holiness)
-Sanctity/Holiness is contagious.
-In the foreseeable future, people will look up to us for inspiration!

3. The process of Sainthood is called CANONIZATION (from the word Canon, meaning official
list)
-Stage 1 of Canonical Inquiry/Investigation: Examining the Life of a Candidate for
Sainthood
-Phase 1: Diocesan Level
*Five years must pass from the time of a candidate's death before a cause may
begin. This is to allow greater balance and objectivity in evaluating the case and to
let the emotions of the moment dissipate. The pope can dispense from this waiting
period.

*The bishop of the diocese or eparchy in which the person died is responsible for
beginning the investigation. The petitioner (who for example can be the
diocese/eparchy, bishop, religious order or association of the faithful) asks the
bishop through a person known as the postulator to open the investigation.1

-Phase II: Congregation for the Causes of Saints

*Once the diocesan or eparchial investigation is finished, the documentation is
sent to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. The postulator for this phase,
residing in Rome, under the direction of a member of the Congregation's staff
called a relator prepares the 'Positio,' or summary of the documentary evidence
from the diocesan or eparchial phase in order to prove the heroic exercise of virtue
or the martyrdom.2

-Stage 2: Beatification
For the beatification of a Venerable, a miracle attributed to his intercession,
verified after his death, is necessary. The required miracle must be proven through
the appropriate canonical investigation, following a procedure analogous to that
for heroic virtues. This investigation too is concluded with the appropriate decree.
Once the decree on the miracle is promulgated the pope grants the beatification,
which is the concession of limited public veneration – usually only in the diocese,
eparchy, region, or religious community in which the Blessed lived. With
beatification the candidate receives the titled of Blessed. For a martyr, no miracle
is required. Thus when the pope approves the positio declaring that the person was
a martyred for the faith, the title Blessed is granted to the martyr at that time.3

-Stage 3: Canonization
*For canonization another miracle is needed for both Blessed martyrs and Blesseds
who lived a virtuous life, attributed to the intercession of the Blessed and having
occurred after his or her beatification. The methods for affirming the miracle are
the same as those followed for beatification. Canonization allows for the public
veneration of the Saint by the Universal Church. With canonization, the Blessed
acquires the title of Saint.4

NB. Miracles are a requirement for Canonization since this is undeniable proof that the
candidate is indeed in heaven and can intercede for us.

1
https://www.usccb.org/offices/public-
affairs/saints#:~:text=In%20official%20Church%20procedures%20there,life%20or%20offered%20their%20life.
2
ibid
3
ibid
4
ibid
 -In summary, the stages of canonization are as follows:
-Servant of God
-Venerable
-Blessed
-Saint

4. We celebrate All Saints’ Day because it reminds us of the following:

-We are called to be saints; we are called to be holy
-Heaven is our final, ultimate destination

II. All Souls’ Day (November 2)

1. This is the CORRECT day for visiting our departed family members, relatives, friends, and
loved ones.
-HOWEVER, there is nothing wrong if we visit the cemeteries on November 1

2. We pray for their eternal repose because we DO NOT WANT TO ASSUME that they are already
in heaven
-Rather, we PRAY that they can already enter heaven, owing to their own sins
-Praying for the departed ones is a reminder that SIN prevents our entry to heaven
-Even if we confess our sins, we still must MAKE REPARATIONS, in this life or in the
next
-This is why PURGATORY exists: a temporary state of purifying one’s soul from sins
-Souls in Purgatory CANNOT pray for themselves; this is why they need our prayers
-Once they are freed through our prayers, they can now enter heaven and can
INTERCEDE for us

3. We celebrate All Souls’ Day as a reminder of ESCHATOLOGY, or the LAST THINGS:

a.) DEATH- due to our fallen nature (SIN), we shall all die; we simply do not know when,
where, or how. Thus, we pray for the grace of a HAPPY DEATH (dying in the state of
grace, having gone to Confession and received Communion before meeting God)

b.) JUDGMENT- God is a God of Justice, and He will demand an accounting of our lives.
Modern interpretation of DIVINE JUDGMENT would actually be US JUDGING
OURSELVES to go to:

c.) HEAVEN- the permanent state of being with God, a result of living a life of consistently
saying YES to God’s invitation to Love, to God’s plan, to God’s will

d.) HELL- the permanent state of SEPARATION from God, a result of living a life of
consistently REJECTING God’s invitation and His plan for us

*Heaven and Hell are not rewards or punishments; these are simply CONSEQUENCES
of one’s actions.
-Man is free to choose; s/he is NOT FREE from the consequences of his/her actions