Solemnity of All Saints

Ordinary Time: November 1st

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Today is the Solemnity of All Saints. 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 the pope 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).

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All Saints Day
During 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."

The feast of All Saints should inspire us with tremendous hope. Among the saints in heaven are some whom we have known. All lived on earth lives like our own. They were baptized, marked with the sign of faith, they were faithful to Christ's teaching and they have gone before us to the heavenly home whence they call on us to follow them. The Gospel of the Beatitudes, read today, while it shows their happiness, shows, too, the road that they followed; there is no other that will lead us whither they have gone.

According to various authors including Father Francis X. Weiser, SJ, the "Commemoration of All Saints" was first celebrated in the East. The feast is found in the West on different dates in the eighth century. The Roman Martyrology mentions that this date is a claim of fame for Gregory IV (827-844) and that he extended this observance to the whole of Christendom; it seems certain, however, that Gregory III (731-741) preceded him in this. At Rome, on the other hand, on May 13, there was the annual commemoration of the consecration of the basilica of St. Maria ad Martyres (or St. Mary and All Martyrs). This was the former Pantheon, the temple of Agrippa, dedicated to all the gods of paganism, to which Boniface IV had translated many relics from the catacombs. Gregory VII transferred the anniversary of this dedication to November 1. 

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Read More:

https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2026-11-01

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The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls' Day) ​

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Ordinary Time: November 2nd​

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Today is the Commemoration of the All the Faithful Departed (All Souls' Day). The Church, after celebrating the feast of All Saints, today prays for all who, in the purifying suffering of Purgatory, await the day they will join in heavenly glory. The celebration of the Mass, which re-presents the Sacrifice of Christ on Calvary, has always been the principal means by which the Church fulfills the great responsibility of charity toward the dead. Death cannot break the bonds of the Body of Christ. —Daily Roman Missal

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All Souls Day

The Church, after rejoicing yesterday with those of her children who have entered the glory of heaven, today prays for all those who, in the purifying suffering of Purgatory await the day when they will be joined to the company of saints. At no place in the liturgy is stated in more striking fashion the mysterious union between the Church triumphant, the Church militant and the Church suffering; at no time is there accomplished in clearer fashion the twofold duty of charity and justice deriving for every Christian from the fact of his incorporation in the mystical Body of Christ. By virtue of the consoling doctrine of the communion of saints the merits and prayers of each one are able to help all; and the Church is able to join her prayer with that of the saints in heaven and supply what is wanting to the souls in Purgatory by means of the Mass, indulgences and the alms and sacrifices of her children.

The celebration of Mass, the sacrifice of Calvary continued on our altars, has ever been for the Church the principal means of fulfilling towards the dead the great commandment of charity. Masses for the dead are found in the fifth century. But it was St. Odilo, fourth abbot of Cluny, who was responsible for the institution of the general commemoration of all the faithful departed; he instituted it and fixed its celebration on November 2, the day after All Saints. The practice spread to the rest of Christendom.

Daily in a special Memento in the Canon of the Mass, at which the priest remembers all those who have fallen asleep in the Lord, the priest implores God to grant them a place of happiness, light and peace. Thus there is no Mass in which the Church does not pray for the faithful departed; but today her thoughts are directed towards them in a particular fashion, with the maternal preoccupation of leaving no soul in Purgatory without spiritual aid and of grouping them all together in her intercession. By a privilege that Benedict XV's decree has extended to the whole world every priest can today celebrate three Masses; for the liberation of the souls in Purgatory the Church multiplies the offering of the sacrifice of Christ, from which she draws forever on behalf of all her children, infinite fruits of redemption.

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Read More:

https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2026-11-02

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A plenary indulgence applicable only to the Souls in Purgatory can be gained during All Souls' Day and the first week of November in the Catholic Church.
 

How to Gain the Indulgences

1. On All Souls' Day (November 2)

    The Act: Piously visit a parish church, public oratory, or shrine.
    The Prayer: Recite one Our Father and the Apostles' Creed (or the Creed) while there. 

2. From November 1 to November 8 (All Souls' Week)

    The Act: Devoutly visit a cemetery and pray for the departed (even if only mentally).
    Frequency: You can gain one plenary indulgence per day for eight consecutive days by visiting a cemetery each day.
    Partial Indulgences: Visiting a cemetery and praying mentally—or reciting Lauds/Vespers from the Office of the Dead and the Eternal Rest (Requiem Aeternam) prayer—on other days of the year grants a partial indulgence. [1, 

General Requirements for a Plenary Indulgence
To make the act a plenary indulgence (which removes all temporal punishment due to forgiven sin), you must fulfill these standard conditions: 

    State of Grace: Be free from mortal sin at the time you perform the act. 
    Detachment from Sin: Have complete detachment from sin, even venial sin. 
    Sacramental Confession: Receive the Sacrament of Confession (roughly within ~20 days before or after the act; one confession can cover multiple plenary indulgences). 
    Holy Eucharist: Receive Holy Communion (ideally on each day you wish to gain the indulgence). 
    Prayer for the Pope's Intentions: Recite prayers for the intentions of the Holy Father (typically an Our Father and a Hail Mary, or similar). 

Recommended Prayer

    “Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.” 

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Fr. Don Calloway, MIC: The Rosary: Spiritual Sword of Our Lady

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What is the most powerful weapon on earth? In this talk based on his recent book, "Champions of the Rosary: The History and Heroes of a Spiritual Weapon," Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC argues that the rosary is a spiritual sword that has won decisive battles. And he has the stories to prove it. Fr. Don Calloway, MIC, is Vocation Director for the Marians of the Immaculate Conception and author of several books about Mary. Fr. Calloway's talk was sponsored by the Chapel Ministries Dept. at Franciscan University of Steubenville.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwVdYXyxln0

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The Rosary is a spiritual weapon.  Continual prayer and adoration confounds Satan as he loses influence over those who do not cease focusing on Jesus.

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