In November we honour the feasts of All Saints and All Souls
As well as the excitement of fireworks and ëTrick or Treatingí, Halloween is also a vigil for the feasts that follow. At the beginning of November, we honour the feasts of All Saints and All Souls. All Saints Day is celebrated to honour all the saints whether they are known or unknown, and All Souls Day is celebrated to honour the faithful departed. Because there are too many saints to give them their own individual feast days, All Saints Day is devoted to all of them. On All Souls Day we remember the departed through prayer, and attending Mass for their release from purgatory. The idea is that when a soul departs from the body, it is not fully cleansed from smaller sins, nor has it fully atoned for past sins. Therefore the faithful on Earth can help them.
Decorate the classroom
You can celebrate the feasts on the day and in advance. Prepare for each occasion coming up to the date at home and at school. Decorate the classroom with a parade of saints. Using cardboard, cut out a plain, generic body of a saint. Pick a saint each and dress up your cut out collecting scraps of fabric, coloured paper, and wool. Give your saint a small sign to hold citing his or her name and some vital information about them.
Presentation
Depending on how many are in your class, take a few saints per day and each of you can give a short presentation on your own saint between now and Halloween. This will give you the opportunity to learn from each other about different saints. Examples of saints you can choose from are, St Cecilia the patron saint of music, St Joseph of Cupertino for exams, St Gregory the Great for teachers, St Sebastian for athletes and Padre Pio for miracles. You might find a saint whose name you will choose for your Confirmation.
Your roots
You can learn more about your roots with your family on the feast of All Souls. Ask your parents to take out photo albums and to share stories with you about departed relatives. In Ireland, it was tradition to light a candle and place it in the window for each of the departed. In the evening, say your prayers around the candle before
going to bed.
