10/31/2025
Happy All Saints Day Eve! My favorite Saint is St. James because he was Jesus’ brother and knew the core message of Christ, which he demonstrated through his book in a concise way. The words James are understandable to the reader and resonate with our human condition. Who is your favorite Saint?
All Hallows' Eve, celebrated on October 31st, is the evening vigil that precedes All Saints' Day (November 1st). The name itself is a contraction of "All Hallows' Evening," where "hallows" is an archaic term for saints or holy people.
The feast day that follows All Hallows' Eve honors all saints, known and unknown, not just those who have been formally canonized. In fact, the solemnity encompasses the vast number of souls who have entered heaven, which includes the many formally recognized saints (far exceeding 10,000 in the Catholic Church alone) as well as the countless ordinary people who have died in God's grace throughout history. Historically, the evening was a time for prayer and preparation for this solemn commemoration of the entire heavenly host, a practice which has evolved into many of the modern-day Halloween traditions.