The Feast of All Saints
Omnium Sanctorum
On this solemnity the Church honours together all the saints of heaven — the whole glorious company of the redeemed, known and unknown — who now behold God face to face and intercede for the faithful still on earth.
On the first of November the Church keeps with great solemnity the feast of All Saints, honouring in one festival the whole multitude of the blessed who reign with Christ in heaven. Not the canonised saints only, whose names are written in her calendar, but that vast and uncounted host which no man can number — the holy of every age and land, of every state and condition, the apostles and martyrs, the confessors and virgins, and all the just made perfect — are on this day praised and invoked together, that none of the friends of God may go unhonoured, and that the faithful may rejoice in the glory of their elder brethren and be stirred to follow them.
The communion of saints
Saint John in the Apocalypse beheld a great multitude which no man could number, of all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes and bearing palms in their hands; and these, he was told, are they who have come out of great tribulation and have washed their robes in the Blood of the Lamb. In this vision the Church sees her own children brought home to glory: those who fought the good fight, kept the faith, and now enjoy the reward of the blessed, beholding God as He is and resting forever in His love.
This feast proclaims the great truth of the communion of saints, that the Church is one body in three states — the faithful on earth, who still labour and strive; the holy souls in purgatory, who are cleansed for heaven; and the saints in glory, who have attained the end of their pilgrimage. These three are bound together in the charity of Christ, and the saints above do not forget the brethren below, but pray for them before the throne of God. In honouring all the saints, the Church gives glory to God, who is wonderful in His saints and crowns in them His own gifts; and she teaches her children that holiness is the calling of all, and heaven the home prepared for all who persevere.
The Gospel of the Beatitudes
The Gospel of this feast is the Sermon of the Beatitudes, in which our Lord pronounces blessed the poor in spirit, the meek, the mourners, those who hunger and thirst after justice, the merciful, the clean of heart, the peacemakers, and those who suffer persecution for justice’ sake; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven, and great is their reward. In the saints these promises are fulfilled: they are the poor, the meek, the merciful, the pure, who walked the narrow way and have entered into the joy of their Lord. The Beatitudes are thus both the portrait of the saints and the road by which the faithful are called to follow them.
The feast
A common commemoration of all the martyrs was kept in the Church from early centuries. In the seventh century the Roman Pantheon was dedicated as a church in honour of the Blessed Virgin and all the martyrs; and in the eighth century the feast of All Saints came to be fixed on the first of November and extended to the whole Western Church, embracing not the martyrs alone but all the saints of God. It is a feast of the first class and a holy day of obligation, and the Church keeps it in the white vestments of glory and gladness.
In this solemnity the faithful lift up their hearts to the City of God, the heavenly Jerusalem, where so great a multitude already rejoices; they invoke the prayers of all the saints; and they renew their own resolve to walk in holiness, that they too may one day be numbered in that blessed company. The feast is kept on the first of November.
The Collect
O almighty and everlasting God, who hast granted us to venerate in one solemnity the merits of all thy Saints: we beseech thee that, through the multitude of intercessors, thou wouldst bestow upon us the longed-for abundance of thy mercy.
Omnípotens sempitérne Deus, qui nos ómnium Sanctórum tuórum mérita sub una tribuísti celebritáte venerári: quæsumus; ut desiderátam nobis tuæ propitiatiónis abundántiam, multiplicátis intercessóribus, largiáris.
Patronage
The solemnity honours the whole company of the saints in heaven, who intercede for the faithful still on their pilgrimage.
In the Modern Calendar
In the modern calendar this solemnity is observed on the same day, 1 November.
Common Questions
When is the feast of All Saints?
It is kept on 1 November in the calendar of the 1962 Roman Missal, as a First Class feast and a holy day of obligation, and likewise on 1 November in the modern calendar. The date is unchanged.
What does the feast of All Saints celebrate?
It honours in one festival the whole multitude of the saints in heaven — not only those formally canonised, but all the blessed of every age and land, known and unknown, who now behold God and intercede for the faithful on earth. It proclaims the communion of saints and the universal call to holiness.
How is All Saints different from All Souls?
All Saints, on 1 November, honours the saints already reigning in glory in heaven. All Souls, on 2 November, prays for the holy souls in purgatory who are being cleansed before they enter heaven. The two days, kept together, express the bond of the whole Church in heaven, on earth, and in purgatory.
See where this feast falls in the Church’s year on the liturgical calendar, or find a Traditional Latin Mass near you.
These pages are offered with love for the saints and for all who seek them. If anything here should need correcting, we humbly beg your pardon and ask your help — kindly write to [email protected], and we will mend it as soon as we can.
Receive the coming feasts, Mass times, and reflections from our community — sent with care, never spam.