A trifecta of special days happen every October 31 through November 2. Catholic parents trying to raise their children counter-culturally would do well to instruct and involve their family in all three of them and not simply focus on the secularized, commercialization-aspect of one of them.
Halloween, All Saints Day, and All Souls Day are all connected by their roots in Catholicism and association with departed souls. Faithful Catholic parents should teach their sons and daughters about the Christian aspect of Halloween. It starts by explaining how Halloween is technically “All Hallows Eve.” Celebrate October 31st as both a fun night but also a time of preparation for the upcoming two days of remembering saints and our deceased relatives and friends.
All Saints Day
There are thousands of canonized saints – individuals officially recognized by the Church as holy men and women worthy of imitation. Their lives have been fully examined and found holy by the Church. Plus, miracles are associated with them. Thus, we can be assured they are prime examples of holiness, and powerful intercessors before God on our behalf.
There are also many patron saints – guardians or protectors of different areas of life. For instance, Saint Vitus is the patron saint against oversleeping. It may sound crazy to have a patron saint against oversleeping, but keep in mind the Church has something meaningful for every area of our human lives. We celebrate these saints throughout the year on their own feast days, whether it is Saint Louis, the patron saint of masons and builders, on August 25, or Saint Louise, the patron saint of social workers, on May 9.
We have information about many saints whom we honor on specific days. But we also have few to no details about other unknown or unsung saints. All Saints Day provides an opportunity to celebrate all of these holy men and women, and to ask for their prayers and intercessions. The saints in Heaven are constantly interceding on our behalf. Thus, every November 1st, all Catholics honor those human beings who have left this life and are now in heaven with God — the ones whose names we know, and the ones whose names we don’t know.
We celebrate All Saints Day as a “solemnity,” which is higher than a typical feast day in the Church. A solemnity holds the highest rank among Church celebrations. Some of the 24 days marked as solemnities on the annual liturgical calendar along with All Saints Day include Christmas, Easter, Pentecost, Corpus Christi, and the Immaculate Conception.
In addition, Catholics in the United States are required to attend Mass on All Saints Day. It is one of just six holy days of obligation (not counting every Sunday). Attending Mass on November 1, used to be a given for every Catholic family. Sadly, today it seems like only the most authentically Catholic families act counter-culturally and go to Mass on All Saints Day.
Halloween
Some Catholics argue over if Halloween should be celebrated each October 31. Many see the holiday as demonic and associated with evil and witchcraft. This holiday can be turned into a holy-day if mom and dad keep the focus on its innocent fun and healthy reminders of death. Halloween – aka “All Hallows Eve” – contains customs which reflect the Christian belief that we mock evil on this vigil of All Saints Day.
One Halloween custom developed in the Middle Ages. Poor people in the community begged for “soul cakes,” and upon receiving these doughnut-like treats, they would agree to pray for departed souls. This is the root of our modern day “trick-or-treat.” It is said that the custom of masks and costumes developed to confuse the evil spirits by dressing as one of their own.
The extreme, adult-parts of Halloween in modern times have grown into big business and need to be avoided. But being a Christian does not mean that families cannot have Halloween fun. Catholic parents can even encourage their youngsters to dress up as a saint for their Halloween costumes. It can be very inspiring and educational when a mini-Saint Francis or a young-Saint Lucy rings a neighbor’s doorbell on Halloween night.
All Souls Day
The day after All Saints day is called All Soul’s Day. This is a day to remember and offer prayers up on behalf of all of the faithful departed whom we are not assured are in Heaven. Because of the hecticness and specialness of October 31 and November 1, it can be difficult for Catholic families to remember to also commemorate November 2.
Some counter-cultural actions parents can take on All Souls Day not only include attending Mass, but visiting relatives’ gravesites and recalling memories of deceased loved ones. Some families make a point to prominently display photos of deceased family members throughout the entire month of November.
Finally, All Souls Day offers a perfect opportunity for parents to teach their children about the Spiritual Work of Mercy, praying for the dead. The Requiem Prayer is commonly said at a Catholic funeral. Many also pray it on November 2 and other days for deceased grandparents and the like.
“Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.”
The Trifecta
It is important to note the difference between All Saints Day and All Souls Day, and to whom and for what we are praying on each unique holy day. All Saints Day celebrates all of the faithful who are in Heaven. This includes the famous, capital-S Saints such as Saint Louis, and the unknown, lower-s saints, which hopefully includes one’s grandpa and great-great grandma. Our prayer time on November 1, should be to thank God for the examples and inspirations of these Holy men and women, as well as to ask these Saints for their intercession.
All Souls Day remembers all the Holy Souls in Purgatory. We pray this day for their purification in Purgatory. We pray that if they have not already gone to Heaven, they soon will be purified and attain this ultimate goal. We pray that they will achieve the Beatific Vision which is the supreme happiness of beholding Our Lord face-to-face and finding perfect fulfillment.
There is one way of bringing all three days together. The Church teaches that Saints/saints can pray for souls in Purgatory. Therefore, to get a jumpstart on All Souls Day on November 2, we can pray to the saints on their November 1st day – and on the October 31st All Hallows Eve vigil – asking them to intercede for the souls in Purgatory.
A PRINCIPAL'S PRINCIPLES FOR PARENTING 
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