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Old Calendar: Feast of All Saints ; Other Titles: All Saints Day
Today the Church celebrates all the saints: canonized or beatified, and the multitude of those who are in heaven enjoying the beatific vision that are only known to God. During the early centuries the Saints venerated by the Church were all martyrs. Later on the Popes set November 1 as the day for commemorating all the Saints. We all have this "universal call to holiness." What must we to do in order to join the company of the saints in heaven? We "must follow in His footsteps and conform [our]selves to His image seeking the will of the Father in all things. [We] must devote [our]selves with all [our] being to the glory of God and the service of [our] neighbor. In this way, the holiness of the People of God will grow into an abundant harvest of good, as is admirably shown by the life of so many saints in Church history" (Lumen Gentium, 40).
Don't forget to pray for the Poor Souls in Purgatory from November 1 to the 8th.All Saints DayDuring the year the Church celebrates one by one the feasts of the saints. Today she joins them all in one festival. In addition to those whose names she knows, she recalls in a magnificent vision all the others "of all nations and tribes standing before the throne and in sight of the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands, proclaiming Him who redeemed them in His Blood."
- Visiting a cemetery and praying for the dead during the Octave of All Saints' Day (November 1 through November 8) will gain a plenary indulgence that can be applied only to the souls in Purgatory. On other days, this work gains a partial indulgence. See the green section below for indulgence requirements.
- Spend a little time after Mass thanking God for all the unnamed saints, some of whom could be our own relatives.
- Have a special meal and if you have young children have them dress up like saints and play games.
- Pray the Litany of the Saints -- you could make it really special by chanting it and you could read an explanation of this litany, which is considered the model of all other litanies.
- From the Catholic Culture library:
- The Church's Thanksgiving Day by Fr. Joseph Minihan
- Ideas for Sanctifying All Saints' Day by Jennifer Gregory Miller
- Halloween and All Saints Day by Fr. William Saunders
- The Church's Thanksgiving Day by Fr. Joseph Minihan
Plenary Indulgences for the Souls in Purgatory for the Month of November
The Apostolic Penitentiary has received many petitions from holy Pastors who have asked that this year, due to the "Covid-19" epidemic, pious works be commuted in order to obtain the Plenary Indulgences applicable to souls in Purgatory, in accordance with the Manual of Indulgences (conc. 29, ยง 1). For this reason, the Apostolic Penitentiary, on the special mandate of His Holiness Pope Francis, willingly establishes and decides that this year, in order to avoid gatherings where they are forbidden: