In the month of November, two special days are commemorated throughout the Catholic Church, namely, All Saints Day, on November 1, and All Souls Day, on November 2.
When we recite the Creed, we profess the “Communion of Saints”. This belief is celebrated on All Saints Day. Those of our brethren who are already in heaven and those of us who are still here on earth, and living in union with God and one another, make up the “Communion of Saints”. Those who are already with the Lord are our own brothers and sisters, our protectors and intercessors. These include those who are proclaimed as Saints and raised to the honours of the altar by the Church.
We venerate with great devotion St Francis Xavier, St Anthony, St Joseph Vaz, St Teresa of Calcutta, and many others whom we hold in great esteem, with a fervent desire to emulate them.
Thus, when we celebrate All Saints Day, we join them in praising the Triune God, and seeking their intercession for us.
The feasts celebrated to honour the saints aim to make manifest the wonders of Christ, brought about in their lives, and also to portray them as models of a Christian life to be adopted by the faithful. We also express and strengthen the union that exists between the pilgrim Church and the celestial Church.
The veneration of the saints in no way diminishes our reverence to God, but, on the contrary, it ennobles and enriches our divine worship. It leads us to Christ, who is the “Crown of all the Saints”.
The saints never cease to intercede with God the Father for us. They become for us a hopeful sign that we too, one day, will receive the eternal reward which they have already received.
The Catholic Church commemorates in a special way all the faithful departed on November 2, which is known as All Souls Day. We, too, remember with affection our deceased family members. They need our prayers until their purification is complete.
On this occasion, the graves are decked with lawns, flowers and lit candles by the family members who offer Mass for the atonement of their sins. They also visit the cemetery and pray for their souls. The cemetery, neat and clean, wears a festive look of a verdant garden. However, care is taken to safeguard the environment.
Given the spiritual significance of the day, the Church permits its priests, following an old tradition since 1915, to celebrate three Masses: one for the personal intention of any individual, and the second and third Mass compulsorily for the all the faithful departed and for the intentions of the Holy Father respectively.
Besides, the Church grants the Plenary Indulgence applicable only to the souls in Purgatory, on the fulfilment of certain obligations, namely to visit devoutly a cemetery or just pray mentally for the dead on any one of the days between November 1 and 8; and to visit a Church or a chapel devoutly and pray the Our Father and the Creed on All Souls Day.
The celebration of both the events illumines the path of our faith that looks beyond and transcends the earthly realm in order to attain to the Unseen that lasts forever.